P62&64 MBAS8 Next Steps.qxd 19/2/08 10:42 Page 3
Special editorial
MBA
Next steps
be appropriate for every individual. There are
Core MBA Specialization Top School (US unless indicated)
unique aspects of each school that candidates will
International management INSEAD (France and Singapore)
want to find out about. Then, there is the issue of
Finance The Wharton School
funding a course, and the fact that top schools are
Marketing The Kellogg School of Management
extremely competitive to get into. A good way to
Information management Sloan School of Management (MIT)
research alternatives is QS Search and Scorecard
Operations management Sloan School of Management (MIT)
(www.topmba.com/scorecard), which allows can-
Entrepreneurship IE Business School (Spain)
didates to identify a list of schools according to their
e-Business Sloan School of Management (MIT)
own criteria, including school specialization. For
Strategy Harvard Business School
example, a candidate wanting to find the best
Leadership The Wharton School
school for Marketing in Asia, with fees below
Corporate governance Harvard Business School
US$30,000 per year, can do this on Scorecard. It’s
easy, free to register and well worth a look. Candidates should pay careful attention, can help you find such work: www.mbaswithout
before applying to business school to the quality of borders.org.
What’s the difference between a one- and the careers office, as this is important in helping
two-year program? find your ideal role on graduation. Find out which How can I find out more about courses
US schools tend to prefer two-year and European companies they attract to the school to meet with strong CSR content?
schools one-year programs, with a few exceptions MBAs. Find out what they will proactively do to Many recent surveys have indicated that MBAs are
(London Business School for example, allows you assist MBAs to get into well-paid and satisfactory strongly considering employers with proven
more freedom to time your MBA). A two-year employment, and how quickly. This is especially and established Corporate Social Responsibility
course may allow an MBA to spend more time important on the European- (CSR) practices. The same is
thinking about where he or she wants to go, to style one-year programs on “MBAs are usually intense true for business schools,
changing direction, and to developing ideas over a which candidates often get
full-time programs. Average
which are also beginning to
longer period of time. Naturally, two years out of in touch with campus career
participant age is around 28
realize the importance of
the workplace and without earning, as well as the services in the first month of
(with at least 3-4 years of work
CSR within their courses.
tuition and living costs, can add up to a more their MBA. Beyond Grey Pinstripes
expensive experience, so budgetary concerns will Every year, hundreds of
experience) although there really
(www.beyondgreypinstripes
vary. MBAs take time to use their
is no age limit and some people
.org) are leading the way in
One-year courses offer a shorter, sharper MBA for worthy causes in take an MBA in their 40s.” this field, producing rankings
shock to the system. They are considered more developing countries. It’s good according to how MBA
heavyweight, in that students only have 12 months for getting great international work experience programs incorporate social and environmental
to cram everything in, but many graduates say they under your belt and most find the experience very issues into the training of future business leaders.
prefer this immersion method. It also means a rewarding. MBAs Without Borders is a charity that
return to the workplace more quickly and, therefore,
perhaps, lower costs. There is no right or wrong
length. Candidates must think carefully whether
they want to take the time, and can afford the costs,
that a two-year course entails or if they prefer to
immerse themselves into a one-year course and get
back to the workplace more quickly.
What am I going to do after my MBA?
Most MBAs begin with a rough idea of future
career direction. Others start with one idea and
change through their studies. Some argue that the
US-style 2-year MBA program gives students more
time to make such changes. Then, there are those
who attend business school to get fresh perspec-
tives.
Julia Bykhovskaia, from Russia, made such a
switch in her ambitions: “In 2001, I began the
NYU Stern MBA program. I originally wanted to
major in marketing, but later switched to finance.
I worked at BNP Paribas, then as a research ana-
lyst at 2 small brokerages specializing in distressed
debt. I currently work as a research analyst at a
hedge fund specializing in distressed debt.”
64 TopMBA CAREER GUIDE www.topmba.com
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