Discussion with MBA Grad: Part-Time Haskayne MBA

During the discussion I had with the individual who took his MBA part-time at Bath University he mentioned he worked with another MBA graduate that I might want to talk with. The individual in question had taken an MBA part-time at the Haskayne School of Business (University of Calgary) while working full-time.

I was given a phone number for his office and called the guy up after working late the same day I had met with the guy from Bath University. He answered and we had a good conversation about the program he went through and the MBA.

His company had paid for the program since he continued to work full time while taking the part time MBA. Since he was working and living in the same city as the school there was no need to video-conference, which did make it easier. He said it was tough to balance work, school and family. Almost too tough, but he would do it again and was happy with the results.

There is one comment that really got to me though. He said, "I have a two year old daughter and I'm only getting to know her now." Ouch. I could tell from his voice that this hurt him a lot.

This discussion has made it clear I should probably take an MBA before I have a family or not at all.

Other MBA Grads I had discussions with:

• Queen's Full-Time MBAst
• Queen's Part-Time EMBA
• Ivey Full-Time MBA
• Bath Full-Time MBA
• Haskayne Part-Time MBA
• University of Alberta Full-Time MBA

Discussion with MBA Grad: Part-Time Bath MBA

A coworker heard I was considering an MBA and she mentioned her husband had one. I asked if he would be willing to meet to discuss it and she put me in contact with him. We scheduled a meeting at a local Tim Horton's coffee shop on a day he would be in the neighbourhood on business.

This is a fairly unique scenario as the couple in question had immigrated to Canada from the United Kingdom. He had taken his MBA part-time at Bath University. Bath MBA. His employer, a British telecoms company, has sponsored the whole thing! He was very happy about his entire experience and would do it again. Some regrets were expressed about doing the program while having a young family, but he said it was all definitely worth it.

The amazing part I found quite interesting was they originally moved to Canada after he had been hired by a very large Canadian telecoms company. Shortly after hiring him the telecoms company got into serious trouble, was laying people off, and downsizing like mad. This went on for a few years as they dot-com bust occurred.

You would think that he got laid-off or demoted or took a pay cut, but no! He was actually promoted and given successive raises because of the results he was able to produce. He was quick to point out that he was able to do this because of a combination of the education he had received during his MBA and his work experience.

I don't know if many people in Canada can find companies that would sponsor their MBA, but I would sure like to find one. It would make the prospect of working full time while going to school almost likable.

Other MBA Grads I had discussions with:

• Queen's Full-Time MBAst
• Queen's Part-Time EMBA
• Ivey Full-Time MBA
• Bath Full-Time MBA
• Haskayne Part-Time MBA
• University of Alberta Full-Time MBA

Meeting with Ivey: 1st Class On The Road

Today I attended the "1st Class on the Road" put on by Ivey. They have a professor travel to different cities and meet with perspective students. The professor discusses the MBA program, but also hands out a sample case study, which they work through with those in attendance to help give an idea of what the teaching style as Ivey is like. All you have to do is sign-up, which I did a few weeks ago.

I am very seriously considering Ivey since they did so well in the latest rankings. They also have a really good reputation. I was pretty set on Queen's, but after taking a closer look I'm back on the fence. I don't know who to pick now as both Queen's and Ivey are strong schools.

It was very interesting and definitely helped me get a better feel for the case-based teaching style of Ivey. There was a member of the recent alumni present who also answered questions. The event was held in a conference room of a hotel in downtown Calgary after work hours.

I won't get into the details, but I think if you are considering an MBA it is worth going to one of these just to get a feel for the case-based teaching style offered by many schools. It definitely isn't the same as visiting a school and sitting in on a class, but sometimes travelling to every school isn't feasible. This event comes to your town and you show up.

The extensive alumni network of Ivey was continuously pointed out. I know that is good thing, but there is more to a program than the number of people that went through in the past. I'm more concerned why Queen's beat these guys in the rankings. Also, being the oldest MBA program in Canada, as well as one of the older ones in North America, means you are going to have a larger alumni network.

I'm sure alumni are going to consider other alumni for positions that become available in certain organizations and in those cases you would be wise to select your school based on where everyone else has gone. The alumni that was there was from Deloitte and Touche. After looking at the ranks of management they had posted on their website I found one person who had taken their MBA at a school other than Ivey. If you want to work for these guys you have to go to Ivey.

I was a little concerned about the emphasis the professor made concerning how grades are awarded. He was very certain we knew that grades were heavily influenced by class participation and by that he meant time each student was able to occupy during group discussions of case studies. I think this approach could hurt the quality of a program since students are more likely to just say anything to get "airtime" for their grade as opposed to say only what needs to be said.

There was something about the personality of the Ivey staff and alumni present that I didn't quite like. Can't quite put my finger on it, but I didn't like it. That "gut feeling", my concerns about "airtime", and the fact that there are schools rank ahead of them may have moved them to my second choice. Going to have to do more research.

(Update: checkout what a Queen's 2010 candidate found when visiting Ivey)