Does anyone know how often application essays change, specifically H/S/W? I'm also looking at Booth, Northwestern, and Colombia.

Just do a Google search and you can easily find each school's essays for the past few years. I just did that and found that they're probably 80% the same from year to year.

Regardless of school and how often they change their essays, there are certain points that you would always need to address in one way or another: short-term goals, long-term goals, how MBA would help you achieve these goals and a leadership example. So you can always start by writing these...

It will definitely help to begin the basic frameworks early. However, be careful not to cut and paste your essay content. You will still need to tailor your essays for each specific program.

I make decent money for someone with just a B.A. and I know that if I lose my job I will only command half of what I am currently making. As a hedge, I am thinking about an MBA (from an executive program, where the students are older). My choices are:

Columbia University: Tuition is $140K and it includes all books, fees & lodging for the mandatory in-residence sessions. Classes meet every other Fri and Saturday (all-day).

University of Chicago: Meets a total of 16-times. Each session lasts from Monday through Saturday, 8:30-6:00. 13 classes are in London, 2 in Chicago and 1 in Singapore.

Tuition is approx. $97K plus hotel for over 100 days and airfare...basically close to 130K.

Rodee,

In order to better answer your question, some basics are required. Where do you live? What do you do? What level are you at in your firm? What is your desired career path? Have you taken the GMAT? Can you afford to self-finance the program? Will your firm sponsor you (they must commit to you making all class sessions for the duration of the program)?

Itcbbb, my MBA will be self-financed. I spoke with my supervisor about my plans and he will allow me to take-off the required days (half will be unpaid). I will be vague in my job description to protect my identity: I work for a state agency that has been on the news lately for overspending (we manage airports, ports, bridges, etc). Considering that I only have a B.A. and I supervise blue-collar workers, I make good money (close to 150K) thanks to our unions. We had a good run but I realize that it will end soon (bec. of politics/public pressure). Obviously, the above is not how I will write-up my job description; in the end, I am still a manager that oversees a large staff/budget and my essays show that. Should I lose my job, I'd be lucky to get a 75K job doing facility management. My GPA/GMAT are in-line with the Columbia/Chicago EMBA median.

Rodee,

Thanks for the info. To cut to the chase, the answer to your question is "it depends." The actual cost of your degree will be well in excess of the 130-140 K you cited earlier. The associated interest costs on your loans, "social" money spent in the program, and fluctuating costs associated with travel could make the degree cost well in excess of 200K. For example, if you pay cash for everything but 100K of the cost and take out a loan at 8% interest for 10 years (a standard term for a student loan) the total cost of the loan will be almost 146K with monthly payments of approximately $1213. Add in another 50K in cash and you are spending some serious dough. Depending on your financial circumstances, you may be unable to service the debt. If you are making 150K now and have a life (car payment, rent/mortgage, etc.) making payments of $1213 on top of your other costs might crush you. At a minimum, it will most likely negate your ability to place money into your 401K for a long time. Then again, only you know how much debt you can safely handle.

The odds of obtaining another general management role that will make well in excess of what you currently are making are not high. The degree alone will be insufficient. Unless you have an exceptional track record, serious contacts, or a highly desirable skill (e.g., proven finance capabilities, quant background, or specialized expertise that can be leveraged in a consulting role) the odds of seriously increasing your pay in a down economy are suspect. General management roles can easily be filled with tons of people who possess in depth industry-specific experience.

If you can do a program in NYC, you might want to look at the NYU part-time program. The cost will still run around 100K. But, you'll be able to come out with a lot less debt and will still have top-caliber pedigree and alumni contacts. Regardless of what you choose, the process will be very expensive and you may never see a full return on your investment. Only you can honestly assess what kind of roles you believe you can obtain in the future. What are your contacts like and what levels do they occupy in the private sector?

If you want to stay in government, getting a degree from a good regional school will prove just as beneficial and may help catapult you into the SES ranks. Furthermore, the debt will be manageable. Government does not care about pedigree to the same extent that some portions of the private sector do. Not to say it can't help, it just isn't required.

What would you like to do outside of government? Once you know the desired objective, take a look at people in that field to see where they obtained their MBAs (if they have them at all). Many times, a Columbia or UC type degree is not required for entry into the executive ranks. But, if you can afford the best have the best!

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The end of module one has led me take a few days off from school to celebrate and to reflect on my EMBA experience to date. The realization that the technology industry is as much about business as is it about tools and systems is what led me to Loyola's EMBA program. And one of my goals in pursuing a MBA is to compliment my experiential learning with a solid academic foundation in leadership and business fundamentals.

Looking back on the past ten weeks of study, I see that I'm well on my way to getting all that I hoped for. Just as valuable as the amazing amount of learning that has taken place - I am in a diverse and challenging cohort of accomplished professionals. Getting outside my industry and being in a class with lawyers, entrepreneurs, publishers, real estate developers, marines, engineers and educators creates rich dialog and broadens the learning. As I look back on module one, I am delighted with how far I've come and also realize just how much more I can learn.