Should vets choose highly ranked part-time MBA programs (i.e. Booth, Northwestern, NYU, & Haas) over lower ranked full-time programs? Part-time programs may be easier to get into for vets who lack stellar gmat scores and business experience, but they do not have internship oppurtunities like their full-time counterparts.
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I'd vote for lower ranked FT programs. Being a veteran in the current environment opens up a lot of doors that may not normally be open. I've said this in other discussions, but most of the value in an MBA program is NOT the classes. FT beats PT, unless special circumstances apply. As a vet, debt load will be very low (if any), so there's no real reason to go PT.
Also, you'd be surprised what programs a vet can get into despite stats. PM me if you want to take it offline, but I've seen some.....interesting..... admissions decisions.
Interesting comment here and from @twothrones.
Where does a 680/3.6 have a shot at? I understand it can be a bit of a crapshoot for vets and depends on many different factors.
I can't say for sure where you have a shot at, but I will say that I had worse stats in both categories and got into multiple top 20 programs. I am NOT a vet though, I just had a solid story. If I were a vet, I would have applied to Harvard and would have been confident in getting into multiple M7s fyi.
H/S/W probably out of reach (they are grabbing the vets with 700s on GMAT and special ops experience), but I'm confident you'll be T15. I know "vets" whose experience means failing out of flight school after doing Naval Academy that got into schools in the T25-30 range............
John-Doe8, I am a recent medically retired Army veteran who is looking to gain admittance into a T20 MBA program. I am currently on the east coast (Philadelphia), attending a non-target university majoring in Finance and Economics, with a minor in Computer Science. I struggle to balance my many VA appointments and my school work, and thus, my grades have suffered. I would really like the opportunity to talk to you off-line to get your perspective on things and possibly strategize with you if you believe you can add some value to my current situation. Would you be open to that? ~Paul
Will absolutely echo what's been said above. What GMAT range are you looking at? I know vets with low 600's get into top 20 full time programs.
TwoThrones- Same as my comment above. If you would be open to it, I would like to get with you offline to discuss your perspective and my options going forward. Would you be open to that?
Definitely want to echo what others have said, 3.6/680 if properly executed can easily land you at a MBA business schools ">M7 or worse case top 15.
Depending on what you want to do I would look at Tuck, Columbia, Duke, Darden, Duke, Johnson, and then maybe throw an app at Wharton and Booth. The worse they can do is say no!
Good luck, PM me if you would like to discuss further. I am a vet who just completed round 1 apps/ received offers.
Haha, perhaps!
I know an enlisted Marine who just got into Booth with a 3.7 and a 660 GMAT. Booth is definitely achievable with those stats.
CantSlowDown- Same as my comment above. If you would be open to it, I would like to get with you offline to discuss your perspective and my options going forward. Would you be open to that?
A guy I went to OCS with just started at Tuck. Let me know if you'd be interested in getting in touch.
A lot will also depend on age and type of experience. It will be much easier for you to get into a top FT program if you’re still relatively young (early 30’s and younger). This is because one of the main questions adcoms ask themselves when reviewing profiles: is this person employable, in particular, in the field they wish to enter?
Therefore if you are older (above 30) I would lean to saying your short-term goal would be somewhere where age/experience is seen as an asset, such as corporate positions (finance, strategy). However, many traditional industries, such as consulting and finance, are making huge strides in hiring veterans, so you will have opportunities for many fields.
The other thing will come down to type of experience in the military. Officer or enlisted? Were you in something “sexy” like special ops or intelligence, something “brainy” like engineering, or was it more mundane? Check out some of the profile analysis that Sandy Kreisberg does over at Poets and Quants of vets applying for business school. He has some good information on how adcoms view these applicants. From what I remember, his view is that adcoms are people who are often very unaware of the military, so you have to really spell out what you did, and furthermore, if it’s a non-elite position, try to dress it up as much as possible.
Best of luck. To @"CF1988" many people get into T10 programs with 680/3.6, so it will depend on your execution and how you present yourself to the schools.
The officer vs enlisted is not an issue for veteran applicants. I know enlisted veterans who have attended every top business school. The reason people think this is an issue is because there are simply not that many enlisted veterans applying to top business programs. Enlisted applicants have just as good a chance as officers as long as they are equally qualified. At some places it is even a boost.
I was talking with an admissions officer at HBS during their prospective military student day, and asked specifically about this. She told me that they simply do not receive many enlisted applicants, but when they do, it can be a boost to them over officer candidates because HBS wants that diversity of experience.
Thanks to all, some great info is being put out on this thread. The dilemma I'm having is choosing between applying to Haas part-time or a "safe-bet" FT program in the top 25 for round three. I don't wanna get out of the military without having a school lined-up. My reasoning was that Haas PT would allow me to intern/work during the day and build up my experience. I would still be able to get the housing allowance, finish in two years, and participate in OCR. I guess it's boiling down to: Is an internship experience at a T25 school (for example Georgetown) worth more than a better name like Haas or NYU?
What do you want to do post-MBA? Any location preferences?
I would ideally like to pursue a career in the financial services, so East Coast would be preferable.
What are your stats? I think you would be selling yourself short going to a part time program.
Combat vets from academies or not w/ those are easily getting into HSW so don't sell yourself short.
I’m not as familiar with job placement to banking/finances as I am with consulting/marketing/general management, but from my my understanding, there are some solid schools in the 15-30 range that place very well into finance (Georgetown, Notre Dame, Indiana, etc). Banking isn’t nearly as hard to get into coming from business school as it is for undergrad.
However, your stats are 3.73 GPA, GMAT 680 (or more), and 9 years as an officer doing intel (S2) work. That screams top 10 if you execute your application well. If I were you, I’d aim for R3 and apply to a range of reach, match, and safeties. I’m usually not a fan of them, but it may be worth it for you to shell out for an admissions consultant. I would do this at least for the essays (perhaps Essay Snark or a Jr. Deluxe package from Admissionado) to help refine your story. Also, they may be able to help translate your experience into quite an impressive resume. Lastly, there are lots of resources (free and paid) out there for military-to-business school folks like yourself, so utilize them as needed.
I had a horrid GPA and a 730 GMAT and got into multipe MBA business schools ">M7 schools w/ $. Feel free to PM me and I'll be happy to provide more details, but based on your stats, a well written application will land you in some great schools.
Hi Vet2Biz- I am a recent medically retired Army veteran who is looking to gain admittance into a T20 MBA program. I am currently on the east coast (Philadelphia), attending a non-target university majoring in Finance and Economics, with a minor in Computer Science. I struggle to balance my many VA appointments and my school work, and thus, my grades have suffered. I would really like the opportunity to talk to you off-line to get your perspective on things and possibly strategize with you if you believe you can add some value to my current situation. Would you be open to that? ~Paul
A lot of good info already posted but here's a good snapshot at military profiles entering top schools:
http://blog.militarytobusiness.com/2013/04/military-profiles-at-top-bus…
Where you went to undergrad will also be important in determining how competitive you are. May want to also consider getting a civilian job and applying round 1 next year for a better shot at the top schools.
-Vet accepted to M7
If the job he wants post-MBA is exclusive to top-x program and he can only get into a top-y school in round 3, it MAY make sense to spend a year at a civilian job in order to ensure he has a better shot at achieving his goal. (depending on a hundred different factors to include age, etc).
As long as his answer to "why an MBA? why now?" makes sense, it won't water down his profile. There are many vets who spend a year+ in civilian energy, manufacturing, consulting jobs before going to school.
Active duty or not, there's no reason to not be polished as there are tons of resources available. Most of the on-base stuff is shit and specific to getting a federal job but headhunters, practicing at veteran job fairs, or admissions consultants can be very helpful.
@"Blueapple"'s posts nail it.
Also worth noting:
If you still have access to your base's education center, they can be somewhat cheaper help. I was able to walk in there and find an individual who has served on the admissions committee for a state university's MBA program, and talk her into reviewing my essays. Those essays and resume got a much stronger response from comparably competitive programs than ones where I did not get that done.
Hey Guys, I want to apply to several top 40 business schools but I'm just wondering if I even have a shot. I have a undergrad gpa of 2.5 from a non-traditional school and a graduate gpa of a 3.8 from another non-traditional school. I served 6 years in the navy as an enlisted air traffic controller. I got a 298 total on my GRE (horrible I know) and I will be re-taking in one month. I'm not the greatest test-taker so I don't see my score improving by leaps and bounds. Am I wasting my time applying? I'm not even going to apply top 20 because I know I have no shot but does anyone think I have a shot at 20-40? I'm 32 and my goal is to get into IB, private equity, HF, or corporate finance.
Best Online/Part-time MBA options (Originally Posted: 09/17/2014)
I was never planning on an MBA since I had planned on a career in the Air Force. Long story short, I got an offer I couldn't refuse outside of the military and decided to get out... for the love of money and not being in the middle east.
I now want to pursue an MBA, but don't want to get anything at lower level school. I also don't want to stop working and go full time (my employer will pay 100% of tuition costs at any school). I will be working in the Cleveland, OH area. From what I have seen, the best online/part-time schools that canwork from that region are Carnegie Mellon (Tepper) or Indiana (Kelley). Are there any other (read: better) options I should be considering?
BACKGROUND 3.6 of 4.0 (#72 of 1076) Undergrad from US Air Force Academy - Psychology and Leadership 3.96 Statistics MS - Univ of Illinois 3.9 Industrial Engineering MS - N. Mexico St GMAT: 710
Thanks for any advice or heads up about schools!
Luke
6 years work experience as Analyst/Project manager in Air Force Fluent Mandarin Chinese, some proficiency Japanese and Cantonese
This doesn't tell use anything? Are you asking best online program in general or to break into a certain area of finance?
best online in general. I'm not looking for a particular sector, just a degree with prestige (if I had to say, I think consulting fits best with my current career field). I don't want to waste my time with a Utah State type MBA. I want to make sure a Tepper MBA is worth the time, or if anyone knows of a more prestigious online possibility
In your situation I would keep the MBA in my back pocket and if you ever needed a career change or significant advancement attend a top target MBA.
Thanks for the help! My wife keeps saying the same thing. She's sick of me being in school. I'm planning on being with my company for a while, I just want to make sure I will have upward mobility, or employ-ability if things don't work out.... I also don't want to let the chance at a free MBA pass by
If you decide part time is the right choice, check out duke. I think it's primarily online with residency sessions. Also Chicago has a pt mba.
finance job for part time MBA student (Originally Posted: 04/29/2014)
I am an Army veteran considering all my options as I launch a career into finance. A possible route for me is to do a part time MBA program (UNC or Texas) which would be near free for me with my military benefits and get a full time job that is flexible enough to allow me to attend school on weekends/nights. Any suggestions out there for low hour jobs that might fit this bill?
Before everyone pounces on me, once I finish my MBA I understand I will be working 80-120 hours a weekd depending on which route I go (trading, IB, etc.) but right now I am talking about easy 8-5 gigs which will give me at least some experience in finance while I am going to school part time.
One job I already have my foot in the door in is "client associate" with Merrill Lynch...basically operations for a financial advisor team. I would be lucky to make $60,000 doing this, but at least im not working at a bar trying to pay the bills and really wasting my time.
I am open to any suggestions. thanks for everyon's time and input
The answers can vary widely on this, depending on what it is you want to do in finance. For example, I'm pursuing a part-time MBA this fall because it'll help me move up at my F500 company; if you're looking at breaking into IB, especially larger firms, a lot of guys on here would tell you to pursue the FT MBA (assuming kids/family etc isn't interfering). And at that point, it matters which program you can get into, on-campus recruiting, etc. There's a lot of great info around these parts on those things.
I know when I left the military, I wanted to work "in business" and pull down a good paycheck but really didn't know what the heck I wanted specifically. So if you do have a more specific goal in mind like IB or S&T, that'll really drive the decision. Best of luck
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