Executive MBA programs - competition?

[Strychnine]

If a program does not care about GMAT scores then you're only judged on work experience and education, right? Kill the interview, have some baller recommendation letters, etc?

For the specialized program I am interested in:

Average Class Profile
Class size (per cohort): 45 maximum
Average age: 37
Average years of experience: 12-15 years, a minimum of 7 years of work experience is required


With only 7 years industry experience how badass do I need to be? I could get awesome rec letters from people with big titles in the industry and stuff but how much will it hurt me to be on the extreme low side of the experience window and have the average age be 7 more than me???

[slow99]

Undergrad gpa, but if they don't consider GMAT then maybe they don't care about that either.

[slow99]

University of Houston?

[Strychnine]

Yeah, Global Energy MBA

[slow99]

That online Texas application will require educational history and they'll need transcripts as well - so your undergrad record will figure into it that way.

That leaves the essays, letters or recommendation, and the interview. Just be sure and nail those - put a lot of thought and preparation into them.

The supervisor essay is always awkward - if you have a great relationship with your supervisor, see if they're receptive to letting you see the letter they've written, or honestly, ask if you can write a draft then let them review and sign off on it.

Prep your ass off for the interview. You have to answer 3 main questions in everything you do: 1) Why MBA; 2) Why UH Energy Program; and 3) Why now?

Request info on employment stats by graduating classes**. Request the info on admissions - that'll give you an idea regarding the degree of competitiveness. Ie, 1 in 5 candidates are accepted, 1 in 10, etc. If it is competitive, try and seek out an alumnus to write you an additional rec on top of all the required ones. I got admitted to 3 tier 1 MBA programs - all 3 I sought out an alum to meet with and they wrote me a letter of recommendation on top of the mountains of other requirements.

Best of luck to you, I'm sure you'll do well. Don't let the experience bother you too much at this point, you have the minimum covered. The application is a mosaic - if all other parts of your application are strong then it won't matter.

** Edit - with an executive program, I guess there won't really be that much to report. Maybe they'd have salary/salary increase at completion or x years afterwards.

[Strychnine]

What's your opinion on this feedback? (not from the school)

Sure, but what are you looking at getting an MBA for? An exec MBA is usually for people that are already VP/Director level and need to check the box on their resume to get a promotion at their current company.

Also, it's generally a red flag if they don't care about your GMAT score. I'm not saying it's a bad school, but it's something that should make you look more closely at what you're getting from the degree.

I asked why it was seen as a "check the box" thing when I thought it was more for the flexibile schedule...

Mostly because your out of class options are pretty limited. There's no internship, no industry clubs, no recruiting, etc. There's nothing particularly wrong with an exec MBA, but it's not really geared towards the person looking to make a major career switch. It's made for the person that wants to move up in their current company. So, you don't have a lot networking with other industries outside your immediate cohort.

[Ruffdaddy]

Sounds like the worst response she could have given. Literally offering a degree as a check the box?! I'd bring that shit to the news...lol

[Strychnine]

Sounds like the worst response she could have given. Literally offering a degree as a check the box?! I'd bring that shit to the news...lol

That was just feedback from someone inconsequential - that wasn't from the school or anything.

[slow99]

I agree with a lot of that. That's why I threw the edit in about career statistics after I thought about it. Executive MBA programs are generally to advance at your current company, not to switch jobs/careers. I'm not sure about the GMAT comment, but honestly that was my initial reaction as well. I know the mccombs executive program required a GMAT. Then I looked at Baylor and SMU and their exec programs do not. Generally, I don't think admission is as competitive for exec programs - the average gpa and test scores are well below the full time programs. Check to see admission stats; that will give you some insight into the competitiveness.

Summary, I agree with the comment that they're not for career/job switchers. The GMAT commentary might not be justified. Looks like a handful of programs require it while plenty of good schools do not.

[Ruffdaddy]

That was just feedback from someone inconsequential - that wasn't from the school or anything.

Ahh I see...I was pretty confused by that one

[Strychnine]

Sounds like I should focus more on my other preference. I'm also looking at Rice. Their professional program is 54 hours and the second year has 9 electives and with some good course selection I could still get the focus I wanted out of the other program:

MGMT 600 International Energy Simulation
MGMT 610 Fundamentals of the Energy Industry
MGMT 745 International Energy Development
MGMT 669 Business Strategy in the Energy Industry
MGMT 611 Geopolitics of Energy
MGMT 634 Commercializing Technology in Developing Countries
MGMT 745 International Energy Development
MGMT 713 Strategic Issues for Global Business
etc
etc

Rice MBA for Professionals - Class of 2015
Class Profile

Number of Incoming Students: 135
Weekend Students: 53
Evening Students: 82
Average GMAT: 622
Average GPA: 3.27
Average Years of Work Experience: 5.2
Average Income Salary: $81,911
% with Advanced Degrees: 17%
% Foreign Nationals: 12%
Number of Companies Represented: 104

When I took the GMAT 4 years ago (not really sure why I took it at the time) I only opened my study book once to browse a practice test the night before lol. Not sure why but the quantitative section rocked me ... got a 640. Strictly by the numbers the score is "acceptable" (but not to me personally), but the breakdown was certainly lopsided. Since the selection process is very all-encompassing, it would definitely behoove me to submit a (better) more balanced score, right?



BTW, total cost for Professional MBA class of '16 (starting this August) is $95,500

[GeorgeG.]

$100,000 for an MBA?!?!?! what the hell does it do? Do you automatically get a pay raise = or > $100k?

[Strychnine]

$100,000 for an MBA?!?!?! what the hell does it do? Do you automatically get a pay raise = or > $100k?

LOL. I'll bet Slow99 paid more for his!

I'm not worried about the instant salary benefit, but more looking at the next career step.

[slow99]

$100,000 for an MBA?!?!?! what the hell does it do? Do you automatically get a pay raise = or > $100k?

It's a basic dcf calculation to find the net present value. It's a recurring stream so it doesn't have to be $100k incremental the first year. To answer your question, yes, many do average that first year out. My class in 2010 average comp was about $125k first year out. I hit $110k more than I made going in my first year out. UT is a state school, so I didn't quite drop $100k, but it runs the out of state guys about $125k over 2 years.

[Ruffdaddy]

It's a basic dcf calculation to find the net present value. It's a recurring stream so it doesn't have to be $100k incremental the first year. To answer your question, yes, many do average that first year out. My class in 2010 average comp was about $125k first year out. I hit $110k more than I made going in my first year out. UT is a state school, so I didn't quite drop $100k, but it runs the out of state guys about $125k over 2 years.

The salary ranges are so hard to trust with a lot of this stuff because there are so many factors. For example...if a program requires 5 years of experience and one is 10...of course the average salaries will be much different.

Slow99...Do you make now what you made when you just graduated and moved to San fran?

Is that saying the average salary of this program is only 81k after graduating?! That's terrible for the energy industry in Houston.