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I live in Kentucky. I would like to pursue an MBA and Master's of Urban Planning. My plans are to do the MUP at Texas A&M, but I'm stuck as to where to go for my MBA. I'm young, single, a recent college grad, and finding it hard to find a job here in Ky.; besides, I'd much rather leave Ky. and see what else is out there. So...
How about Anchorage, Alaska? It seems like a fairly economically healthy, growing metropolitan area with nice people, a fairly thriving population of 20-somethings, and outdoor opportunities the likes of which I've never seen in person. So, that's why the University of Alaska-Anchorage is my top choice for MBA work. I'm not looking for national prestige here, just a good education and a nice community to spend 2-3 years while attending school.
UAA requires GMAT and GRE scores in the admissions process except for any of three qualifications; one of those three is an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better. My UG GPA was well above 3.0. So, I don't have to use a test!
So, what do you think? Good idea or bad idea? Personally, I don't think it can hurt; it's not Harvard, but it's certainly not Kaplan University, either.
By the way, my UG major was Political Science and I have limited experience in the way of business classes (two economics and one accounting class and that's it.) Will this be a problem?
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Most MBA programs require at least 3-5 yrs of applicable work experience. If they don't, they should! You will add much to fellow students and your education if you get some work experience in your chosen field. Even with jobs tough to find I would put that as top priority. I would consider moving somewhere with very low unemployment for the work and life experience. (Wyoming, SD, AK)
I'd look in the rankings and see where UAA stands relative to other schools you are considering. Granted, rankings (US News & World Report, Princeton Review) are far from the gospel IMO, but they should provide a general idea of how schools compare to one another. I really think the best way to go about grad school is go to attend the best school you can get in to. If you are set on Alaska but get into a better school than UAA, move to Alaska when you finish your MBA.
I'm not very familiar at all with MBA programs, but a better way to go about it may be to apply to higher-ranked schools in outdoor-oriented states such as Colorado, Wyoming, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, ect..
Anchorage is a nice area, not sure its the greatest for being single. It is not cheap to live there though as many things need to be flown in...fruit/vegetables etc.
It has been many years since I earned my masters degree, which was from an excellent college on the East Coast. I did not take the GMAT or GRE, but I did take the ACT. I took that test after I enrolled. My feeling at the time was that they just needed a score for the files. Not saying that's true, but if it was so important, they would have required it before I took any courses.
Good luck in your decision. If you can afford Anchorage, I am sure you will enjoy that experience.
Have you ever been to Alaska? I would encourage you to visit first, if you haven't already, because I am sure it will be very different than what you are used to, and 2-3 years is nothing to sneeze at.
Best of luck.
Can't comment on Anchorage as a place to live/study but if the program is AACSB accredited and if the placement from the program is excellent then I would not worry too much. Sure, lack of experience will hurt initially esp. if the study method uses lots of case study and etc but IMO it is always good to get your education out of the way.
On the experience front, I went to MBA after 5 years of solid Engineering experience and after MS in Engineering but really did not have any(or had limited) knowledge of Accounting, Finance, Business Law, Marketing etc. There were self employed folks in my class who did not know how large companies worked and people who came from consulting/Large companies who did not know how small companies worked. And many folks who had experience wanted to change fields(IT to Finance) and many experiences in my opinion were not what they were cracked up to be (Like Financial Analysts working on Excel all day long). The key thing with MBA is placement. Good luck!
My spouse is from Anchorage and I've visited her relatives both in the winter (for a month and a half) and in the summer (for three months).
Summers in Alaska are magnificent! Kentucky, at least the parts I've seen, is wonderful too, but there is nothing in the whole of the continental US that compares to summers in Alaska. If you like salmon, if you like fishing - Alaska is the place to be. If you like backpacking through rugged country, even a day-trip in Denali would be extremely envigorating. Anchorage is a wonderful spot to use as a base for the summer - Flat Top Mountain is only 20min away, glaciers are only 45min away, and the coastal trail is right in Anchorage.
But summers in Alaska can be extremely short. I went hiking on Flat top in mid-July and there was still ice on it, and I had only been hiking for 20min from the parking lot at the base of the mountain. Snows can come in by early November and won't be gone until mid-April. Some days in the summer, the temperature can drop to 60 in the day time. Also, you have to like bug-spray, because mosquitos take advantage of the short summer and are out in force.
Winters are great if you like skiing, snow-shoeing, or skijoring with your dog (what fun!). You have to like snow and cold (I do, that's why I moved to Buffalo). Also, waking up and going to work in the dark, being indoors most of the working hours and then going home in the dark (daylight being short) can sap your energy and work on your psyche if you hate that sort of thing. If you don't get an apartment with a garage, you're going to want an automatic starter for your car. You'll also probably want to get -at a minimum- all weather tires (or change tires twice a year from regular to winter and back again). You're going to need a car. The bus system is okay, but waiting out in the cold can get old pretty fast.
There definitely is a young population in Anchorage, although I didn't do much of that - being married and all. You may have to build friendships fast though since you will most likely be living off-campus. Also, rember that Anchorage is a lot more expensive (the rents are high and the food that is not local can be expensive and not so fresh). A membership in the bulk, wholesale store, and a deep freezer can be useful (also a good place to store all that salmon and halibut you're going to catch in the summer).
Don't know much about the MBA program at UAA, but I liked the look of the campus. It can get a little trafficky because they sit on one of the main corridors out of the city center.
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