Anyone applied/currently attend?

4/27/2016 4:07:00 PM

I have a lot of friends who went there for their MBA.

Short summary is if you're trying to go full-time, probably not worth it. If you're trying to go there and switch careers (e.g. engineering to investment banking), probably not worth it. If you're going part time, work at a company who wants this as a box for you to check, then it's a great value for the price.

4/28/2016 9:46:28 AM

I fall into that category and will have 95% of this paid for by GI Bill.

4/28/2016 11:19:07 AM

Gf is doing the online program currently. She likes it.

4/30/2016 7:42:27 AM

any chance of getting in with a barely graduating gpa?

5/1/2016 1:59:36 PM

I'll let you know if I get in with my shit GPA

5/1/2016 2:04:56 PM

I think with MBA programs if you have valuable career experience it can outweigh a shitty GPA from college if there are enough years in between. Having a high GMAT score helps. A lot of grad programs have a hard cutoff for GPA though (usually 3.0) but I haven't looked at Jenkins.

5/1/2016 5:17:35 PM

Count me in to the shitty GPA, wanting an MBA club.

Mine was total shit, though...like 2.3 or something. I'm sure I'll totally crush the GMAT; I always do on those sorts of tests. I also have a pretty solid resume (10 years of flying jets as a USMC officer, and now an engineering team lead on a big defense project)...and my undergrad degree with the shitty grades was, at least, mechanical engineering...and I'm not looking to do this for a number of years, so my undergrad years will be 20 years in the past when I go back to school.

...but the problem is that I'm not really even interested at all unless I can get into an upper-tier program (Duke, UNC...HBS/Wharton/Stanford/Chicago Booth/Columbia/etc would all be fine, but I'd be fine with Duke/UNC). I want the MBA for a career transition to finance (investment banking/VC), so if it's not a reputable enough degree for me to break into that world, then I (for my purposes) wouldn't bother.

I'd be fine with doing the Executive MBA programs, but even 20 years after my shitty grades and plenty of success since, I still have this nagging fear of not being able to get into Duke's B-school with a 2.3 undergrad.

5/1/2016 5:28:01 PM

Duke, I failed out of State before I enlisted, that GPA never goes away, so I'm in the same, if not worse, boat as you.

5/1/2016 5:36:12 PM

Stern MBA here. You would be the oldest person in your cohort by a good 10-12 years. Next to impossible to switch to I-banking in your 30s. Firms recruit at the associate level which means your peers will be 28 and willing to work 80hour weeks updating pitch books.

5/1/2016 8:32:21 PM

I want to do it in my early-mid 40s. Either that, or just straight to VC.

I have a step-brother who's a VP with BofA ML. Maybe that'll help.

Also, he says that he averages more like 60-hours/week now that he's in Charlotte and not on Wall Street.

5/1/2016 10:06:05 PM

I went there - full time program. I was kind of in the opposite boat - I had a good GPA, but not great work experience. I did the whole Teach For America thing out of school but then got to working in back office banking. I wanted to switch into just regular corporate finance. I have to say I had an overall good experience. Got a job that was about a 50% raise, had minimal debt, and it all worked out. But if you want to go to wall street - it's not for you. It's a regional school so the likely job targets are just that. Good connections in RDU, but there's some decent access to CLT - which is where I wanted to be.

Let me know if there's anything I can answer - I graduated in May 2014, so it's still relatively fresh in mind.

5/2/2016 9:37:21 AM

How long did it take to be notified that you were selected for an interview?

5/2/2016 9:50:13 AM

I honestly don't remember. Are you FT or PT? I'm just assuming they have different timelines for each. From knowing the admissions team (Worked as a grad assistant for the career office and worked with that team some) and they're pretty lean on resources so they could be behind.

5/2/2016 10:41:03 AM

PT

5/2/2016 10:45:24 AM

You want to get hired into Ibanking in your 40s with no relevant experience? Your peers will either be 28 yr olds or other 40-somethings with 20 years in the business. Ibanks don't recruit experienced career switchers from emba programs.

5/2/2016 2:21:33 PM

your VP step-brother wouldn't be able to pull strings, everyone is a VP at banks

5/2/2016 2:26:21 PM

I don't want to get into VC/Banks, I just want to move to Project Lead/Upper Management at tech companies.

5/2/2016 3:37:32 PM

^you should get a computer science degree then. or look into something like The Iron Yard. if you can get in, the analytics program at State is killer.

an MBA is great to have, especially when you're young because it will separate your application from the pile. but as others have said, they have less utility for securing a job in a new field as somebody who is older. more often than not, people get them later in life to break into or out of mid-management. an MBA won't make you a shoe in project manager or especially upper management just because you know some managerial theory, etc.


[Edited on May 2, 2016 at 6:25 PM. Reason : .]

5/2/2016 6:20:09 PM

Sorry, I don't think I explained my situation very well.

I already have my undergrad in CS and a good job that I won't be quitting. I'm trying to get my MBA because it seems useful, I can complete it online/at night, and it seems like it'll get me ahead in life.

5/2/2016 6:39:56 PM

ok yeah that's a different scenario then what I had imagined haha. good luck yo

5/2/2016 8:45:02 PM

Also, it'll be free and I'll make 20k just be going to class

5/2/2016 9:14:24 PM

Finished my MBA at UNC-CH last October in the EMBA program.

These executive programs are hurting right now because they rely on company sponsorship for employees. With all the cost cutting going on these benefits are drying up, hence less of a candidate pool.

I had a ~2.8gpa from State, although Jr and Sr years were 3.5+ (rough freshman year). I also did very poorly on GMAT, but had ~9yrs of finance/I bank experience and got in no problem.

Point is, not as hard to get in as you think. Full time top tier is a different story.

5/16/2016 2:59:55 PM

^do you think that doing the online program is less valuable than in residence? does your diploma or anything denote the fact that it's online, and do you specify that on your resume?

5/16/2016 3:44:25 PM

EMBA is resident, not online. Typically every 2-3 weekends, with a few other short stints.

^^ I'll have to pick your brain via PM or email. My GPA was even worse than that. I don't have a formal finance background (although I read a lot). My degree is in engineering, though, which seems to also be advantageous. Also have some management/leadership experience.

5/20/2016 10:35:52 AM

VC is extremely difficult to break in to. I went to HBS and most of the people who went in to VC came from VC. Very few of the people trying to break in were able to.

That being said its one of the best jobs in the world. You spend all your time engaging with passionate people and doling out other peoples cash.

You don't want to be an iBanker if your aren't 23.

5/20/2016 3:44:47 PM

Yeah I wouldn't expect to start off in VC. It's something I have interest in. If I did I-banking, I'd consider eventually moving to VC. I think my technical background makes it appealing to me.

If a bank will hire me at 44, I'll be down. It'll probably be just me, so a busy job will be fine. Every job I've had since college involved 3 am starts or staying until 11 pm or working weekends, etc. No big deal.

No way being an I-banking associate will be much, if any, crazier than my entire career to date.

For what it's worth, my step bro says that Wall Street was crazy, but since moving to Charlotte, it's not bad except when they have a major deal going on. He says he averages maybe 60-hours/week.

(I also have a very successful VC as a family friend. VERY successful. He's a biotech guy, which wouldn't be my first choice, but maybe when the time comes he can help me make some connections.

[Edited on May 20, 2016 at 8:41 PM. Reason : ]

5/20/2016 8:12:58 PM

You can definitely get into parts of investing at certain banks at an older age. Where I work you could probably get a job in capital markets but you would have to work your way up to a point where you were making the big bucks/sales and it would require a lot of time of the phone cultivating relationships. Those guys that are good make serious money though. They don't hire people and pay them big bucks unless they already have an established reputation in a market they serve so you would have to start at a more analyst role.

5/20/2016 8:23:55 PM

Quote :

"do you think that doing the online program is less valuable than in residence? does your diploma or anything denote the fact that it's online, and do you specify that on your resume?"

Its the same accreditation (online vs EMBA vs full time). I do not differentiate on my resume.

Online program is more expensive and obviously less personal. One of the reasons I pursued an MBA was to get exposure to industries outside of finance because I wasn't sure if I wanted to stay in the industry. You definitely learn a lot from your classmates and their experiences. You also develop leadership skills in ways not taught in a textbook. you just naturally develop through exposure to others and projects. Plus another main reason I chose program was bc of network. As much as I despise UNC-Ch and their sports programs, they are damn good at making you become involved in network, ESPECIALLY in finance/ibanking. Def helps with job prospects.

So I would definitely recommend the in person program as opposed to online. Just think you get much more out of it.

Quote :

"^^ I'll have to pick your brain via PM or email. My GPA was even worse than that. I don't have a formal finance background (although I read a lot). My degree is in engineering, though, which seems to also be advantageous. Also have some management/leadership experience."

feel free to message. there were several military folks in the program. In fact a classmate graduated from Navy and was a pilot in military for several years and then was a stay at home dad for past 8ish years. he did program as a way to re-enter workforce. So he had no private sector experience.

They basically do not even count GMAT anymore unless they are on the fence about letting you in (for EMBA program). They don't expect you to remember geometry as someone with 10yrs of experience. The interview and real world experience are what matter most. And being able to articulate WHY you want a MBA and WHAT you want to use it for. having clear goals helps.

[Edited on May 23, 2016 at 2:28 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on May 23, 2016 at 2:29 PM. Reason : .]

5/23/2016 2:26:18 PM

Graduated in December 2015. Thought it was a great program. I had to pay out of state though

5/24/2016 10:04:02 PM

Quote :

"I just want to move to Project Lead/Upper Management at tech companies."

Project Lead slash Upper Management as if those were basically interchangeable.... c'mon really?

5/24/2016 11:03:38 PM

Yeah big difference there. We've got EMs, PMs, TPMs. They all lead project deployments and none of them are in upper management.

5/25/2016 3:43:46 PM

Yeah, I'm a team lead/project lead, and there are a couple of levels between me and anything I'd consider "upper management" by any definition (really, just program managers...another level or two up true upper management)

5/25/2016 7:08:34 PM

Quote :

"One of the reasons I pursued an MBA was to get exposure to industries outside of finance because I wasn't sure if I wanted to stay in the industry. You definitely learn a lot from your classmates and their experiences. You also develop leadership skills in ways not taught in a textbook. you just naturally develop through exposure to others and projects. "

Yea I was trying to get out of finance, myself. I did online and honestly, (having obviously done undergrad in person), you will get everything out of it based on what you want to get out of it. That is to say, you can do just as much networking online as you can in person. In some ways it's easier, depending on whether you're a shy person or not (typically the largest hindrance to networking in person). It's easy to just IM someone.

The education itself is identical to in-person. The lectures are the same, the homework is the same, the projects are the same, etc. And when you do the mandatory on-campus sessions, your classes will be a mix of both online and on-campus participants which I think is actually really interesting.

5/26/2016 12:14:49 AM

We just hired a really smart guy who was in finance / investments for 7 years and decided to get out of it and took a 6 month galvanize full stack development class. If you have the initial capital it's a great opportunity. Of all the interviews I've done (being the interviewer) we have started to care less about MBAs (everyone has them) and more about applicable experience, culture, and attitude. Galvanize also has a lot of street cred among software companies as they produce a lot of bright coders. I have another friend who just quit his job in healthcare to do the same full stack boot camp.

We also just interviewed two candidates for a platform manager position and the one candidate had over a decade of consulting, QA, and management experience and a breadth of other experience (plus an MBA). The second guy was probably 28, had an MAE degree (yay!), and some applicable experience but we simply felt like he fit the role better. An MBA will help you if you take advantage of what you've learned to advance your current role or help with another role but I'd say as a resume padder it's nothing compared to experience.

--not saying it was mentioned as a resume padder. It seems like everyone has the right idea. If you're in it for the experience and knowledge it's certainly a useful thing to get but there are other options.

[Edited on May 26, 2016 at 10:49 AM. Reason : s]

5/26/2016 10:26:42 AM

Quote :

" An MBA will help you if you take advantage of what you've learned to advance your current role or help with another role but I'd say as a resume padder it's nothing compared to experience. --not saying it was mentioned as a resume padder. It seems like everyone has the right idea. If you're in it for the experience and knowledge it's certainly a useful thing to get but there are other options."

I tend to agree with you here. Truthfully, no degree is worth anything unless you actually appreciate thr knowledge and are motivated to do something with it.

5/26/2016 11:00:15 AM

Yeah you put it more eloquently than I.

5/26/2016 12:05:58 PM