I am new to this board so forgive me if an issue like mine has been discussed before or if the issue is not on the right forum.
I immigrated to the US February 2009. While in my home country Kenya I worked for over 2 years in development work and rose through the ranks from an intern to a project officer by the time i left. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from a college back at home

I have not succeded a profesional job in the USA and has just being doing menial jobs. I am considering taking an MBA from a recognized but not a top 50 school. My reasoning is that this will help me break into the US professional scene and even though i wont be earning the six figures top mba us citizens earn i aim for may be about 60000. I would ideally prefer working for a company that does business in Africa with the hope of being posted there after some time time.

Alternatively I can specialise in entrepreneurship and go back to the non profit world to promote small business in Africa. I love my home continent and would like to contribute to its growth.
Am i being over ambitious or do have a shot at the US business in the US business scene given my background in non profit in Africa? Thanks and sorry for the long post

Well, for one thing, it sounds like you have a pretty unique profile, which is a good thing when it comes to applying for schools. And with a BA and two years of experience, you're well on your way.

The only other piece of the puzzle is your GMAT score. Do you have an indication of where you might score?

If you're able to score just above 600, you can probably consider some second tier schools. Check these programs out to see if they interest you:

Babson - Olin
University of Connecticut
Michigan State
George Washington

If you're able to score 650-700, then I think you'd be looking at some top tier schools, which is a whole other ballgame.

Hi,

It sounds like you've got a pretty international profile already but it's important not to restrict yourself globally when you're looking to commit to an MBA. Most MBA students are studying out side of their home country and it might be worth looking at more countries than the USA to study?

Have you considered Europe? There are lots of top European Business Schools that get overlooked, like Rotterdam School of Management (RSM)?

Hope that helps.

i have a degree in Accounting in Africa, my dream is to oneday be able to work for an international organization after my schooling. i have been in the USA for over 3yrs now i want to do an MBA program but i have heard alot of people say MBA programs are best when u are lucky to get into one of the best schools in the country. my concern is i have gotten accepted to this Business school which is not very well known but i want to go in for a dual program an MBA and a CPA. with this i think no matter the school it will help me be competitive in the business world. can somebody tell me whether what im aiming for is good or i should wait take time go in for the GMAT and start all over again looking for a top business school .?

It depends on your age...

man , i just turned 27, but my intention is to get and MBA and A CPA by 30 or 31.

Take your GMAT then. If i'm not wrong, 26 - 28 is the sweet spot for MBA applications. You can afford to wait 1 year. Go for it, and good luck.

Better to spend a year taking your GMAT and applying for the best than doing the MBA at a school that doesn't have the capability to give your the career that you seek, you might have a lifetime of regret.

To put the 1 year delay into perspective, you'll probably die at 75, so, 1 year isn't that much ;)

Thanks fishball for your advice but guess what im not only going in for an MBA program rememer, im going in too for a CPA beside MBA , so do u really think at the end of the day when i have my certification will it really matter which school i went to?

Immediately after graduation - 2 years : Yes it matters
5 - 10 years: It matters less
10 - 15 years: Hardly matters unless you're big on alumni events
At your deathbed... :Nobody really cares

:)

It goes matter where you go when you graduate - depending on what you want (ambitions and goals). You're hardly ever going to be able to get into McKinsey coming out of NUS, but you'll have a much better chance coming out of Harvard.

But if you're an asshole before your MBA, it doesn't matter where you do it :P

thanks ,but let me ask u something do u have an MBA? Or u ARE STILL PLANNING TO get it, BC the truth is there are some schools that no matter what one cant get in to unless other wise. and still from the economic crisis can u believe that there where some havard graduates with out jobs. so actually at times it does not matter where u came from but how far u can go {with what u can do with your talents)

I'll be entering the Class of 2012. But I have friends in top 10 schools who would happily say the same thing.

Your talents may be able to bring you far, but sometimes it's the brand that gets your foot into the door. It really depends from case to case, but truth be told, I would rather be an unemployed HBS grad than an unemployed NUS grad.

If you say that it doesn't matter where you come from, then, that's an opinion that tens of thousands of applicants to top schools would disagree with you on ;)

However, having said that, why don't you look at it this way - do an MBA at a school that will let you achieve your ambitions. If University of Phoenix Online lets you achieve XYZ, then do it. If NUS lets you achieve it, then go there. If Stanford lets you achieve, then, you know the drill.

The other factor is cost. Although I'd agree that a Harvard degree is probably more prestigious than one from NUS, it's also a piece of paper that costs about $100,000 more. Honestly, in many places around the world (not just the U.S.) the NUS degree would be just as valuable as one from HBS and much, much cheaper.

I'll be entering the Class of 2012. But I have friends in top 10 schools who would happily say the same thing.

Your talents may be able to bring you far, but sometimes it's the brand that gets your foot into the door. It really depends from case to case, but truth be told, I would rather be an unemployed HBS grad than an unemployed NUS grad.

If you say that it doesn't matter where you come from, then, that's an opinion that tens of thousands of applicants to top schools would disagree with you on ;)

However, having said that, why don't you look at it this way - do an MBA at a school that will let you achieve your ambitions. If University of Phoenix Online lets you achieve XYZ, then do it. If NUS lets you achieve it, then go there. If Stanford lets you achieve, then, you know the drill.

thanks ralph. i think you got the point here. bc what i know is that in the US most programs are extremely expensive . so cost is a drilling factor for me beside having the certificate. thats why i still strongly think i will persue my MBA/CPA in this school hoping that i will beable to get a job after school.

Thanks Ralph and Magnet. I finally did the Gmat and got 650 higher than the 550 i expected. I was targeting Georgia State University but now think I have a shot at Georgia Tech and University of GA both ranked higher than Georgia State the problem is these colleges application deadlines for Fall 2010 have passed now am thinking about applying early for Fall 2011 for both these schools and applying for Spring 2011 for Georgia state.
Is it wise to wait another year for a better school by the way UGA is even more affordable than GSU but is tougher to get into their gmat average for current class is 667. I prefer GA colleges coz of instate tuition

Wel done, 650 is a very respectable GMAT score, good luck with you're applications.

MBA schools are only worth it if you get into a top program. Second-rate schools can be a waste of money, especially overseas. In the USA, sometimes a second tier program can nevertheless be very strong regionally and if you want to work in a certain region of the country then a second tier program can offer good career prospects.

I made the unfortunate decision to attend the RSM MBA program. Don't make the same mistake. They misrepresented the whole program. The top professors didn't teach on the MBA program, a quarter of the class could not speak English, recruiters from top firms did not actively recruit on campus, and many students in my MBA class struggled to find jobs and some are still unemployed.
My advice is to stick with a US MBA program.

thanks for your concern.i have taken in consideration all your advice. my objective is to end up as a CPA, i do not know whether you have any idea about it. it is a professional license, so i do not reality think at the end of the day the school really matters. in any case the end results really matters.

thanks for your concern.i have taken in consideration all your advice. my objective is to end up as a CPA, i do not know whether you have any idea about it. it is a professional license, so i do not reality think at the end of the day the school really matters. in any case the end results really matters.

thanks ralph for your advice. i am going to Keller because first i factor out proximity, so i was considering between the university of pheonix or keller, for keller the have the MBA/CPA program that is while i want to go there.

Hi mbanow am just curious from ur colege choices we seem to be in the same state ie GA . My question is why do you prefer private colleges while there are alot of good public colleges in GA just curious because compared to others GA public colleges are very cheap for example GAtech MBA ranked in the top 30 is 40000 while UGA top 50 28000 and GSU 28000 there are other schools like good schools l;ike Georgia southern and a private one Clark Atlanta 40000 this is one of the best black colleges in the US and the graduates have good networking opportunities