MBA Student Life

I am a mid-level manager in the field of IT with 10+ yrs of experience and want to grow in the same field. I am little confused with school selection for my part-time MBA. Main dilemma is Rank Vs Cost. I live in Midwest and can attend some excellent schools such as Booth or Kellogg, or can also attend good schools such as Kelley or Carlson or Foster(have a job offer in Seattle).

Cost of Booth or Kellogg is twice the cost of other good schools listed. For Full-Time MBA, selection between these is no-brainer but I am not sure on return on investment for part-time MBA. Your thoughts are welcome.

Hey readytolearn - love that handle BTW!

A little confused about where you're at in the process - did you already get accepted to these schools? Or are you at the beginning of the process and trying to decide where to apply?

Regardless, we can offer some input on the question.

First up: "ROI" in the context of an MBA can be a very individual calculation. Each person has different priorities for what they're seeking from an MBA, and different schools may address those priorities differently.

Our reaction to what you wrote though is pretty black-and-white: If you're saying that Booth/Kellogg are the "no-brainer" choice for a F/T MBA, then why would that be any different for a P/T program?

You graduate with the same MBA from the same school. You get access to the same network of amazing alumni. The one variation is that some schools offer different recruiting resources for the F/T students vs P/T (no on-campus recruiting for part-timers at some places) - but that's it.

You might even argue that the ROI on a part-time MBA is **greater** because you don't have the same opportunity cost of foregoing a paycheck for two years in pursuit of the degree. Of course, completing an MBA while holding down a job is not that easy. Quality of life should be factored into the decision-making process.

Here's an article from the EssaySnark blahg that relates to your question: "Will a P/T program give me what I need?" https://essaysnark.com/2012/08/will-a-pa ... at-i-need/

The real question to ask is, what do you want to do with the MBA - specifically? Your username indicates you want to get an EDUCATION which is kinda cool (not everyone seems to have that focus!). From that perspective, you can't go wrong with any of these places - you're going to learn the same core skills of accounting and finance and marketing and all that jazz. A Booth accounting professor probably isn't THAT much better than one at Carlson (if at all). You need to look at what ELSE you want from it - from two angles:

- electives, concentrations, and specializations
- career opportunities

If you're just progressing in a tech field and not trying to swap out to something different like consulting or whatever, then maybe you don't need a marquee name. Maybe taking your Seattle job offer and going to Foster will do you just fine. There's plenty of tech companies hiring out of their MBA program all the time. If your new job will help pay for the MBA then that may trump everything.

If you want to do some specific kind of thing in technology though... you'll want to consider what each program offers. Kellogg has a special joint degree with their McCormick School called MMM - it's not available for part-timers but the relationship with that other great school means that you'd have resources at your disposal that are unique. Booth has a big focus on data and analytics in EVERYTHING they do, across the board in their MBA curriculum. If you want to take your tech career in a certain direction, then these opportunities should be considered.

If you're just asking, "Is ranking worth twice the price?", well... that's a very difficult question for a complete stranger to answer for you.

EssaySnark

Hi essaysnark,

Thanks for the detailed reply. I have applied to few of these schools and finishing application for others. I said selection for FT mba is no-brainer because of the overall package of the program. FT opens new doors to make career changes. Then there are Alumni network, student clubs and above all, great placement services.

Most of colleges don't offer placement services for PT students. Curriculum and professors are sure the same. Since PT students don't spend lot of time in campus, I wonder how much they can really gain out of student clubs or alumni activities.

I am not looking for career change. I love what I am doing and want to grow vertically in the same field. I am pursuing MBA for two main reasons. First, to get good knowledge on fundamental subjects such as marketing, finance etc., and second, to develop and hone my overall leadership and operational skills.

None the less, I know that having Kellogg or Booth in my resume will sure help to seal some great opportunities that I may find in my career path.

Sounds like you've done your research and you're an educated consumer going into it. Most schools let P/T students participate in clubs but obviously scheduling prohibits much of that, so you're right, that's another sacrifice for the part-timer (though EssaySnark is a tad skeptical on how important that part is in the overall value proposition). It's great to see that you're evaluating all sides of it. Good luck on those apps and let us know how things turn out for you!