A guy I know choose the Wharton EMBA over HBS. He had 9 years work experience, was already making the equivalent of HSW post-MBA salary and was on a trajectory to be the CEO of his family's business over the next decade, which is what he wanted to do. Here is the catch though, the business would pay the entire cost (160k+) of the Wharton EMBA while maintaining his salary but nothing for the HBS degree - roughly a difference of positive ~400k to negative ~200k.
I, on the other hand, had some reservations about his decision. The HBS brand has name recognition in every corner of earth. The alumni network may serve him and the business for years to come, and that may be worth more than the 600k difference.
However, to be honest, we all know the Wharton brand is really, really good. Its not like he choose Appalachian State over HBS. Anyway, I ended up recommending that he go to Wharton because it is still a great school with a great network.
So here is the hypothetical: What would you have recommended or done?
This is a no brainer for him. He doesn't even really need the MBA if he's already on the CEO trajectory. You are basically asking "Is the HBS brand worth 600k (the cash difference) over Wharton?". I think the answer is obvious here. You made the right recommendation.
...let me recap what you just wrote:
you started off by asking us to comment on a "hypothetical" that seems to be a real story. you presented strong reasons why this unconventional decision actually makes sense for him and then introduced a "catch" that only reinforces the validity of the decision instead of undermining it. you then voiced your concerns about this decision and articulates the case for HBS before concluding with a recommendation that he do the wharton emba.
i have no idea what you are trying to convey here. in any case, it should be obvious that for some people a lesser brand can make more sense. not everyone gets their mba for the same reason and therefore do not share the same approach to the picking schools.
My bad and good catch. I meant, hypothetical as in what would you have done - not that the story was hypothetical. I will fix the original post to reflect what I meant.
Why bother even doing either? He could probably be doing something more valuable with his time, but Wharton EMBA is the better of the two choices.
Wharton.
I hear ya. I am not 100% sure on the reasons he wanted to attend an MBA program instead of doing something else. However, from what I remember of our conversation, he told me that he wanted to expand his network and solidify some business skills - or something like that. It is definitely arguable that he could have done both of these at a lower ranked/easier/cheaper program or an executive education program (like an AMP).
But I have to ask, would you argue that an MBA isn't worth it for entrepreneurs, the self-employed, or members of a family business? Or is it worth it but the time is better spent elsewhere?
If he's going to be the CEO of a family business, it really doesn't matter. I personally think the whole alumni network thing is a bit overrated, even for HBS. The true value of an MBA from a top program is the access to on-campus recruiting and other resources that allows you to make a transition that otherwise would be nearly impossible. In this guy's case he doesn't need that at all.
I know 2 guys doing wharton weekend mba for executives (it's actually not an executive mba technically). They are both ex-special forces, and they said they are overwhelmed at how rigorous the program is.
I am curious to know why you believe Wharton's EMBA is not an EMBA. I just checked out the Wharton website, and it advertises itself as an EMBA. Granted, the schedule looks like it is accomplished mostly on every other Friday and Saturdays with a few longer sessions, but most EMBAs are the same. For example, a couple minutes on google and I found that MIT is on Friday and Saturdays with some long weeks, Kellogg on Friday-Sundays every other week, Columbia either on every other Fri/Sat or every Sat, and Booth with Fri/Sat and a couple long weeks. I am interested to know why you would classify it as something other than an EMBA.
According to the guys i know in the program, the degree they get is an MBA, not an executive MBA. Not sure if it's just a difference in semantics or if there's a difference in curriculum compared to other programs. They also said that it's just as selective as wharton full-time, which i obviously don't believe. Again, i'm not an expert on this by any means since it's something i never looked into.
in b4 brady's long romantic spiel about how HBS is a completely transformational experience that will forever change his life and grant him 74 virgins upon entering the afterlife
I think he probably made the right choice, but I would still be inclined to attend HBS for the networking reasons that have been outlined. Then again, he could've probably just tried entering some executive program at HBS as well and then gain access to the alumni network this way.
HBS does not have an executive mba. They offer executive certificates, where you pay an obscene amount of money to take classes for a few weeks. That's what tyra banks did. It doesn't really add much to your resume and is a waste of time for the most part.
Yeah but is it really about adding another line to your resume once you get into the position this dude (or Banks) is for that matter? I'd be more interested in being able to claim a Harvard affiliation and be able to attend various alumni events. Then again, there are easier and cheaper ways to do so.
Who cares about the harvard affiliation if it's not a respected degree program? I mean harvard extension alums can claim harvard affiliation and attend various events, but it doesn't do you any good. I suppose if you have a couple of weeks to kill, and you company is paying for it, then by all means go get a certificate from HBS. But no way i would spend my own money on it.
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