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I'm trying to narrow down my list, maybe re-evaluate my initial list a little bit, and more so get a really good feeling for why I put a school on my list. I'm looking at Part-time MBA programs only.

So far I have organized the basic facts regarding tuition, length, schedule format, and general curriculum.

Would the employment reports be useful in figuring out what areas the school has a good reputation for and who hires from them? I tried finding out what specific companies hire from what schools, but I didn't find much information on that.

Thoughts & suggestions?

Dear Claures,

Thanks for your post!

If you are trying to assess the various part-time programs on your list, there are a number of ways you could go about doing so. To guide you, I've posed a few questions that should lead you on the right path:

1) What are your career plans in the short and long-term? Be specific. Once you've got a clear sense of your goals, you should investigate your target schools in terms of how many graduates they place in your target field - and more specifically with the actual firms that interest you. Most of the schools publish this information on their career services web site.

3) Where (geographically) do you want to work in the long-term? The USA? East Coast? West? South? Is your target field of employment an industry that is clustered in specific areas of the country (e.g. bio-tech with Boston, Philadelphia and California)? Location plays an important role in where you will ultimately work - so ideally your target schools are well located in terms of your desired industry. I recognize that you might be limited here based on your current place of employment, but I mention it in case you have some flexibility.

4) How is the alumni network at your target schools? Do the programs have alumni clubs in the city you are living in? Have you reached out to them and asked about their experiences?

5) Do you have preferences when it comes to the teaching methods employed in the program? Lecture vs. case vs. team projects vs. experiential, etc? If so, that could steer you towards a school that features your preferred method, etc.

6) How are the professors in your target field? Once you know your target field of employement, you should also be able to determine your proposed major/area of focus. You can then investigate the professors in that field at your target schools - read their research, look at their course offerings, etc. This may help you identify which program is best.

These are some basic ideas to get you going with a more thorough analysis of the programs. Please contact Clear Admit (by sending your resume to [email protected]) if you'd like to set up a free session with one of our counselors and talk about your admissions strategy.

Best of luck,

Graham