Ask Jon Frank- P69-Q&A:WHY MBA? 7 OVERLOOKED REASONS TO GET AN MBA

JonFrank

Hi Jon,

Not sure if you are still sticking around in the forum. But I'm gonna give it a shot cuz I'm torn here You have given many candid and professional opinion and suggestions throughout the whole time, and being there with us throug probably the roughest time in our lives. I really appreciate it.

I would appreciate if I can get your opinion on choosing between Darden and Anderson. I got admission from Darden, scholarship of 1/3 tuition, and in-state tuition which is $10K less than out-of-state tuition for two years. In total, I can save approximately $40K in two  years.  I didn’t get any scholarship from Anderson. I want to do corporate finance post-MBA in the US. My biggest concern is job. If Anderson can significantly boost my chance to get a reasonable job in the US, especially on the west coast, I can care less cost from a long-term perspective.
My background is Bachelor’s in accounting from China, Master’s in accounting from McIntire School of Commerce at University of Virginia, CPA, three years of work experience in audit in the US with one of the big four accounting firms.

This is kind of long. I’m just gonna write my thoughts around  the two schools. If you don’t have time to read the whole thing, it’s okay to stop here. I would appreciate if I could get your opinion.

-  I heard Anderson has a really strong position in California for finance. However, Darden is not quite recognized as a finance school.

- I thought job market in California is bad. However, through my conversation with a current student, the impression I got is that the job market there is not bad. Chinese students (with Chinese passport) in Class 12 all got internship through campus recruiting.

-  I have really big concern about my visa. As I work in DC area, I know that pretty much everything is related to the government. They rarely hire international students. So there are not many opportunities in DC area which is probably the area where Darden is recognized most. Going to other cities on the east coast, as a Darden student, I will face competition from many better schools, some of which are very good at finance. However, I heard the concern of visa in California is nearly zero. They didn’t face too many problems related to the citizenship status. And there are pretty much only three best schools in California, a really big state with many big cities. Among the three schools, Anderson is best recognized for specialty in finance. Also, in LA, UCLA is the best school, if I may say. Even though Darden has a higher ranking now, UCLA is like No. 3 on the west coast. But there are quite a few schools better than Darden on the east coast.

- A personal reason is that I really like the west coast. I want to live on the west coast. If I go to school on the east coast, the chance to get a job on the west coast is nearly zero.

Cost I've paid is deposit with Darden and deposit for my apartment which in total is probably $2K. This is a small number comparing to the scholarship. Moving and setting up life all over again is a big cost too. I don’t know if I should throw away the scholarship, and pay much higher tuition and living cost in LA.

Thanks a lot.

Alice

-- by 会员 pinkbrand (2011/5/18 11:04:16)

Alice, this is a very tough decision.  And I hate to encourage you to ‘leave money on the table.’  But it sounds to me very clear—you should go to UCLA.  Darden is good of course, and especially in certain areas.  But finance…isn’t one of them.  Many rankings show Creighten University (which very few people have heard of) as being “better” than Darden in Finance.  And if you are open to staying in California, and it sounds like you are, UCLA is a great program.  If you were sure that you did NOT want to be in California then I would consider Darden.  But you will get a great job in California in finance, coming from UCLA.  Better than that at Darden.  So I am sorry to recommend that you lose that nice scholarship.  L   But in the long term, it is worth it for you.  Congrats on these great choices, and good luck to you!


Jon Frank

-- by 会员 JonFrank (2011/5/18 22:19:20)

Thank you so much, Jon. That was a strong push towards UCLA. I thought you would suggest Darden cuz you normally go with the higher ranking, if I didn't misunderstand you. You seem to try to convince us to "leave money on the table" a lot Just kidding. I understand. A lot of times we probably know which one is the right choice, but life tricked us by putting money between us and the right choice. What I need to find out next is if I like the school, the class and people there. I'm attending an event for new admits at Anderson next week, despite the crazy flight ticket price... I'll find out if I belong there.

Thank you again. I really appreciate your help.

Alice

-- by 会员 pinkbrand (2011/5/19 9:26:30)

Alice, you are correct that usually (nine times out of ten) we believe that one should go to the best school you get into.  eriod!  But sometimes, there are extenuating circumstances.  erhaps you could call this the exception to the rule…  And yes, money often comes between the right and the wrong choice.  You are doing the right thing, in reaching out to experts, and doing your best to make a wise, long-sighted decision.  Good luck to you—I am sure you have bright things ahead for you in the future.


Jon Frank

gelukkig

Hi Jon, I don't have much experience in "community service" in the way that helping under-privileged children, helping elderly people...etc. But I was a DJ by Radio station (unpaid volunteer), does this count as extra curriculum activity/community service?

m1nt

hi Jon!you are the most popular guy on this forum, even more popular than 2012man. What new tricks have you learnt? would you mind to share with us?

JonFrank

Hi Jon, I don't have much experience in "community service" in the way that helping under-privileged children, helping elderly people...etc. But I was a DJ by Radio station (unpaid volunteer), does this count as extra curriculum activity/community service?

-- by 会员 gelukkig (2011/5/20 16:23:29)

Hello there.  Happy to offer up some thoughts here my friend.  Yes, this will count as extra-curricular.  But unless your radio station was raising cash for homeless veterans and their blind cats, it will not count as community service.  J  And some schools will ask for BOTH—community service activities, AS WELL AS extra-curricular activities.  Did you do any work as a DJ that helped disadvantaged people?  If yes, that is if you did anything other than just “play records,” then you could kill two birds with one stone.  Hope this helps my friend…and GOOD LUCK!


Jon Frank

JonFrank

hi Jon!you are the most popular guy on this forum, even more popular than 2012man. What new tricks have you learnt? would you mind to share with us?

-- by 会员 m1nt (2011/5/20 16:45:37)

Aw thanks for the kind words my friend.  Im not trying to compete with anyone though, or offer up any  tricks.  I just want to help people dude.  I could make more money going back into corporate real estate, and pursuing that life.  But instead, I have found that I am the happiest when here, helping people (from around the world!) get into the schools of their dreams, and achieving everything that they always wanted to.  For whatever reason, this is the thing that I am the best at.  I am just grateful that everyone here has been so generous and welcoming to me.  Thanks for the kind words, and good luck to you my friend.


Jon Frank

asdol

Hi Jon,

So I'm planning on re-apply this year and here's my question: how do I approach the admission offices for the application feedback?

Say that I was interviewed by Ross or Tuck but did not receive the offer.

1. can i write to them if they do not specify whether or not they provide such feedback?
2. do you think it's ok to write directly to my interviewer who's from the admission office? or should i write to the public email address like admissions@XXX.edu?
3. besides asking for feedback in the email, do you think it necessary to include things like my commitment to the school, my dedication about re-applying them this year?

Thank you so much.

JonFrank

Hi Jon,

So I'm planning on re-apply this year and here's my question: how do I approach the admission offices for the application feedback?

Say that I was interviewed by Ross or Tuck but did not receive the offer.

1. can i write to them if they do not specify whether or not they provide such feedback?
2. do you think it's ok to write directly to my interviewer who's from the admission office? or should i write to the public email address like admissions@XXX.edu?
3. besides asking for feedback in the email, do you think it necessary to include things like my commitment to the school, my dedication about re-applying them this year?

Thank you so much.

-- by 会员 asdol (2011/5/22 15:40:50)

Hello my friend.  Happy to offer up some guidance for ya.  Let’s go one by one, answering your questions shall we?  J
1)      Yes, you can write to ask.  But if they don’t give out such feedback, it is very unlikely that they would make an exception in your case.
2)      Sure it is okay—but again, I would be very surprised if they give you true feedback. Still, you have nothing to lose!
3)      Yes, of course you should.  Again, you have nothing to lose.   Do you see the pattern here?  Let them know how committed you are.  They will find that you are fully interested in improving your application, and getting in!  Again, you have nothing to lose.

So put your best foot forward, and reach out for input from these folks.  And maybe, if you are lucky, they will tell you something valuable!  Worst case, they find out that you are very committed to their program.


Jon Frank

m1nt

hi Jon!you are the most popular guy on this forum, even more popular than 2012man. What new tricks have you learnt? would you mind to share with us?

-- by 会员 m1nt (2011/5/20 16:45:37)

Aw thanks for the kind words my friend.  Im not trying to compete with anyone though, or offer up any  tricks.  I just want to help people dude.  I could make more money going back into corporate real estate, and pursuing that life.  But instead, I have found that I am the happiest when here, helping people (from around the world!) get into the schools of their dreams, and achieving everything that they always wanted to.  For whatever reason, this is the thing that I am the best at.  I am just grateful that everyone here has been so generous and welcoming to me.  Thanks for the kind words, and good luck to you my friend.


Jon Frank

-- by 会员 JonFrank (2011/5/22 10:16:52)

Dear Jon, thanks for your "tricks"
does that bother you that you are so popular and girls are so passionate on this forum?

JonFrank

hi Jon!you are the most popular guy on this forum, even more popular than 2012man. What new tricks have you learnt? would you mind to share with us?

-- by 会员 m1nt (2011/5/20 16:45:37)

Aw thanks for the kind words my friend.  Im not trying to compete with anyone though, or offer up any  tricks.  I just want to help people dude.  I could make more money going back into corporate real estate, and pursuing that life.  But instead, I have found that I am the happiest when here, helping people (from around the world!) get into the schools of their dreams, and achieving everything that they always wanted to.  For whatever reason, this is the thing that I am the best at.  I am just grateful that everyone here has been so generous and welcoming to me.  Thanks for the kind words, and good luck to you my friend.


Jon Frank

-- by 会员 JonFrank (2011/5/22 10:16:52)

Dear Jon, thanks for your "tricks"
does that bother you that you are so popular and girls are so passionate on this forum?

-- by 会员 m1nt (2011/5/23 13:41:33)

Hahaha, maybe the best “trick” of them all is honesty my friend.  Not a trick at all.  And that is actually a valuable lesson for everyone applying to school; be honest.  Show your true self.  Folks who hire other companies to write their entire apps are taking a huge chance, and one that admissions committees are getting smarter about each year.  Very risky to do anything but tell the truth!  And no, I am not bothered by girls being passionate—so long as they receive our advice, whether or not they work with us officially—we are happy.  J  Good luck to you my friend.


Jon Frank

youyiyoutian

Hi Jon,

"Ask Jon Frank" section has become very popular in a short amount of time. Congratulations!

Here's my question, a common concern that may help quite a few as well.

I'm quite concerned with my undergraduate GPA, which is below 3.0 (2.9), and the class percentile and ranking would be no better to mitigate it.  I have since got contradictory opinions on whether or not I should try to mitigate this lousy UGPA in the essay. For me I tend to avoid even mentioning it in the essay, because that makes me seem less confident in my past and "dwell" on something that's seven years ago. But I'd really want to hear your opinion on this, especially:

1) Whether or not I should take that chance to explain in optional essay?
2) Anything (other than enrolling in a community university to renovate the record, which is not possible in China) that may reduce the concern that adcom may have to admit an applicant with below than average GPA?
3) For someone with a lousy GPA, he or she should be careful not to create inconsistency in the essay by _______________ (Filling blank


Thanks Jon!

-- by 会员 kasulty (2010/9/29 20:29:30)

Hey there!  Yes, you absolutely should address this in your optional essay.  You are correct though, you do not want to DWELL on this issue.  Instead, you will say what happened, you will say why, and you will move on.  We do not want to make excuses here, just to be nice and clear.  The best way to overcome a low GPA is through your GMAT score.  With either a good GMAT score, or additional coursework, you can solve the problem.

And for your last (and most fun!) question, I think I can do even better than fill in the blank.  Here is the outline for an optional essay:
1. My undergraduate GPA was 3.0.  I believe that this score doesn’trepresent my true academic abilities.
2. When I was in college, I worked full time.  Or…my sister got sick.  Or…I was just immature.  I didn’t focus on school, and I should have.  
3. But since then, I have done my best to remedy the situation.  I took these three classes, and got As in all of them.  I also do tons of quantitative work at my job, and I have received three promotions in three months.  Finally, I received a 740 on the GMAT.
4. Helpful?  J

-- by 会员 JonFrank (2010/9/30 9:47:44)

Hey Jon, although you answered to someone else, this ans. is quiet helpful to me. I am however wondering if those explainations abt low gpa will really help or not. I recieved a big operation in my third year of uni, so my acedemic performace was effected a lot. I am soooooo worried about my GPA.  I will definitely write the optional essay when Im applying for MBA, but my frds who are studying in the States told me this wont help that much. That makes me very panic.......

Another question is which job offer I should take. Im graduating from uni. in about one month. Im currently having 2 job offers. Both companies are international traders which are based in the UK. One offers me a position in the marketing department, the other one offers me a position on its finance desk. To be honest, neither of these 2 companies is big or well-known. So Im thinking if I should take one offer, or return to China to find another job in a bank ect. If Im staying in the UK, which job offer is better for my future application to MBA, marketing or finance? btw, I am a math student in the uni.

I will really appreciate ur help! Thx!