Which one of them are good programs, and which are the most difficult to get into, and which ones are the easiest to get into? I'm picking between these programs because I may be able to get a great deal on the tuition if I get into one of them. ANY advice is highly appreciated. I'm certain I want to get into a program, but was wondering if my modest credentials can make it into any of these. Thoughts? Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs * Master of Public Administration Environmental Science and Policy * Master of Public Administration Economic Policy Management * Two year Master of Public Administration Columbia University, Columbia Business School * Master of Business Administration (MBA) Duke University Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy * Master of Public Policy Duke University The Fuqua School of Business * Master of Business Administration * Master of Finance & Management Haas School of Business, University of California at Berkeley * Masters Of Business Administration McGill Universiety Desautels Faculty of Management (Canada) * Master of Business Administration School of Advanced International Studies, The Johns Hopkins University * MA International Affairs The University of Pennsylvania The Wharton School * Master of Business Administration University of Chicago Booth School of Business * Master of Business Administration University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy Studies * Master of Public Policy University of Michigan, the Ross School of Business * Master of Business Administration
I'm in the same boat as you, although I'm leaning more towards the public policy/international affairs side than the MBA side. I'm also considering law school. You might want to let us know of your credentials, to better understand how realistic each of your choices are. All of the programs you listed are solid. Other schools/programs you might want to consider: * Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University * INSEAD - Fontainebleau, France
For the financial assistance, I have only these programs to choose from. Insead is also one of them, but I'm not a big fan of living in Europe. France may be the best possible option since I speak some French, but it would still be tough to live there. I have 5-6 years experience, some in FMCG (Red Bull) as a Brand Manager (trainee, then junior brand manager) and the majority as a regulator (supervising a portfolio of major global financial companies). I've got several certificates/qualifications (investments, anti money laundering, islamic finance, freezone law, trade finance). I've got a BA (marketing/management/finance). My GPA is fairly poor (around 2.5 IIRC) though if you only count the marketing/management/finance courses I'm comfortably above 3.0 GPA. I'm an international student and US universities love that since it's a higher tuition and, in this case, would be mostly prepaid. Ummm what else. I speak English, Arabic, French, Farsi, as well as a little bit of Turkish and urdu. I don't think there's anything else relevant. I'm just worried about my GPA being too low. What do you think?
I think you would have a problem getting into the University of Chicago, Duke, and Columbia, but that's just a hunch. A good friend of mine just had a daughter graduate from McGill and she liked it. Cold winters, but the school's supposed to be excellent and Montreal is a groovy city, especially if you know some French.
I don't know how I screwed that up. I was thinking of Quebec Province. Substitute Montreal for Quebec!
How do you know which programs you can receive financial assistance from? Are these just programs that offer financial assistance in general? Interesting, I've done quite a bit of anti-money laundering work as well (I work in consulting), although I'm not certified as a specialist. The MSFS program at Georgetown is ranked #1 believe (ahead of Columbia and Tufts), and a very large percentage of their students are international students. I believe they also require knowledge of a foreign language to apply. Where did you get your undergraduate degree? UC's business school is highly respected and stands out to me as the top program you listed (but maybe that's because I currently work and live in Chicago). Can't really go wrong with any of those programs though, especially if you can get some of the costs covered with financial assistance.
No way. The Wharton MBA is hands down the best one. Its a straight ticket to work for Goldman Sachs or the other big IB's. If you are trying to gain entry to Wall Street, stick to the East Coast MBA programs. I don't think the OP's GPA will make the cut for any of the schools listed though. What is your GMAT, Mathloom?
Chicago and UPenn are top top schools for MBA's and Colombia isn't far behind, depending on what you want to branch out into. Would you like to stay in finance after your MBA or go into something like Strategic Management? Your work portfolio is pretty impressive and the undergrad GPA isn't going to kill you if you can put up a high GMAT score. Have you taken any practice GMATs?
Studying for GMAT right now. I'm thinking a good GMAT score may make the GPA less relevant? Man I don't know why GPA is so important. My performance at work has been way better, I'm just not a "textbook" kind of person. Anyways. Which of these are the easiest to get into? (if all else fails)
Since your work experience seems to be heavily business related, what type of work would you be trying to get into with an IR/policy degree?
It's UAE government financial assistance. If you get into one of these programs, they'll pay for 75%-100% of it. I wouldn't call myself an Anti Money Laundering specialist, I've just done the ACAMS. I think pretty much anyone can get that if they're willing to study for a month. Incredibly easy if you have general experience in the finance industry.
From what I've seen over the past 3 years working in consulting, most of these certifications are sort of a joke, especially the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). 75-100%?! Wow. Are you an actual citizen of the UAE??
Well, the financial assistance program is made for those who want to end up (later on) being government leaders in Dubai. That could be a multitude of things and, certainly, the experience I gather after I finish a masters program would be when I'd REALLY decide what I'd like to do.
What would you do with a master's in international relations or public policy that would benefit you in your career choice? I am just curious. I am thinking an MBA would be a good investment for you. Since you live overseas, the internal rankings of most schools likely won't do much for you. If you go to a big name school, one likely to be known back home in the Middle East where you live, then you should be OK. Texas seems pretty well known in the Middle East, so maybe you should consider UT or Texas A&M? Or any other school with "Texas" in the name should do :grin:
