Part-time MBA programs in California

[rohit.bizschool]

Hello!

I'm considering applying to *part-time* programs (Fall 2013). I took the GMAT a couple months ago and scored 700.
Quant 48 (80 percentile)
Verbal 38 (83 percentile)
AWA 5.0/6.0

I'm a software professional with 5 years of experience. Post-MBA, I intend to continue working in tech.
My options after graduation:
- Advance into Executive Management and lead teams.
- Product Management (tech)
- Business Development (tech)

I live & work in SF/Bay Area and was considering UC Berkeley(Haas), UCLA (Anderson), USC (Marshall) and Santa Clara University(Leavey)

Haas is my first choice. I understand that it's very competitive to get in.

I'm not sure if it's worth travelling to LA on weekends(for UCLA/USC) or just enroll at local Santa Clara (Leavey) if I get in. I understand the benefits of going to a good school like UCLA (networking, education, brand name, global recognition, etc.).
I'm asking because I don't plan to do a career shift (e.g. finance, consulting, etc.) I know Product Managers and General Managers in my company who have graduated from Leavey and they seem to be doing well (obviously, can't generalize). My concern is that Leavey is ranked very low. In fact, this year, it slipped to #41. Does anyone know why it plummeted? What is the Leavey's reputation among technology companies in the Silicon Valley?

I'm also looking for more information on MBA admission consultants and how exactly a good consultant can assist in the application-preparation process.

Thanks,
Rohit

[Stacey Oyler]

Hi Rohit,

Thanks for your post. You are correct in that there are several good part time MBA program choices for those in live in California. For you it seems like the real question in regard to deciding on a program is it's long term benefit for your career. If you don't plan to change jobs or industries then simply getting your MBA to fill a knowledge gap could be enough to help boost your career. However, if down the road you think you might want to change jobs or companies and MBA with a better known brand name might be a good idea.

My advice is to apply to all the programs on your list and see where you get in. You have a competitive list of schools, so it's fair to say that you might get into 1 or 2 of them. Rather than limiting your choices in the beginning I suggest applying to all and then making a decision on where to attend once you get your acceptances. From what you have shared it sounds like you have a good profile for all the schools on your list.

Please feel free to send your resume to [email protected] to learn more about how Clear Admit can help you with your MBA applications.

Best,

Stacey

[rohit.bizschool]

Hi Stacy,

I appreciate your quick response!

Although my GMAT score might seem OK, I'm not sure about my chances in elite schools (Haas, Booth, Kellogg) because I'm part of the over-represented pool.
- Software professional in the Silicon Valley with 5 years of experience in a giant tech corp.
- Ethnically Indian (male/28)

I have an undergrad degree from Bombay(Mumbai) University and a Masters Degree in CS from a top-15 school in the US with a good GPA
I've been doing well at work (at a reputed tech company ) and can get good (hopefully) recommendation letters from my manager and the director.

What do you think are my chances at Haas, Booth, Kellogg?

thanks,
-Rohit

[Stacey Oyler]

Hi Rohit,

It's really difficult to speculate your chances. It all comes down to your applications. If you can find a way to stand out in the large applicant pool and put together solid essays you may find that you are indeed a competitive applicant.

Best,

Stacey