*HELP* need advice 1 day left; is HW right for me?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Thinker, Sep 1, 2004.

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  1. Thinker

    Thinker New Member

    Hello Group,

    I would really appreciate hearing from anyone who can give me some advice.

    I have more than 10 years of sales & marketing experience. I am a smart student in most subjects but I need a calculator to do complex math. I was an Honor student in High School. I had to drop out of college very early, to help pay the bills for my family and my younger siblings.

    I am now at a very critical stage of my life; I don't have an undergraduate degree but now that my siblings are more grown up; I have some flexibility to start looking at my progression.

    I want the best MBA possible; I can't take the GMAT and I want to get into the MBA without an undergrad.

    I have looked at Heriot Watt EBS and have to make my choice by Sept 1st! But after reading all the posts on here as well as HW watercooler I hear that there are 'more prestigious' MBA's that are in the same range as far as fees and could also allow someone like me (no GMAT, no degree) to enter (eg. Henley ).

    Can anybody tell me what are my other options in terms of MBAs that I could be good for me and my situation?

    I'm looking at HW and Henley and i'm leaning towards Henley because they rank 17th in the world. But I need help deciding because their program for DL takes 3.5 years but HW could be done as fast/slow as i want (i could finish HW in 2 years or less).

    I heard HW is an absolute killer in exams and they test you on stuff that isn't even in the material.

    PLEASE help I REALLY REALLY would appericate any information.

    Thanks in advance !!
     
  2. Splas

    Splas New Member

    I would encourage you not skip your bachelors degree, whats the big hurry to get an MBA without a BA/BS or the GMAT requirements (good heavens!). Are you going die if you don't get an MBA in the near future?

    It seems your confident in taking tests, am I mistaken or can you not test your way through a BA/BS degree and then apply to whatever school you want to DL or non-DL, GMAT or non-GMAT.

    It took me five years to recieve my two undergrad degrees, and if I had to do it over again, I wouldn't go back and skip straight to an MBA. I learned a heck of alot as an undergrad, which will help me in life and will help me if I choose to pursue an MBA.

    I'm sorry if I haven't helped you, but I just wanted to remind you that there are other options out there other than jumping right into an MBA. BA's/BS's and the GMAT are not curse words; they are very good things in which you can look back on with pride and accoplishment :).

    Good luck with whatever you decide!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 1, 2004
  3. I agree with the advice not to skip the bachelor's degree....

    Are you from the US? Then the answer is "NO" to Heriot-Watt. This program won't be as widely accepted as even a lower-tier RA institution from the US on this side of the ocean.
     
  4. intro2life

    intro2life New Member

    Just my 2 cents

    I have to agree with everyone else on the undergraduate degree issue. I can’t understand why you would want to skip such a critical part of your education. The undergraduate degree will help you in many ways, plus prepare you for graduate study in a way that few other things (experience included) will. There are many fine undergraduate programs, some of which can be accelerated by testing options, course challenging or extra effort. But, even if you are able to complete an MBA program without the undergraduate degree, you are depriving your self of a good foundation education and a worth while experience.

    As to the HW MBA program…I am not a HW student, nor have I ever been. However, from all accounts, both the HW and Henley programs you mentioned are good, solid, and rigorous programs. Yet, from what I’ve heard and read, ranked programs outside the US (anyone, feel free to correct me if I’m wrong) are often of less utility inside the United States (because of the lack of name recognition I’d assume) regardless of how excellent they may be. Even if these programs were as well known (inside the US) as Harvard, I’d still advocate getting your Bachelors prior to your MBA. I think it would sit better with potential employers and open up more doors if you intend to go on to a second graduate degree or US doctoral program.
     
  5. Thinker

    Thinker New Member

    No Choice

    Thanks for the advice thus far.

    I agree with all of you 100% !

    If it wasn't for my family circumstance i would have finished my first degree..

    I have no choice right now; given my circumstance I need to decide if HW or Henley is the right choice.. or if there are any other MBAs that could enroll me.

    What would you do in my shoes if because of family situations there was no way u could go back to school and start again...

    Thanks in advance :)
     
  6. blahetka

    blahetka New Member

    Why the focus on an MBA? What is driving the September 1 decision point? What happens if you don't have a decision by 9/1? Is an MBA absolutely necessary, or is it a want? Is there a position in your company that REQUIRES an MBA or being enrolled in one?

    I do not understand: It is impossible for you to complete your undergrad, but there is the time, resources, etc. to complete an MBA?

    If it is a question of money, gaining an undergrad will help in that regard and should provide a springboard to pay, or have your employer reimburse, for grad school.

    If it's a question of family, I would think after your sacrifice for them, there could be some willingness on their part to help you out. If this isn't about your sibs, but rather your spouse/partner, I would suggest speaking with them. ANY program will affect your family cadence, an MBA more than an undergraduate program. You may be surprised how much support they will give you!

    You are asking folks to help with a decision with little context. Also, you have set the bar pretty high. You are asking for prestige without doing a GMAT, which you say you cannot take. Yet you state you were an honor student, so I would assume "can't" does not mean you have the inability to take a test.

    I am sure your request for information is sincere, but your expectations are a bit....... difficult to meet.
     
  7. mrbean72

    mrbean72 New Member

    Thinker,

    While I agree that the undergraduate education is valuable, it may not be essential in your case. With over 10 years of sales and marketing experience, it sounds like your educational needs would be best served by the MBA degree. My argument is that if you plan to take the MBA degree anyway, why incur the time and expense getting a undergrad degree first if you can gain entry to a good MBA program with your present background?

    I am not currently enrolled in the HW EBS MBA, but I have heard many good things about this program. It has consistently been ranked as one of the top MBA programs in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit ( mba.eiu.com ). The program has a lot of flexibility, in terms of entrance requirements, possible concentrations (including marketing), and time to complete the degree. For these reasons, I may also enroll in the HW EBS MBA at some point.

    Another completely DL MBA program that doesn't require a undergrad degree is the University of Stirling MBA in Entrepreneurship and Business Venturing:

    http://www.external.stir.ac.uk/postgrad/course_info/manage/man_org/ent-bus-vent.php

    The University of Stirling is also listed at mba.eiu.com .

    Yet another option may be an Executive MBA program. There are a large number of these programs out there, but I'm not sure about DL options. Many of these programs will accept managers/professionals with lots of experience but no formal post-secondary education.

    Whatever you do, don't rush this decision! It is too important, as a lot of time and money will be spent and you want to be sure that you are making the right choice. You certainly don't want to regret your decision later.

    Good luck!

    Michael
     
  8. mrbean72

    mrbean72 New Member

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