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Please evaluate my profile - Target school ROSS

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Please evaluate my profile - Target school ROSS

by cainath » Tue Jun 22, 2010 7:13 pm
Hai,

Below is my profile
GMAT score: 680 Quant - 48 and Verbal - 35 ( First Attempt )
Work experience - over 7 years in IT as a Sr.Software Developer ( Supply Chain )
Current work - Full Time
Current Salary - Close to six figure
Country of CitizenShip - INDIA
US Permanent Resident - Yes
Age : 30

Prior Education
Masters in Computer Engineering from University of Houston - ClearLake.
GPA of 3.4 in my Masters

Undergrad from back in India in Engineering in Electronics & Instrumentation
GPA in undergrad is significantly lower somewhere around between 2 and 2.5

Target School : ROSS

We currently live in DETROIT so my only target is to get into University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ROSS school of Business

Reason for pursuing MBA:
The reason that I want to do my MBA is to change my career completely from IT to preferably FINANCE.

Biggest Dilemma:
I am not sure if I should go with the WEEKEND MBA program ( Duration 2 years ) that ROSS offers or the FULL TIME MBA Program . Definitely the WEEKEND MBA program will be more affordable as I can still continue my full time job but I was wondering if the WEEKEND program can help me switch careers at the end of the program through on campus placements.
Or do I need to pursue Full Time MBA in order to be able to switch careers.

Side Note:
1)Since I already make a close to SIX figure salary so will doing the MBA program benefit me in making any significant gains salary wise.
2)I have a family with two very young kids ( btw 0 & 3 yrs ) and my wife also works full time here in DETROIT and we own a home , hence I taught I will just focus on ROSS so that I can stay with the family.

What do you think my chances are to get into ROSS

If you do think I should pursue other universities / programs please do mention them.

I know I have a long post but please bear with me and kindly answer my questions if you can.
Your help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Cai.
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by Lisa Anderson » Thu Jun 24, 2010 6:39 pm
Dear Cai,

In the Detroit area, there are other schools. However, none have a reputation outside of Michigan. If you are wanting a school with name recognition and a quality reputation outside of Detroit, then you are correct that Ross is your only option. You could certainly apply to one of the other local options, like Wayne State, as a safety school, but I'm not sure how helpful that will be in making your career transition. It would be something you would need to research and possibly visit the school to determine if it is a viable safety option.

I think you have a shot at Ross with a quality application package. It is imperative you make a compelling case for your admission and find a way to distinguish yourself from the plethora of other IT professionals from India. Your Permanent Residency will be an advantage for you in this regard, but you will want to emphasize your business skills to show that a career change to finance is a realistic path for you.

As for which program, I think that depends on what you want from your MBA experience. Working while doing the weekend option will not allow you much time for your family or personal life. It will also make looking for a job tough and something you might not be able to focus on until after you finish the MBA program. You will want to research what career services are available to the Weekend MBA students and how that is different, if it is, from the daytime (full-time) students. Since you are wanting to make a career change, a full-time program is generally going to be a better fit. It will allow you to completely break from IT on your resume, do an internship in finance, and focus on your job search. I highly encourage you to visit Ross if you haven't already and talk to the folks in admissions about the two programs. You are making a large investment in yourself by getting an MBA, so you definitely want to choose the right program.

Good luck,
Lisa
Lisa Anderson
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Stacy Blackman Consulting

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by cainath » Fri Jun 25, 2010 5:51 am
Thanks a lot for your reply LISA. I really appreciate it.
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by dominogold » Thu Dec 09, 2010 1:12 pm
You pointed out a couple of things that were similar to my situation which I thought I could offer some additional advice.
1)Since I already make a close to SIX figure salary so will doing the MBA program benefit me in making any significant gains salary wise.
2)I have a family with two very young kids ( btw 0 & 3 yrs ) and my wife also works full time here in DETROIT and we own a home , hence I taught I will just focus on ROSS so that I can stay with the family.
As I mentioned I was in a very similar situation. I already made over 6 figures and also needed to balance a family life at home with my kids while working full time. I also live in the Detroit area and considered Ross at Michigan as well as Michigan State, Wayne State University, UM-Dearborn and Central Michigan (online).

My goals and factors were as follows:

1. Opportunities: Open future doors into leadership positions that generally require a MBA.
2. Cost: Ensure I would not waste money into a sunk cost by increasing debt load tremendously that may never turn into a ROI.
3. Balance: Maintain some level of work/life/school balance with my family.
4. Reputation: Earn the most reputable degree possible as a factor of the above conditions.

When I arrived at this logically, the choice for me was Wayne State University. I had several reasons for this decision.

1. In my professional network, I know several people with Ross MBAs that are not doing as well as me (even though I only have a Bachelor degree currently), and a few that are better off. Likewise, I know several people with a Wayne State MBA that are better or worse off. I concluded that what really matters is the individual person and every situation is unique. For someone earlier in their career, a Ross MBA would be of great value, but for me it wasn't so much of an advantage (see #2)
2. I already made over 6 figures, and a Ross MBA costs over $90,000 while the average salary of a Ross graduate is $104,000. So in my case, I already made more than the average salary and was not about to invest $90,000+ additional just to have a prestigious degree from Ross. The average salary of students entering the Ross program are in the mid-$60K level. For these people it may be worth it to spend the $90k and get a salary jump from $65K to $105K. This could start reaping returns in just over a couple of years. However, that was not my situation and I personally did not see the case for an ROI whatsoever for earning a MBA from Ross. You may be in a similar situation as this due to your current level.
2. In my research I discovered that Wayne State University offered more flexibility than any other AACSB program MBA in the state - perhaps in the entire nation - by offering classes on a main campus, two satellite campuses, Saturdays, and online.
3. The program has been ranked in Princeton Review's "Best Business School" publication for several years and is AACSB accredited. I would not consider an MBA degree from a non-AACSB school. Also, Wayne State University is one of only 3 National Carnegie I Research Universities in the state (the other two are Michigan - Ann Arbor and MSU). The MBA program is very well regarded in the Midwest and especially if you have a desire to stay in Michigan. My family has no plans to move out of this state, so the "name recognition" I might receive from a Ross MBA was a non-factor for me. I would note that if you plan to move out of the Midwest, a Ross MBA will definitely be more valuable.
4. The cost varies based on your undergraduate educational background, and for me I'll be able to achieve this MBA for just under $25,000. I'll have some help from my employer on this as well to bring that number down even more.

So after I did the analysis, it just made sense for me to go to Wayne State University based on the factors I've outlined above.

Being in the MBA program at Wayne State University I can tell you that the faculty are just as good as any other place. WSU has professors from Harvard, Michigan, Carnegie Mellon, Boston College, Northwestern, and so forth.... the workload is very challenging - but manageable. Because Wayne State University is in the city of Detroit it may inherit some of the city's poor reputation, and also has slightly lower admission standards because they are committed to providing a broader range of students an opportunity. This does not help them in the spirit of being nationally ranked. Just like anything, there are good and bad things to going here and I'm just trying to arm you with the best information possible to make your decision.

Hopefully this helps.
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