Columbia FT MBA or EMBA? [admitted]
Hi, I'd like to ask for some advice on my school decision. I was admitted by the Columbia full time program but a few things have changed since and I'd also like to consider the weekend EMBA program.
Me: I'm 30 and have 6yrs experience as a mid-level manager in a large corp about 2hr drive to NYC. I work in digital marketing and I don't necessarily look to switch career. I don't have a strong undergrad and that's why I was looking to get an Ivy MBA to help on my career development. I am international and my company is sponsoring me for my green card.
Full-Time MBA Program:
Pros:
- total immersion experience, great way to build network.
- may be perceived as the 'real' MBA compared to the Executive MBA format.
- may have some scholarship money. (less than $20k)
- can switch career direction, for example move into management consulting. Can also open more doors I wouldn't have imagined.
- I'd like to live in NYC for 2 years.
Cons:
- no income from job (after tax around $180k for 2yrs)
- risky, job not guaranteed out of school
- 2 yrs less work experience.
- my current company is sponsoring me for green card so I would have to interrupt that process. I would again need H1-B job sponsorship after graduation which seriously limits my job opportunities. It's still doable though.
EMBA Program:
Pros:
- same MBA degree. same two years.
- can keep the job. Also my boss was promoted recently to VP of Marketing and he said he would consider promote me in the next few months to become a director.
- company would sponsor for time and around $10k for two years.
- don't have to interrupt green card application process.
Cons:
- not the same experience as full-time MBA. networking may be limited because class only meets every other weekend for 2 days.
- don't really like the current company/job because of location, wanted to switch company to be closer to NY. Also would like to work in a faster-paced company or potentially start up own company.
- might not be perceived by recruiters as the same as a FT MBA degree.
Which way should I go? Thank you for your response!
So net your company will pay you 10k towards the program? The price of the EMBA is higher than the FT MBA.
The company would only pay $10k total, I'd have to pay the rest for EMBA tuition.
This is a real tough call. No good answer here. Here are a few points I noticed:
I would do the EMBA. I have mentioned this before in another thread, but one of the times I visited Columbia was a Saturday, so the only thing going on was an EMBA info session. As I wanted to write my name on something and check the box with a couple AdCom members, I went. One of the things that the two alumni reps stressed was that while everyone in the program has a full time job, a ton of people end up getting a new job as a result of the network they form in the program.
Basically, the point was that the EMBA does not provide access to OCR, but that doesn't mean it doesn't provide solid career opportunities. Most people in it are relatively experienced professionals that have strong experience, and that aren't looking to switch job functions. In your case, I have to imagine that you'll be surrounded by a decent number of people in digital marketing, or something related. I think that you network you form is pretty strong - you spend like 20 hours a weekend locked in a room with your classmates. It's a good way to form bonds.
More importantly, if you're close to a director level job, that my guess is that you'd be taking a demotion if you went back into a similar job post-MBA (I don't know this for sure - you could correct me). If that's the case, I definitely would not go full time.
As for cost, it's marginally different in terms of dollars you have to spend (~$125k vs. $168k). Your employer would lower that by 10k, and obviously, having a salary throughout completely changes the equation. Either way, you'll get the Ivy League name on your resume, so you're fine there.
In the end, I just think that you'll actually get more benefits out of the EMBA program because OCR of a full time program might be a disadvantage for you if you want to stay in the same job (if you want to transition to MC or something else, than this completely changes the equation). Have you been offered a spot in the EMBA program? I imagine it wouldn't be a problem (I know something that switched their acceptance from FT to EMBA). Just curious.
Thanks, BGP2587! I have to work with school to do the switch but I need to commit first. I don't want to make the request and then change it.
I've visited FT and EMBA info session/classes; I think there's a bit more energy in the FT classes but I can more relate to the EMBA students in terms of experiences. It's a tough call and I'll try to get more information from current students.
Thanks again for your time.
hey dude. I think I know you lol.
I heard the same thing from CBS adcoms about EMBA students often switching companies post-graduation, but if you intend on looking for another job after graduation, I would say the regular MBA is still the way to go. Even more so because your company is only willing to pay you $10k over two years... seriously? I know this is still better than nothing, but to my knowledge, CBS's EMBA tuition is significantly higher than the regular MBA tuition, so that offer of aid may be meaningless. (I could be totally wrong)
Also keep in mind, your two years at CBS EMBA will be a very busy time. Full time work plus full time coursework (in order to graduate on time) will be extremely demanding. Try attending an EMBA class, and try talking to current / past EMBA students. Best of luck.
thanks, consultant! I'll ask more current students, thanks so much for your response.
BGP killed it in this thread. I don't have that much more to add here but a minor correction. A friend just started the executive mba program at columbia, and they actually do get access to OCR for full-time recruiting (not internships) provided that they go through a few painless steps such as meeting with a career service counselor, taking a OCR quiz, doing some paperwork, etc. Of course, the vast majority of EMBA students don't do OCR since they would be taking a demotion and also due to their work schedule they just can't put time into company presentations, networking events, and interviews.
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