Part time Rutgers or NYU

[toksavuln]

Hello Guys. I am a NJ resident looking to pursue a part time MBA program, either NYU or Rutgers. I am getting tuition reimbursement of up to 12,000 a year from my work.

The Pros of Rutgers:
I live in New Brunswick and work at Newark. I would be able to easily take classes at either campus which is literally minutes away.

More affordable

Pros of NYU:

Bigger name

Con:

Less convenient more out of the way.


My question is, for a part time program, would me going to Rutgers over NYU or vice versa, would it matter if I chose one program over the other?

[essaysnark]

Hi toksavuln--

It really depends on what you want to do with the MBA. If you plan on staying at your same company, then perhaps Rutgers is a good choice. As you know though, NYU is a *much* better program. It will take you much further in terms of opportunities in the future, and the experiences you'd have (plus the quality of the overall student body) would be on a different level entirely than what you'd get from Rutgers.

That being said, the part-time program typically takes at least three years to finish -- that's an awful long time if the school is not convenient for you. It's hard enough to do school and work at the same time. If it's difficult to even get to class, then it could make it not much fun (plus, you probably wouldn't participate in the student clubs and such as much as you otherwise could).

We would encourage you to look into NYU if you can. It would open doors for you that Rutgers would not be able to. But, it does depend on what you want with the education. If you want to change careers then NYU would help immensely (especially if you want to go to a top finance or consulting firm). If you want to learn new skills to apply to your current career then maybe Rutgers will serve you just fine.

Hope this helps!
EssaySnark

[Jon@Admissionado]

Well, actually I think you have your answer in your question. Better school or convenience?

For your career, NYU is undoubtedly the better choice.

[toksavuln]

Thanks for the responses guys.

I know that wihtout a doubt for the full time NYU would be the way to go but I was wondering if it matters as much for a part time student?

I know that a lot what makes a top ~10 better than a top~50 is the on campus recruiting and career services which are severely reduced if you are a part time student. For a part time student does it still matter as much when it comes to job prospects with that regard?

The other thing is a yearly tuition bill of 2,000 vs 12,000 a year factoring in my tution reimbursement or 10,000 vs 60,000 for entire program tuition.

[essaysnark]

Hey toksavuln--

This is a very personal decision and it sorta sounds like you're looking for us to give you permission to go to Rutgers. You totally have permission to go to Rutgers!

Rutgers is a good school. It's just not nearly as good as NYU. You need to look at it in terms of your own personal ROI - this is something that nobody else can evaluate for you.

You're right that P/T programs have limited on-campus recruiting options. NYU in particular is quite restrictive (we covered some of this on our blog awhile back: https://essaysnark.blocked/2010/07/ ... to-pt.html ). However the Langone program at Stern does have its own career services department, dedicated to the P/T students, and they host a few companies on campus through the year in recruiting events. So there are some opportunites, just not as many as the F/T students get. The logic, of course, is that the P/T guy already has a job and so why should the school take opportunities away from the F/T students for them? Also, at least in the past, many P/Ters were getting tuition covered by their employers, and those employers would get bent out of shape if they knew that their employees were getting wooed by the competitor while they were going through an MBA program that they were paying for.

Anyway. To try and answer your question:

You're going to have more opportunities coming out with an NYU MBA -- both in the near term, right after you graduate, as well as for the rest of your life. The alumni network is much bigger and stronger, and the reputation of the school is much higher, and that typically translates to more money and more potential.

But in ALL cases, it's what you make of it. You can get a very good education at many many schools - it's what you bring to the table and how you take advantage of it. It sounds like you've got valid reasons for wanting to go to Rutgers, but they are also rather short-term reasons. Theoretically, you'd make more money in a lifetime with the NYU MBA than the Rutgers one - but that's just in theory. Your own individual experience will vary based on the factors that only you control.

You might want to study the placement reports for both schools more if you haven't already done so - not sure what average starting salary is coming out of Rutgers but you can use that to evaluate the "value" of the Rutgers MBA, at least in a very imprecise and limited way.

Not sure we're helping here, but hopefully this at least gives you more to consider, and more confidence in making your decision!!

Best of luck,
EssaySnark

[toksavuln]

Thanks guys gave me lots to think about

[Jon@Admissionado]

Well, I think the best thing you can do at this point is speak to as many people as possible from both schools' part time programs, to get a sense of your ROI (personal and compensationwise) from both programs.

[FutureWorks]

Hi toksavuln,

Given NYU is a bigger brand than the other it seems a better choice over the other school. Your choice does matter. The best way to go here would be to engage in a conversation with alumni's. They could provide you a better picture along the lines that you're seeking advice on. If professionally it is not making much of an impact on whichever school you choose then do go for the school that is convenient to you i.e. Rutgers.

[throughmba]

Hello Guys. I am a NJ resident looking to pursue a part time MBA program, either NYU or Rutgers. I am getting tuition reimbursement of up to 12,000 a year from my work.

The Pros of Rutgers:
I live in New Brunswick and work at Newark. I would be able to easily take classes at either campus which is literally minutes away.

More affordable

Pros of NYU:

Bigger name

Con:

Less convenient more out of the way.


My question is, for a part time program, would me going to Rutgers over NYU or vice versa, would it matter if I chose one program over the other?

Its true that you need to talk to as many people as you can.

This is a general case when guys are baffled between brand, roi,convenience etc.

Everybody's perspective will add up in your mind and finally comfort you in accepting what seems right.

I have "fresh start value", post-MBA opportunities, aligning career goals and other factors in mind. I will also go with NYU.

You will get heart if you will read about people flying 8-12 hours to attend classes for NYU.

https://goo.gl/9Wj2A