Starting Ashford MBA

Discussion in 'Business and MBA degrees' started by PatsGirl1, Jul 13, 2010.

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  1. PatsGirl1

    PatsGirl1 New Member

    I have done extensive research for about a year now, and finally decided on Ashford University’s MBA. It works for me. I know it is not the cheapest, but it’s RA, I love the 6 week format, the advisors have bent over backwards for me, etc. I am still torn between a specialization in Global Management or Finance. I decided on Global Management for now, but can change up until the last 3 classes, since they are all the same before that. Eventually I would like to work in International Financial Management and Risk Analysis.

    I start my MBA adventure the 27th of this month! Eek! :) Excited but nervous
     
  2. -kevin-

    -kevin- Resident Redneck

    Heather,

    Good luck!

    Some thoughts for making your concentration decision. Take a look at several things.

    Practical in the workplace
    Practical in academia.
    Number of courses in the concentration and the numbering/nomenclature of the courses.

    When selecting my MBA program I specifically wanted a concentration that would allow for applicability in both the workplace and academia. I chose a management concentration and had to only complete one course past my MBA to get the nominal 18hrs for teaching, all with a MGT prefix. I can tell you that a finance concentration would serve you well if you meet the 18hrs and an appropriate course designation for academia (not as well as an MSc in Finance of course) should you want to go that route.
     
  3. friendorfoe

    friendorfoe Active Member

    Good luck on your Ashford MBA, that's where I got mine. Watch out for those quantative courses that come one after another. I had the hardest time with Managerial Economics for example.

    Of your two concentration choices, Finance would seem to have more utility in the workplace depending upon what it is you actually do for a living. But what do I know, I chose Organizational Leadership.
     
  4. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Organizational Leadership is great subject but it might not serve you as well because of its more general nature. I spoke with the dean of one of my alma maters about those more general business degrees. His thoughts were that the market is flooded with generalized business degrees and people would do better with a specialization.

    I agree with the others that Finance would probably be more useful for you. Buy only you know what will work best in your situation. Follow your heart.
     
  5. rcreighton

    rcreighton New Member

    Hello Heather,

    Congratulations on going for your MBA. I am just over half way done with my MBA in Finance from Ashford and I can assure you that it is an excellent curriculum in my opinion. If I can be of any help, just let me know.

    Rich
     
  6. PatsGirl1

    PatsGirl1 New Member

    Thanks everyone! Yes I will most likely end up switching it to Finance (after much thought last night) for more utility, but I have a bit of time to do that.

    I'm excited and can't wait to start!
     
  7. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    >>

    If you ever have a reason to visit the Clinton campus, be sure to let me know!
    Good luck!!!
     
  8. PatsGirl1

    PatsGirl1 New Member

    Hey everyone!
    Just a bit of an update. So far things are good. First class officially starts tomorrow, but I already began the homework. It is decently manageable, although I can already tell that this is not a "cake" degree or just handed out. With a non-business undergrad I will have to work at this, but I am excited to use my brain and learn all of the quantitative skills in the degree program. Hopefully I can get my time management down before the Quantitative Hump (Quant, Finance, Acct, Econ for like 6 mos or so) begins... I can tell I will have to learn to get very, very good at budgeting my time wisely.
     
  9. friendorfoe

    friendorfoe Active Member

    Awesome. Yeah, you'll definitely need to be in a good working groove before you hit that Quant. hump or what I like to call the weedout curve, at 6 months of intensive work it is as much about determination and stamina as it is about how quickly you can learn. What is your first course?
     
  10. PatsGirl1

    PatsGirl1 New Member

    Managerial Comm, which is a perfect subject for me to start out with. Then I have Org Behavior. So far I finished my intro post and commented, finished my 2 discussion posts (due by Thurs), read 1.5 out of 3 chapters in the book, and am about 80% done with my 2 page paper due next Monday (which turned into 5 pages incl cover and references pages). I like to work ahead lol… and the subject is really interesting to me, since Comm/Writing is my “thing”. I think I am also afraid that if I don’t get the workload managed in these 1st 3 classes (Mgrl Comm, Org Beh, and Mrkt Mgmt), I won’t be able to handle the “hump”. My Type A can’t handle the thought of that lol
     
  11. rcreighton

    rcreighton New Member

    You are already on the right track by getting ahead of the curve. If you keep this up, you will be very successful in the other MBA classes. I am in the last week of the last mandatory quantitative class, BUS 650, Managerial Finance right now. While none of them are anywhere near beyond comprehension, I can tell you that BUS 640, Managerial Economics was definitely the one course that separated the real MBA students from the wannabes. That class started with 33 students and ended with 18 left. Each one of the three quantitative classes are very doable as long as you set the appropriate amount of time aside for them, get your reading assignments done as early as possible since you may need to re-read some of them in order to really comprehend what they are saying. What I have discovered in each of the quantitative classes is that each chapter has questions very similar in nature to the weekly assignment (papers). If you get stuck with any of the weekly assignments, try working out the end of chapter questions first as they are listed in the same order as the flow of that particular chapter. Once you feel confident with those, go for it with the weekly assignment. It worked for me and have have very high scores in each of the classes because of it. Please note that the six weeks per class will sneak by you very quickly so, again, stay ahead of the reading assignments as best you can. I am on course to finish my MBA by December 6th of this year so I can walk the aisle in Clinton five days later. If you have any questions or just need a second opinion, please ask.
     
  12. friendorfoe

    friendorfoe Active Member

    Also I forgot to mention, if you haven't done it yet, buy or borrow the book series called "the Portable MBA". They have an overall "Portable MBA" book that is great for quick reference, however I also recommend you buy the Managerial Economics and Accounting and Finance in depth Portable MBA books as well. These books gel nicely with Ashford's MBA coursework and give you an alternate reference to comprehend some of the tougher stuff. For example I remember really having a hard time performing a regression analysis, the Portable MBA books helped out greatly with that.
     
  13. PatsGirl1

    PatsGirl1 New Member

    There are 25 ppl in my Mgrl Comm class, so we will see how many stick with it as I go through the program... Although this class also has ppl in it from the M.A. Org Mgmt degree as well.

    Cajun/FoF- thanks! I think I will check those out; they sound like they could be a big help. I'll try to get them when Borders does their 40% off coupons.
     
  14. PatsGirl1

    PatsGirl1 New Member

    Thank you very much! That helps me out a lot. I'm just so so nervous about all the Quant courses. I'm sure I'll be fine; I just tend to worry and over-analyze. I may need to pick your brain later! lol
     
  15. rcreighton

    rcreighton New Member

    By the way, Cajun is correct about getting a copy of the Portable MBA for Economics and the one for Accounting and Finance. They both offer great alternatives to the textbooks and are a great help. In fact, there is a used copy of the one for Finance and Accounting over at Half.com for $2.10 plus shipping right now. The one for economics is available at textbooks.com for $10.00 plus shipping.
     
  16. PatsGirl1

    PatsGirl1 New Member

    Thanks for the recs! I got the Portable MBA (regular) and Portable MBA Accounting and Finance for $7 total. $3.50/book- I can live with that! :)

    I waited on the Mgrl Econ one because, well, I have $15 left in my checking and I didn't want to move $ for the book right now. The cheapest I could find was about $15 incl shipping.
     
  17. PatsGirl1

    PatsGirl1 New Member

    I turned in my first paper for the program! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I did ok... We'll see!
     
  18. PatsGirl1

    PatsGirl1 New Member

    Just for any of the naysayers out there, this program is definitely an accelerated MBA program lol... I'm only on wk 2 of my 1st class and it is making me work! I like it, though, I really do. I'm learning a ton (yes, already) and the prof has been very responsive to the myriad of questions I keep throwing at him. If it keeps up like this, I will most definitely recommend AU to anyone. They may not be the cheapest around, but they definitely are thorough and their customer service is amazing (esp. compared to TESC! lol)
     
  19. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member

    Thanks for the updates!
     
  20. PatsGirl1

    PatsGirl1 New Member

    Update on AU... I still love it. Have a 97% in the class. I was an English major (and a very proficient writer) and I am WORKING at this, albeit mostly because I'm not used to APA format.

    I'm learning a lot, being kept very busy, and I actually feel like I'm getting my money's worth in these classes. We've already had 1/3 of the class drop out!
     

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