Hey Guys,
I will be undertaking my MBA at DStrathclyde in Apr 09, and yes, it will be with YMCA. Despite being dissapointed at the switch from TES to YMCA, I still went ahead with my application for several reasons.
1) Strathclyde MBA has been conducted in Singapore for close to 20 years, they undertsand the system, the culture and there exist a huge pool of alumni to network
2) Decent rankings, and overall interesting modules and electives offered. It is one of the few places offering a Strategy based MBA
3) Decent price
4) Loads of good feedback from former students.
5) Reasonably strict selection process, so you know your cohorts are decent
During my interview, my interviewer did acknowledge that the move to YMCA was not something that Strathclyde particularly liked, but due the business, the move was inevitable. Singapore breweries, which owned TES, had decided to sell their stake to YMCA. He assured me that its still a Strathclyde MBA, wich has been around these parts for nearly 2 decades. He was very honest and open, and did acknowledge that there will be some teething problems in transitioning, but gave me every assuarance that the University will see to it that quality is not compromised. Here is an offficial response from Ron Bradfield of Strathclyde in response to some of the questions I posted,
1) How will this affect the teaching staff. From what I gather, classes are conducted by mainly faculty staff of Strathclyde at the moment. Will there be a change in policy upon transition to YMCA?
No there will be no change in policy at all and therefore there should be no effect on the teaching staff, neither the Strathclyde Academics nor the Local Counsellors
2) How do the facilities at YMCA compare to TES?
From the TES website, it states "that the Institute has 7 classrooms and a computer laboratory with a seating capacity of 350 people. Each classroom is equipped with an internet-enabled lecturer terminal, which is linked to a LCD projector. Students have free access TO our state-of-the-art computer-cum-language laboratory with more than 30 internet-enabled workstations, as well as our resource library with a wide selection of academic and professional reference books. "
Perhaps the best answer I can give here is that you should take the opportunity to visit the premises and see for yourself – I am sure that Lynette will be happy to show you around them. While renovations are not yet completed, the major advantage of the YMCA premises is that we now have a substantial size lecture hall which can seat 100+ students – we did not unfortunately have this at TES. All materials from the resource library will be transferred to the YMCA resource room and internet-enabled workstations are also being installed, and the lecture hall and lecture rooms will be wifi enabled.
3) The helpful staff at TES was a one of the main criteria used in selecting the MBA program. Current students have often praised the helpful and personalized approach provided by the TES staff. How does YMCA intend to continue this level of service? How many full time staff do you have to facilitate providing support to students pursuing their MBA.
Neither of the two staff (Soek Hui and Debby Lim) are transfering to the programme but Lynette is currently sourcing two new staff. As with all change, it should be expected that there will be some teething problems with the new staff, but Lynette and the YMCA have given us every assurance that they will maintain the same, if not better, service level our students experienced at TES. At the same time Susan (and I) will visit Singapore periodically as we have always done, to monitor the programme and service levels, and to meet with students to discuss issues.
It is with these considerations that I applied, and truth be told, I am excited to undertake my course. Of course, I am bracing myself for some administrative problems with YMCA, but I believe that they will improve soon enough. There is no way that Strathclyde, which has such a high reputation here, will allow their standards to drop. I expect them to conduct quality checks and meet with students on a regular basis, and yes, if I am not happy, I will voice my concerns, and I hope that the current will do the same.
Hope this helps
Cheers!
