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Old 11-30-2015, 06:32 PM
 
4 posts, read 2,769 times
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I'll just ask this question here.

Assuming I pass up this offer to go to the MBA program and instead hit the working world, use the years to build my resume, and say I find a passion in a career that likely requires me to go back for a Masters in order to move up. What I want to know is this, how hard would it be for me to get into grad school then? I keep hearing about how if you're years out of college and ace the standardized tests, some decent grad programs (especially in MBA) will give you a chance.

I also feel confident that I can ace a lot of business classes so say if I do take this MBA option, how much would it benefit me in the business world?

I can't do organic chemistry right and have to do everything in my power just to pull a C in a class like Cell Biology but I feel that I have the ability to do well in the business, psychology, politics, and those types of classes.
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Old 12-01-2015, 04:26 AM
 
3,613 posts, read 4,103,797 times
Reputation: 5008
Quote:
Originally Posted by stanhattan View Post
I'll just ask this question here.

Assuming I pass up this offer to go to the MBA program and instead hit the working world, use the years to build my resume, and say I find a passion in a career that likely requires me to go back for a Masters in order to move up. What I want to know is this, how hard would it be for me to get into grad school then? I keep hearing about how if you're years out of college and ace the standardized tests, some decent grad programs (especially in MBA) will give you a chance.

I also feel confident that I can ace a lot of business classes so say if I do take this MBA option, how much would it benefit me in the business world?

I can't do organic chemistry right and have to do everything in my power just to pull a C in a class like Cell Biology but I feel that I have the ability to do well in the business, psychology, politics, and those types of classes.
Getting into grad school with several years work experience is pretty easy, especially an MBA program which are a dime a dozen these days and unless you want to work on Wall Street, it doesn't really matter where you get your MBA. It's a bad idea to get an MBA without relevant work experience and many programs won't take you without several years of work experience anyway.
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Old 12-01-2015, 01:08 PM
 
Location: Maryland's 6th District.
8,358 posts, read 25,194,688 times
Reputation: 6540
Quote:
Originally Posted by stanhattan View Post
I will be finishing school this fall with a biology major and my GPA is in the 2.0-2.5 range. That is not good enough for masters but I do have a choice to get accepted into this MBA program (not a well known one) on a conditional basis and my parents have said they will pay for it, they have also been pushing me into it by saying "MBAs are good".

Now I have also thought about working as a lab tech but they are highly against me working right out of college.

Their claim is that if I do good in a masters program, it will almost blank my undergrad GPA and create more opportunities for me in the future. Issue is, I have no idea on what I want to do with my life now.

Now my dad claims that once I am out of education (as in, if I reject this chance of an MBA), it will be extremely difficult if not impossible for me to get back in because my GPA is embarrassing.

I am thinking about this situation in two ways:

1. I start working after college and if I can find a job, that would make it easier to get future jobs that only care about whether or not I have had a job before. Maybe I can build a resume good enough to get into better Masters programs 5 years from now?

2. I get this MBA from a not so top tier university (still accredited though) and it helps me find better job opportunities for the future.
An MS degree will surely trump what-ever you earned during undergrad but keep one thing in mind: all MS programs require students to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA with some requiring a grade of no less than a B per class and others allowing for a lower grade as long as overall GPA remains above 3.0. In some of the Humanities it is closer to a 4.0 with students expected to earn no less than an A per class. With that, graduate school GPAs are largely meaningless. And if you apply to a Ph.D. later on your uGPA will still carry more weight than your gGPA but the gGPA will also be taken into consideration.

Grad programs also evaluate students differently than undergrad does. No one in grad school gives one flying hoot about your ability to memorize random facts and how well you can regurgitate that baloney onto a test. Yes, there are tests in grad school and yes some of them may be "fill in the blank" depending on course but in large part you will be evaluated based on your performance on projects, papers, and in class discussions.

As for loosing your mojo, nope, does not really happen. Older students may have more responsibilities stacked upon their plates but they tend to be better at time management, prioritization, and communication (with the profs/advisors/etc.). They also tend to have more of a reason to be there and as such treat the situation with more seriousness than the typical undergrad who is "finding themself", only there because it is what "everyone does", it's what their parents want, and so on.

By the way, the GMAT is the tougher test over the GRE.


Quote:
Originally Posted by stanhattan View Post
I'll just ask this question here.

Assuming I pass up this offer to go to the MBA program and instead hit the working world, use the years to build my resume, and say I find a passion in a career that likely requires me to go back for a Masters in order to move up. What I want to know is this, how hard would it be for me to get into grad school then? I keep hearing about how if you're years out of college and ace the standardized tests, some decent grad programs (especially in MBA) will give you a chance.

I also feel confident that I can ace a lot of business classes so say if I do take this MBA option, how much would it benefit me in the business world?

I can't do organic chemistry right and have to do everything in my power just to pull a C in a class like Cell Biology but I feel that I have the ability to do well in the business, psychology, politics, and those types of classes.
The longer removed from undergrad the less your GPA matters as long as the work experience is directly revenant to your intended major or if you can demonstrate that you are no longer the person you once were in college. However, your uGPA will still matter yet can be offset by a high GRE in some cases (in some cases because in others a low GPA + high GRE sends the signal that you are "bright but lazy", which is a kiss of death for some programs), a grad course or two, community college courses, and so on. How much your uGPA will still matter will depend upon the particular program and/or discipline.

You will also still need LORs from profs.

Your LORs and SOP will be key, though, and you are fighting an uphill battle here with that GPA. Definitely not impossible and the good thing about MS programs is that they have lesser entrance criteria compared to Ph.D. programs. That is, they are easier to get into with crummy grades. You will need to address those science grades in the SOP or in an addendum to the SOP. The best thing you got going for you right now is that you are simply not interested in science but sought to finish out the BS anyways.

Now, how hard? For an MS program, not very much.

An MBA can benefit you greatly but keep in mind they are more for those looking to go into upper-level management and make more sense for those who already have years of experience in the workforce. That is why you do not see many 20-somethings fresh out of undergrad going straight into MBA. It happens, sure, but without a proven track record (resume) to back it up it likely will not begin to show its worth until well into the future. MBA programs make heavy use of peer-learning which you surely will lack fresh from undergrad.

A Masters of Management might be the better option for you right now if you lack the experiences.
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Old 12-04-2015, 01:32 PM
 
3,570 posts, read 2,510,879 times
Reputation: 2290
Quote:
Originally Posted by stanhattan View Post
I will be finishing school this fall with a biology major and my GPA is in the 2.0-2.5 range. That is not good enough for masters but I do have a choice to get accepted into this MBA program (not a well known one) on a conditional basis and my parents have said they will pay for it, they have also been pushing me into it by saying "MBAs are good".

Now I have also thought about working as a lab tech but they are highly against me working right out of college.

Their claim is that if I do good in a masters program, it will almost blank my undergrad GPA and create more opportunities for me in the future. Issue is, I have no idea on what I want to do with my life now.

Now my dad claims that once I am out of education (as in, if I reject this chance of an MBA), it will be extremely difficult if not impossible for me to get back in because my GPA is embarrassing.

I am thinking about this situation in two ways:

1. I start working after college and if I can find a job, that would make it easier to get future jobs that only care about whether or not I have had a job before. Maybe I can build a resume good enough to get into better Masters programs 5 years from now?

2. I get this MBA from a not so top tier university (still accredited though) and it helps me find better job opportunities for the future.
The MBA sounds like a very poor choice. You don't seem to know what you want to do, and the MBA program that would accept you would not be a very good program--there is a considerable risk that this would be a waste of time and money.

Your GPA is going to be a problem when you want to go to school, whether now or later.

Working as a lab tech is probably a good approach for right now.

Getting a degree in the future will be useful if that degree is 1) from a good program, and 2) is in a field you actually want to work in.

Quote:
Originally Posted by NyWriterdude View Post
You don't know if you're resume will be built up sufficiently in order to get into a good master's program. These days the qualify of jobs available to people with just a BA frankly sucks.

I think if your parents are paying for it, GO and GET this MBA. You're conditionally in. So many people can't continue their education due to LACK of RESOURCES. You don't need to know what you're going to do with your life. This MBA will open up more doors for you than just a bachelor's. If later in life you need another graduate degree, deal with that then. Just make sure you do well in the MBA program.
I strongly disagree. A low-quality MBA program will take up your time with more limited prospects than you are expecting.

Quote:
Originally Posted by OptimusPrime69 View Post
Your undergrad GPA is abysmal. Not being mean or anything, but the reality is... it's awful.
What MBA program would even accept a GPA that low? Is it a for-profit school? It it an online program? Did u have to take the GRE or GMAT? Is the MBA program even accredited? With such a low GPA I don't really see how they could admit students with a GPA less than a 2.5 and still remain accredited.

Do they require letters of recommendation to be admitted? If so, what professor will write you one?
Agreed.

Quote:
Originally Posted by OwlAndSparrow View Post
Unless your bachelor's degree is from Harvard, it's probably not going to get you anywhere very quickly. Lab technicians don't make a lot of money, and it's really hard to move up even with a lot of experience unless you have a master's degree.

Jump into the MBA program, work a lot harder than you did as an undergraduate, and look for new opportunities while you are there.

You're probably not going to work in biology. Just get used to that idea. You're probably stuck working in business, so it's best to find a business that you like, learn everything you can about it, get an MBA, and start climbing the ladder. If you push yourself, you can probably become a manager eventually, and then you'll live a very comfortable life.

If you stick with just a bachelor's, you're going to be poor your whole life, and you're going to have a hard time going back to school later.

Edit: Oh, and not to be too much of a cynic, but check the accreditation on the MBA program. I don't know which accrediting bodies are legitimate for those, but I know that in some fields, there are places with fake accreditation. Don't fall into a trap. I realize you've probably already done your homework on this, so this warning isn't needed, but it's worth mentioning. I don't know what the MBA equivalent of University of Phoenix is, but you'll want to avoid it.
A 2.1 from Harvard is not going to get you anywhere (academically), either. A bachelor's, with work ethic and dedication, can bring you a more than adequate income and opportunities in many career fields.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mortpes View Post
Your GPA suggests education is not your strong point. Skip the weak MBA and learn a trade.
Seconded.

Quote:
Originally Posted by stanhattan View Post
So I read through the responses.

I did not have much interest in Biology or being a pre-med, just kinda got pushed into it by my parents and by the time I developed an interest for something else I was so far along that I was better off just graduating. Business and math classes have always been my strong point as they have come naturally to me. C's and a few D's in upper level science classes completely hammered my GPA.

Plan after college was to try and find some work, build a resume with work experience, and years later maybe go for a better Masters program. Find out in those years what I want to do, take the relevant exams, and then see where I can go. I have heard of people building up a resume to get into a decent MBA program after years of hard work so I was thinking about that being a possibility for me. I've grown a lot from being the kid who did poorly in school.

The MBA my parents want me to go to is accredited but it is not really a brand name school, it is not even ranked in the top 100.

I have been told that it is hard to get back into education once you leave but I want to hear expert opinions on this. This is a big decision for me guys.

On one hand, I feel like it can benefit me a lot to be out in the working world and build my resume. I can go back for a Masters and do things to make up for lost ground in the process, right?

On the other hand, my parents have also claimed that once you're out of education/university for a few years, it is very difficult to get back in. So here I am wondering if I am making a big mistake by passing up this opportunity.
Your parents are wrong. Getting an MBA immediately after undergrad is not terribly useful--getting one from a low-quality program after undergrad is terribly useless.

Quote:
Originally Posted by stanhattan View Post
I'll just ask this question here.

Assuming I pass up this offer to go to the MBA program and instead hit the working world, use the years to build my resume, and say I find a passion in a career that likely requires me to go back for a Masters in order to move up. What I want to know is this, how hard would it be for me to get into grad school then? I keep hearing about how if you're years out of college and ace the standardized tests, some decent grad programs (especially in MBA) will give you a chance.

I also feel confident that I can ace a lot of business classes so say if I do take this MBA option, how much would it benefit me in the business world?

I can't do organic chemistry right and have to do everything in my power just to pull a C in a class like Cell Biology but I feel that I have the ability to do well in the business, psychology, politics, and those types of classes.
You will need to destroy standardized tests with your GPA to get into a good program. MBA programs are never going to ignore your GPA because they have strong incentives to keep the class GPA up. It will become somewhat less important with time, but it will not disappear.
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Old 12-04-2015, 09:34 PM
 
3,278 posts, read 5,368,509 times
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I'd go for the MBA. Your GPA isn't good and if you have an MBA, no one will care about the undergrad GPA. They will assume it was good enough for biz school, therefore good enough.. Plus it REALLY opens up the options.

There isn't a whole lot you can do in Biology with anything short of a Phd. Work at some underling position in a lab from which you can't advance or do Forestry/DNR stuff. That's it. Even with an MS you might be able to MANAGE lab techs or something, but you will never actually run the lab. However you probably could do quite well in the DNR.
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Old 12-05-2015, 12:33 AM
 
Location: SoCal
20,160 posts, read 12,713,073 times
Reputation: 16993
An MBA from not the top tier is like wasting money anyway. Take the money and go en a business is better.
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