MBA: Tier2 schools better than none at all?

[SONYFX]

I know MBA is worth it is you go to top tier school, but what if you can't get in? Would a MBA from second tier school better than no MBA at all?

If you are looking for a job in the business field and one guy has MBA and the other doesn't, it's obvious who is going to get the nod.

But then the cost of MBA is so high that it might not worth it after all since you are immediately in debt upon graduation?

 

[Christobevii3]

How much are you looking to spend? I believe you could get an mba at my school (midwestern state university) for like $15-20,000.

 

[SONYFX]

Originally posted by: Christobevii3
How much are you looking to spend? I believe you could get an mba at my school (midwestern state university) for like $15-20,000.

Is it a two year or one year program? 20,000 looks ok.

 

[chambersc]

Since there exists "second tier schools" for MBAs, an MBA from then would obviously be better than no MBA at all.

 

[halik]

Well a no-name MBA usually works locally, so if you wanna stay in the area, it's probably worth it. But I wouldn't think it will get you too far otherwise.

 

[Compton]

It has been said in previous threads that If you don't get into Harvard, you have to commit ??.

 

[SONYFX]

Originally posted by: Compton
It has been said in previous threads that If you don't get into Harvard, you have to commit ??.

link?

 

[edro]

This is a stupid question.

Is a Kia better than no car at all? Of course.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

The nose-bleed tuition at Ivy League schools doesn't necessarily mean better education or better jobs but, it does mean better contacts which may lead to better jobs. The GOB network is alive and well.

 

[SONYFX]

bump

 

[Svnla]

From my own personal experience, MBA from any decent state schools is better than none.

I studied for my MBA while I was working full time, the company paid for everything, all I had to do was making "B" average or better.

Just don't study for MBA or go to grad school for any advance degree and expect to make a busload of money just because. You will be dispappoint.

<<<--------- BS and MBA from a state school and proud of them.

 

[RKS]

A MBA in some regards (as mentioned) is similar to a JD. If you don't go to a Top 15 or so, go to a school in the region where you plan to work.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: SONYFX

I know MBA is worth it is you go to top tier school, but what if you can't get in? Would a MBA from second tier school better than no MBA at all?

an MBA is never worth it. your increase in pay will never make up for the time and expense spent if you don't go to the big boys. and the people who go to the big boys won't make it up either because those people were already going to make it.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: SONYFX

I know MBA is worth it is you go to top tier school, but what if you can't get in? Would a MBA from second tier school better than no MBA at all?

an MBA is never worth it. your increase in pay will never make up for the time and expense spent if you don't go to the big boys. and the people who go to the big boys won't make it up either because those people were already going to make it.

That totally depends. My ex worked as a CPA in London making at least $250K. Quit, got her MBA from Fuqua (#7 in the nation), now works for well less than half that, but is 100% happy. A large percentage in a top tier MBA program goes not because they want to make more money, but are looking for a career change. Whether or not a MBA is "worth it" is totally subjective.

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: SONYFX

I know MBA is worth it is you go to top tier school, but what if you can't get in? Would a MBA from second tier school better than no MBA at all?

an MBA is never worth it. your increase in pay will never make up for the time and expense spent if you don't go to the big boys. and the people who go to the big boys won't make it up either because those people were already going to make it.

That totally depends. My ex worked as a CPA in London making at least $250K. Quit, got her MBA from Fuqua (#7 in the nation), now works for well less than half that, but is 100% happy. A large percentage in a top tier MBA program goes not because they want to make more money, but are looking for a career change. Whether or not a MBA is "worth it" is totally subjective.

A CPA making $250k? Shens!

 

[Syringer]

Originally posted by: JS80

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: SONYFX

I know MBA is worth it is you go to top tier school, but what if you can't get in? Would a MBA from second tier school better than no MBA at all?

an MBA is never worth it. your increase in pay will never make up for the time and expense spent if you don't go to the big boys. and the people who go to the big boys won't make it up either because those people were already going to make it.

That totally depends. My ex worked as a CPA in London making at least $250K. Quit, got her MBA from Fuqua (#7 in the nation), now works for well less than half that, but is 100% happy. A large percentage in a top tier MBA program goes not because they want to make more money, but are looking for a career change. Whether or not a MBA is "worth it" is totally subjective.

A CPA making $250k? Shens!

😕

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: JS80

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: SONYFX

I know MBA is worth it is you go to top tier school, but what if you can't get in? Would a MBA from second tier school better than no MBA at all?

an MBA is never worth it. your increase in pay will never make up for the time and expense spent if you don't go to the big boys. and the people who go to the big boys won't make it up either because those people were already going to make it.

That totally depends. My ex worked as a CPA in London making at least $250K. Quit, got her MBA from Fuqua (#7 in the nation), now works for well less than half that, but is 100% happy. A large percentage in a top tier MBA program goes not because they want to make more money, but are looking for a career change. Whether or not a MBA is "worth it" is totally subjective.

A CPA making $250k? Shens!

Well she was based out of the US (lived in Philadelphia) but transferred to London for 2 years doing work there. She had enough money that shes traveled to 60 different countries around the U.S. (Loves traveling) and didn't hesitate to be able to pay for grad school + living expenses and not having a job for two years.

EDIT - the $250K was my guess, she never led on to exactly how much she made but she was making money hand over fist. I can change that to $150K if it makes you feel better?

 

[torpid]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: SONYFX

I know MBA is worth it is you go to top tier school, but what if you can't get in? Would a MBA from second tier school better than no MBA at all?

an MBA is never worth it. your increase in pay will never make up for the time and expense spent if you don't go to the big boys. and the people who go to the big boys won't make it up either because those people were already going to make it.

Not sure what you are basing this on, but an MBA will open up job opportunities you wouldn't get otherwise and many companies more or less require it to advance up the ladder.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: torpid

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: SONYFX

I know MBA is worth it is you go to top tier school, but what if you can't get in? Would a MBA from second tier school better than no MBA at all?

an MBA is never worth it. your increase in pay will never make up for the time and expense spent if you don't go to the big boys. and the people who go to the big boys won't make it up either because those people were already going to make it.

Not sure what you are basing this on, but an MBA will open up job opportunities you wouldn't get otherwise and many companies more or less require it to advance up the ladder.

study by some economists released about 2 or 3 years ago.

 

[torpid]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: torpid

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: SONYFX

I know MBA is worth it is you go to top tier school, but what if you can't get in? Would a MBA from second tier school better than no MBA at all?

an MBA is never worth it. your increase in pay will never make up for the time and expense spent if you don't go to the big boys. and the people who go to the big boys won't make it up either because those people were already going to make it.

Not sure what you are basing this on, but an MBA will open up job opportunities you wouldn't get otherwise and many companies more or less require it to advance up the ladder.

study by some economists released about 2 or 3 years ago.

Well, I agree that many MBAs I know don't make the same as I do, in fact, often less. But I couldn't get their jobs since they require MBAs, and 10 years from now they probably will be making more.

 

[joelmold]

Originally posted by: SONYFX

I know MBA is worth it is you go to top tier school, but what if you can't get in? Would a MBA from second tier school better than no MBA at all?

If you are looking for a job in the business field and one guy has MBA and the other doesn't, it's obvious who is going to get the nod.

But then the cost of MBA is so high that it might not worth it after all since you are immediately in debt upon graduation?

check out the october 23rd issue of businessWeek, "the best b-schools" -- they compared the return on investment of attending a top-tier school vs. a second-tier school. after seeing the numbers it's pretty hard to justify going to those better schools, but of course this depends on many things. if you can't find the article let me know and i can try to get a scan.

 

[SONYFX]

Originally posted by: joelmold

Originally posted by: SONYFX

I know MBA is worth it is you go to top tier school, but what if you can't get in? Would a MBA from second tier school better than no MBA at all?

If you are looking for a job in the business field and one guy has MBA and the other doesn't, it's obvious who is going to get the nod.

But then the cost of MBA is so high that it might not worth it after all since you are immediately in debt upon graduation?

check out the october 23rd issue of businessWeek, "the best b-schools" -- they compared the return on investment of attending a top-tier school vs. a second-tier school. after seeing the numbers it's pretty hard to justify going to those better schools, but of course this depends on many things. if you can't find the article let me know and i can try to get a scan.

Yes I found it, the ROI on top tier school is low.

 

[WildHorse]

SONYFX,

Send me your e-mail address& I'll send you a useful .pdf document re: MBA.
Click on my icon to see e-mail or PM, either works.

 

[athithi]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: SONYFX

I know MBA is worth it is you go to top tier school, but what if you can't get in? Would a MBA from second tier school better than no MBA at all?

an MBA is never worth it. your increase in pay will never make up for the time and expense spent if you don't go to the big boys. and the people who go to the big boys won't make it up either because those people were already going to make it.

That's not always the case. My closest friend is graduating from Tuck this year. He left a $90k+ job to do his MBA full time. He was hired by a Top 5 consulting firm during his internship with them - they paid him $30k for 2 months of internship, they're taking care of his 2nd year tuition fees, and they've paid him a $65k sign-on bonus with a $127k starting salary. Considering he got a partial scholarship for his 1st year, I think his total student loan now comes to barely $15k. And he says he is in the middle of the pack in his class! He was in IT prior to his MBA and is now in strategy consulting. I don't see any way how he could've made that switch without an MBA.

On the other hand, another friend went part-time to Stern, quit his job and went into day-trading, lost all his money and went back to his old job in IT. I think Stern was ranked #1 for FEMBAs that year.

An MBA can be a powerful tool in the right hands, though an MBA by itself is obviously not going to solve all problems. But given the choice, I'd rather have a shot at using that tool. And yes, a large part of that tool is not the classroom education, but the networking opportunity.

To answer the OPs question, an MBA from a 2nd tier is not a replacement for a top tier MBA - they would end up serving very different purposes in the long run. But IMO, any higher education, if utilized properly, will only serve you well.

 

[gotsmack]

It depends on your reason for going.

for me it was worth it because I love the things I was learning about and working with most of my class mates. When I look back that was the best time of my life even though I didn't have any money or free time. Every night and morning was "I gotta prepare for the next case study"

If you go for the girls, in my experience there are very few hot girls in the MBA program. Go to law school, 3/4 of the chicks there are hot.