Need input on the Sloan Fellows program

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Need input on the Sloan Fellows program

by rebirthdude » Mon Jun 04, 2012 10:25 am
I have nearly 13.5 years of experience in financial services / corporate banking and am 39 years of age. I intend to do an MBA - to avoid a potential mid career stagnation, to change the orbit of my career, potentially change the industry.

Following are my queries that I need help about:

1) At my age, would any top B school admit me in to their regular MBA program? (I am specifically targeting a 1 year program?)

2) How does a Sloan Fellows program rate against a regular MBA from the same schools, namely LBS, MIT and Stanford in terms of course content, faculty, industry acceptability etc?

2) Which Sloan Fellows program is rated better - LBS, MIT or Stanford?

3) Do career services play a major role for candidates coming out these programs?

Thank you.
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by MBAApply » Wed Jun 06, 2012 10:06 am
To answer your questions:

1. Highly unlikely, unless you're looking at schools outside the top 30. Further, there are very very few 1-year programs in the US. Most of them are in Europe. Also, at your age and level of experience, it makes no sense to go full-time: you will be an adult amongst children who are 10-15 years younger than you. You will be networking with people who are at a much different stage in their careers and lives.

2. Not sure what you mean. As far as I know, these programs are more like executive programs. In other words, they are designed for mid-career people like yourself.

3. At this point in your career, it shouldn't be about which is a better brand or ranking. Focus on which one is likely the better fit for you. If you're in Europe and want to stay in Europe, then it makes best sense to go to LBS. If you're looking to stay on the west coast, then Stanford. If you're looking for the east coast, then MIT. Talk to the adcoms of these programs - they are usually a bit more accessible than those in the regular MBA program. Take a look at the class profiles - I believe all of them have profiles of the individual students currently studying there. You should be able to get a feel for which school is best for you based on going through these profiles.

4. You are a mid-career professional. At this point, you should have your own network to draw from, as well as hopefully through your fellow classmates. Once you're at a certain level in your career (i.e. right now where you stand), it's less about "recruiting" like you were in college or in your early 20s. It's about who you know, making contacts, etc. That is, unless you're looking to start over. Companies come to campus because they need an *army* or at least multiple hires of people - and that usually happens at the junior levels. But it's not like they need an army of directors and VPs each and every year. The kinds of mid-level to executive level jobs you may be after are more about your own contacts you make, as well as through headhunters.