Need help with decising....

[mikeytsui]

Hello,

Please I need someone's guidance on this question that I have. Thx so much for your time!! Recently, I've decided to move on from accounting to finance field. And I wanted to get an advanced degree in finance or something. I really wanted to do an MBA; however, according to alot of people, if i get an MBA from a program outside of the top 20s, ex, ivy league, UCLA, Northwestern, etc, then getting MBA won't really help me that much. First of all, how true is it??

Second, I have quit my job as an auditor and want to pursue my study in finance. I know that for being an Asian accountant from Hong Kong, my background is overly presented in b-schools. (BTW, I graduated from a US public lvy, and worked at a mid-tier firm in the US for a year before working in Hong Kong for another yr and a half.) Therefore, if I apply to an MBA program, at the most, I probably gonna just get into a program outside of the top 20s.

So in order for me to get into one of the top 20 programs one day, do you think it is better for me to study a master, like Master of Commerce or Int'l Business(thinking about double master degrees), at a reputable univ in Asia (thinking about Australia...for trying out a new environment), graduate w/ honors, then gain a few more years of experience in finance in Asia, and then finally, apply to the top 20 programs?

Please help and advice~ I don't know what's the best for my career path right now~~

Thanks so much!!!

[Linda Abraham]

Hello,

Please I need someone's guidance on this question that I have. Thx so much for your time!! Recently, I've decided to move on from accounting to finance field. And I wanted to get an advanced degree in finance or something. I really wanted to do an MBA; however, according to alot of people, if i get an MBA from a program outside of the top 20s, ex, ivy league, UCLA, Northwestern, etc, then getting MBA won't really help me that much. First of all, how true is it??

Second, I have quit my job as an auditor and want to pursue my study in finance. I know that for being an Asian accountant from Hong Kong, my background is overly presented in b-schools. (BTW, I graduated from a US public lvy, and worked at a mid-tier firm in the US for a year before working in Hong Kong for another yr and a half.) Therefore, if I apply to an MBA program, at the most, I probably gonna just get into a program outside of the top 20s.

So in order for me to get into one of the top 20 programs one day, do you think it is better for me to study a master, like Master of Commerce or Int'l Business(thinking about double master degrees), at a reputable univ in Asia (thinking about Australia...for trying out a new environment), graduate w/ honors, then gain a few more years of experience in finance in Asia, and then finally, apply to the top 20 programs?

Please help and advice~ I don't know what's the best for my career path right now~~

Thanks so much!!!

"Finance" is pretty broad. There are plenty of graduates from non-top twenty programs working i finance; they may just not be working in Wall St. investment banking.

However, even for top-20 programs, there is much more to an evaluation than knowing that you are Asian, an accountant, and working in Hong Kong. There are your academic stats, quality of your experience, community service and hobbies, leadership, and the list goes on. There are lots of Asian accountants in top twenty US business schools.

If you want to get a degree in finance, maybe a Masters in Finance would be more appropriate anyway?

Best,
Linda