Which MBA?

[kenmura]

His company is paying up to 70k for his mba/emba, so the opportunity cost is on the time he needs to invest in completing the mba (assuming he doesn't go above the sponsorship cap). Not sure if there's a bond involved with the sponsorship though, that's another cost to consider.

Ah, unfortunately, there's no such thing as a free lunch in my industry.
The $70K (ceiling) scholarship comes with a 2 year bond with the company which commences upon graduation

 

[virtualape]

Ah, unfortunately, there's no such thing as a free lunch in my industry.
The $70K (ceiling) scholarship comes with a 2 year bond with the company which commences upon graduation

Unless you plan to stay in the company for long, otherwise go for a course with the shortest duration.

 

[kenmura]

Unless you plan to stay in the company for long, otherwise go for a course with the shortest duration.

That's practical advice =)
Thanks!

 

[lovemyself123]

hello everyone.

I would like to seek some advice regarding masters degree.

What are some possible routes after bachelor of accountancy?
It seems that the most natural route will be masters in accountancy but I do not have passion to continue in the same direction.

Other than MBA, would masters in finance be beneficial for my career in the future? Other suggestions?

Bachelor: NTU grad 2.1 honours

 

[Raider04]

hello everyone.

I would like to seek some advice regarding masters degree.

What are some possible routes after bachelor of accountancy?
It seems that the most natural route will be masters in accountancy but I do not have passion to continue in the same direction.

Other than MBA, would masters in finance be beneficial for my career in the future? Other suggestions?

Bachelor: NTU grad 2.1 honours

Get some work experience first!

 

[lovemyself123]

Get some work experience first!

lol, yeah of course my question applies for perhaps 10 years later with work experience!
just thinking about the future and planning ahead.

 

[Raider04]

lol, yeah of course my question applies for perhaps 10 years later with work experience!
just thinking about the future and planning ahead.

It's okay to plan ahead but then circumstances would have changed as you move along.

 

[Genesisz]

It's okay to plan ahead but then circumstances would have changed as you move along.

I fully agree.

 

[Genesisz]

Thats one option if you are undecided or uncertain if another advanced qualification can help you progress further.

For TS, in his early 30s, the ROI should be quite decent. If I were him, I would take education as an investment for future returns if I feel there are opportunities to reach senior or top management.

I guess it varies from industry to industry. Some of my associates in the hospitality and banking sectors are doing well with just a bachelor degree. To each his own.

When I was in my late 20s hitting into early 30s, I was faced with the same question: MBA or other Masters program. In the end, I concluded that MBA wasn't my cup of tea after extensive reading, reviewing and talking to a whole lot of people and professionals.

I invested my monies into the Masters program and now in my mid to late 30s (many years after completion), the ROI returns are in the form of better job opportunities, exposure and of course improved remuneration packages.

 

[relacker]

u need to ask ppl who studied MBA. no use asking ppl who din do MBA if there is ROI , the answer is of cos no

 

[htngwilliam]

Seriously, there is no guarantee ROI for everything. Only god knows

1. Even the greatest investor cannot guarantee ROI when he pick a stock

2. When we purchase a property, also cannot guarantee the ROI

3. Similarly to education. If u ask those property salesperson who doesn't have a degree yet make millions, they will tell u having a degree is worthless. To another person who rely on his paper to find jobs, that is another question

There is no right or wrong answer.

 

[alxa123]

MBB?

Hi everyone, been reading the thread for awhile and wonder if anyone can provide additional insights to my situation.

I'm currently 26, graduated Beng, 1:1 from NTU, working in a ministry, serving my undergraduate bond( poor planning ). I've been accepted into stanford MS&E/columbia MSOR and I'm thinking of breaking my bond to attend either one of them. Primarily, I'm hoping to break into MC esp MBB as an analyst.

I do not have the necessary work experience for a MBA and I do not want to waste anymore time on my current job. I've set aside a sum of money for the school fees and penalty. So, putting aside ROI and any financial concern, would you guys recommend me to pursue either course with the main goal of breaking into MC? I do mean getting the interview and be considered equal with ivy sch graduates.

 

[lee_tired_sheep]

Check LinkedIn too see where grads from either program end up

 

[dareaper]

Hi everyone, been reading the thread for awhile and wonder if anyone can provide additional insights to my situation.

I'm currently 26, graduated Beng, 1:1 from NTU, working in a ministry, serving my undergraduate bond( poor planning ). I've been accepted into stanford MS&E/columbia MSOR and I'm thinking of breaking my bond to attend either one of them. Primarily, I'm hoping to break into MC esp MBB as an analyst.

I do not have the necessary work experience for a MBA and I do not want to waste anymore time on my current job. I've set aside a sum of money for the school fees and penalty. So, putting aside ROI and any financial concern, would you guys recommend me to pursue either course with the main goal of breaking into MC? I do mean getting the interview and be considered equal with ivy sch graduates.

Not sure about Colombia's MS OR, but in Stanford's MS&E, you will definitely get a chance for their on-campus recruiting with MBB. Since its currently the season for summer associates/interns application, I see a lot of emails spamming about positions open for application on the MS&E mailing lists. So you will have no lack of options (including MBB) to try for if you head there. Can check out http://cdcapps.stanford.edu/stanfordcdc/fe/survey/firstStepsBrowse.do for a sample of MS&E alumni's positions after graduation.

If you are dead set on MC, when not practice your case interview skills, and start applying for MC positions in Singapore now? With a 1:1 at NTU, and relatively high test scores since you got admitted to those 2 programs, you may score an interview opportunity. It's the off season of MC recruitment, but no harm trying since it will be a couple of months more before you need to accept your admission offer and several months before you start school. If you get lucky, and get offered a position with a MC, why bother going to school eh?

If you do end up going for the school option, do remember that you will need to set aside money for living expenses, insurance, textbook fees, etc. They will all add up to a pretty hefty sum!

 

[alxa123]

Not sure about Colombia's MS OR, but in Stanford's MS&E, you will definitely get a chance for their on-campus recruiting with MBB. Since its currently the season for summer associates/interns application, I see a lot of emails spamming about positions open for application on the MS&E mailing lists. So you will have no lack of options (including MBB) to try for if you head there. Can check out Career Development Center - First Steps Browse | Student Affairs for a sample of MS&E alumni's positions after graduation.

If you are dead set on MC, when not practice your case interview skills, and start applying for MC positions in Singapore now? With a 1:1 at NTU, and relatively high test scores since you got admitted to those 2 programs, you may score an interview opportunity. It's the off season of MC recruitment, but no harm trying since it will be a couple of months more before you need to accept your admission offer and several months before you start school. If you get lucky, and get offered a position with a MC, why bother going to school eh?

If you do end up going for the school option, do remember that you will need to set aside money for living expenses, insurance, textbook fees, etc. They will all add up to a pretty hefty sum!

Thanks for the link!

When I was in my final year, mckinsey invited selected NTU eng students to submit their resume and gave them a first round interview. However, I heard none of them made it. I knew a few applicants and that they have gd resumes/achievements with the right internships, enough to easily secure a MA position in banks/big 4(which many of them end up in), albeit in the technology dept. It struck me that since NTU is not their target school, they are looking for someone who's so exceptional, so much that they are willing to make an exception and hire him/her. I will think that graduating from a target sch will make my resume more appealing and make it easier for them to hire me while competing with local grads in the Spore/SEA office.

I've set aside 100k USD for the whole duration of course, based on the estimated cost. I certainly hope it's enough. Awy, thanks for the reply

 

[XiiaoJinx]

Thanks for the link!

When I was in my final year, mckinsey invited selected NTU eng students to submit their resume and gave them a first round interview. However, I heard none of them made it. I knew a few applicants and that they have gd resumes/achievements with the right internships, enough to easily secure a MA position in banks/big 4(which many of them end up in), albeit in the technology dept. It struck me that since NTU is not their target school, they are looking for someone who's so exceptional, so much that they are willing to make an exception and hire him/her. I will think that graduating from a target sch will make my resume more appealing and make it easier for them to hire me while competing with local grads in the Spore/SEA office.

I've set aside 100k USD for the whole duration of course, based on the estimated cost. I certainly hope it's enough. Awy, thanks for the reply

I think you misunderstand McKinsey's selectiveness. To illustrate, I don't think it would be a stretch to say that they take the best of Harvard(that is the baker's scholars). A first-class from a lower tiered university (that is, in this case, the local NUS/NTU/SMU) is simply not comparable to the pedigrees of the top ivies and UK Oxbridge/LSE. The fact is, perhaps at most a handful (countable using a single hand), of local graduates have made it onto to become McKinsey analysts/associates, and none have made it to partner/director level.

The people at McKinsey are truly exceptional and excel at both academic and other skills. After all, their company remapped the power structure of the White House, and is involved in the very top strategic decisions of the largest companies (think Fortune 50), anything less than the global elite of the entire applicant pool will not do.

That said, an MBA will not hurt, and will definitely give you a better chance of breaking into MBB in general. However, no one can advise on a definitive chance of being made an offer, it depends a lot on your past experience as well as school pedigree from my observation, and I would personally not drop 100k on school for a chance in breaking into MBB alone. The break into MBB is tough, climbing the ranks to a position where you can truly stand out (director/partner level) requires exceptional skill and talent, the kind of talent that reaches the very top echelons of their chosen field, whether it is working on overall government directives or heading global conglomerates in C-suite positions.

A arbitrarily chosen look at McKinsey director: Hsieh Tsun-Yan (Singaporean)
1) Awarded President's Scholarship and Colombo Plan scholarship after A levels
2) Invited to join Administrative Service (you would know what this is since you are a ministry scholar)
3) Topped his cohort in Mech Eng at his undergraduate institution, UAlberta, Canada
4) OCS, but took up Canadian citizenship
5) First Chinese and Singaporean to be admitted to McKinsey
6) Harvard MBA

A range of other achievements, directorships at local think tanks, board member of global companies (Sony) complete his profile. He now guides the NUS MBA curriculum as he is on the advisory board, and his module is compulsory for all NUS MBA students from 2013 onwards.

Source: http://ifonlysingaporeans.blogspot.sg/2013/02/hsieh-tsun-yan-what-it-takes-to-succeed.html

 

[lovemyself123]

hello, for those who have knowledge of or are from top tier ivy league MBA schools, may i know if chances are severely impaired if i am only a 2:1 honors graduate from NTU?

Is the undergrad results so important to them that they will junk my application immediately when they see a 2:1?

 

[dareaper]

Thanks for the link!

When I was in my final year, mckinsey invited selected NTU eng students to submit their resume and gave them a first round interview. However, I heard none of them made it. I knew a few applicants and that they have gd resumes/achievements with the right internships, enough to easily secure a MA position in banks/big 4(which many of them end up in), albeit in the technology dept. It struck me that since NTU is not their target school, they are looking for someone who's so exceptional, so much that they are willing to make an exception and hire him/her. I will think that graduating from a target sch will make my resume more appealing and make it easier for them to hire me while competing with local grads in the Spore/SEA office.

I've set aside 100k USD for the whole duration of course, based on the estimated cost. I certainly hope it's enough. Awy, thanks for the reply

Yep, I agree that to get MC to hire you without the elite school badge would need you to be exceptionally good. But there's no opportunity cost for you to try before accepting the admission offer or even before heading to grad school after you had accepted the offer. Think about it this way, all the effort you put into applying for a MC position before you leave for grad school gives you a chance to save 100k USD. No harm done if you don't succeed (just don't crash too badly if you actually interview with the MCs).

hello, for those who have knowledge of or are from top tier ivy league MBA schools, may i know if chances are severely impaired if i am only a 2:1 honors graduate from NTU?

Is the undergrad results so important to them that they will junk my application immediately when they see a 2:1?

US colleges runs on a different system, so they will still look more at your GPA (converted to a scale of 4) than a 2:1 honors. I believe as long as your converted GPA is above 3.5, it wouldn't be too big of a problem since its usually a negative filter. And for MBAs, the story you tell and weave with your essays will probably matter more than your GPA.

 

[wahkao3]

no need to join those elite management consultants
join those not so elite ones loh

 

[alxa123]

I think you misunderstand McKinsey's selectiveness. To illustrate, I don't think it would be a stretch to say that they take the best of Harvard(that is the baker's scholars). A first-class from a lower tiered university (that is, in this case, the local NUS/NTU/SMU) is simply not comparable to the pedigrees of the top ivies and UK Oxbridge/LSE. The fact is, perhaps at most a handful (countable using a single hand), of local graduates have made it onto to become McKinsey analysts/associates, and none have made it to partner/director level.

The people at McKinsey are truly exceptional and excel at both academic and other skills. After all, their company remapped the power structure of the White House, and is involved in the very top strategic decisions of the largest companies (think Fortune 50), anything less than the global elite of the entire applicant pool will not do.

That said, an MBA will not hurt, and will definitely give you a better chance of breaking into MBB in general. However, no one can advise on a definitive chance of being made an offer, it depends a lot on your past experience as well as school pedigree from my observation, and I would personally not drop 100k on school for a chance in breaking into MBB alone. The break into MBB is tough, climbing the ranks to a position where you can truly stand out (director/partner level) requires exceptional skill and talent, the kind of talent that reaches the very top echelons of their chosen field, whether it is working on overall government directives or heading global conglomerates in C-suite positions.

A arbitrarily chosen look at McKinsey director: Hsieh Tsun-Yan (Singaporean)
1) Awarded President's Scholarship and Colombo Plan scholarship after A levels
2) Invited to join Administrative Service (you would know what this is since you are a ministry scholar)
3) Topped his cohort in Mech Eng at his undergraduate institution, UAlberta, Canada
4) OCS, but took up Canadian citizenship
5) First Chinese and Singaporean to be admitted to McKinsey
6) Harvard MBA

A range of other achievements, directorships at local think tanks, board member of global companies (Sony) complete his profile. He now guides the NUS MBA curriculum as he is on the advisory board, and his module is compulsory for all NUS MBA students from 2013 onwards.

Source: If Only Singaporeans Stopped to Think: What it takes to succeed globally

Isn't that my point? top students from a tier2 uni(do you consider NTU tier 2? no pun intended) who could make it into the MA position are not considered for mckinsey analyst position. However, leaving the exceptionally talented and gifted aside, I do not see a distant gap of qualities(IQ, EQ, tenacity etc) btw the normal MBB hires and a top student from tier2 uni. I come from a top jc and many of my peers graduated with 1:1/summa cum laude from top universities and in comparison, at least during JC, I'm certainly not inferior. Thus, I feel that I'm discriminated with my choice of uni rather than my capabilities, and I hope to correct that with a MSc & gd results from a top uni. Do you think I will be able to achieve that?

Well, there's a reason for not considering MBA. Currently, my working experience(less than 4years) do not qualify me to be considered as an associate but rather as an analyst. Gd thing is that I will be considered separately from top B-schs MBA holders. Thus, my reason for applying MSOR and MS&E and not waiting for an MBA.

Hsieh Tsun-Yan is truly an exceptional person but I would say that the larger part of his success is due to his excellent A lvl and uni results. I'm certainly not saying that I am of his calibre but my point is if I could correct the discrimination of being in a lower ranking university, I could potentially go higher than what I'm doing now.

I thank you for your reply. Please give me your most honest view.