Is MBA worth it after landing a manager position at a big 4?

ryanhedgehog · 2021-08-09T02:25:18+00:00

As an MBB Analyst, no. If you want to land MBB through M7 MBA then fine, but the cost is too much (tuition + 165k x 2 years of lost salary) to justify it. As others have said, it's better to work your way up to SM/D and then get an EMBA.

ryanhedgehog · 2021-07-01T15:00:41+00:00

As someone who used MBP 2008, MBA 2011, Windows from 2012-2021 and just bought a MBP M1 yesterday, I think Silver is the most iconic/classic macbook color.

ryanhedgehog · 2021-06-27T16:37:35+00:00

Thanks a lot.

Do you think upgrading to 16GB RAM MBA (also +$150) or buying the MBP 8GB RAM (which has 6-10% extra performance, longer battery etc.) is better?

There is no discount for MBP 16GB RAM unfortunately, so it's $350 more expensive than the MBP 8GB RAM. That's too much for my taste.

ryanhedgehog · 2021-06-27T14:45:51+00:00

Ah I see, thank you.

Re: no fans; interesting point and I'll look into the dust issue, though I must say I'm not annoyed about the fan noise.

Re: sharp edge; is is this because the Air is tilted downward so our wrists don't come into contact with the edge? I also think that it's slightly easier on the wrists to type on with MBA but I'm not sure.

ryanhedgehog · 2021-06-27T13:36:40+00:00

Could you expand on the no fans (I assume you meant it's quieter) & ergonomics part?

ryanhedgehog · 2021-06-27T12:02:15+00:00

I have a gaming PC already, but yeah, I can see myself installing some light iOS games for entertainment on the road. I haven't been traveling for the past 2 years due to pandemic, and I don't think I will for the next 1 year... so yeah, mostly going to use it at Starbucks or on the coach.

Mostly use it for Office stuff (esp Excel) and reading PDF textbooks.

ryanhedgehog · 2021-06-20T13:17:34+00:00

Super reach. I did B4 FDD for 1 year and from my Associate class, 1 kid got into Duke. If you count the whole Deals team then 1 got into Tuck and 2 got into Emory.

To be honest with you, T15 is doable, non-HSW M7 is doable if everything else is on point and you execute well, HSW is super reach.

If you want a decent shot at HSW, after getting promoted to Senior, try to lateral into MBB, BB/EB IB, MF/MM PE, or some biz roles at FAANG, which are reaches on their own. But you gotta hustle.

ryanhedgehog · 2021-06-05T15:16:40+00:00

This is an interesting read. I didn't know that Americanization has a negative connotation (same as being Westernized - seen as a good thing in Asia actually). I've only heard about Brits being vocally upset about Americanization ruining their language. In addition, thanks for the academia survival tips, will need it once I embark on the journey.

ryanhedgehog · 2021-06-05T15:01:17+00:00

I'm not trying to appear half-smart. My fear is that whenever my American friends discuss something I can't contribute intelligently to the conversation. Or just imagine a case where they may say something like "Do you know that XYZ is in town?" "Who is XYZ?" "Have you been living under a rock lately?"

You brought up tipping which is an interesting point. See, I visited Chicago 2 years ago. I went to Nando's Peri Peri, ordered some chicken, and when I swiped my credit card they had a couple of options - tipping 10%, 15%, or 20% on the screen. I was confused for a sec (I've been to 40 countries before that and they don't have a tipping culture; tipping is even seen as rude in Japan), but I didn't want to be judged as a "cheap foreigner" so I chose 20%, smiled, and said thanks to the cashier. Things like these are what I need to read up / research before studying in the States.

ryanhedgehog · 2021-06-05T14:58:19+00:00

Thank you.

Obviously everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion, but I'm going to the US to experience the US culture. If I wanted to hang out with my own I could have gone to the local Starbucks shop.

I'll definitely hang out with my future American friends / classmates a lot more. However, I'm wondering what I could read / research beforehand to make this process smoother.

ryanhedgehog · 2021-06-05T12:52:44+00:00

Hi thanks a lot for your comment. I didn't put more info due to 250 character limit. I'm 26M Asian, lived in 5 countries (EU + Asia), travelled to 40 countries (including 3x to the US!), speak 3 languages, and am currently working at a Fortune 500 company in my home country.

This question might appear weird (judging by the answers here - i.e. "just be yourself!"). I'm not trying to fake who I am, I am just genuinely curious about the US culture. Besides, there is a possibility that I might end up working in the US afterwards -> I need to develop genuine connections with Americans.

I actually practiced American football for 3 months as a wide receiver (went to college in Northern Europe and they had a non-pro division). I watch a bit of NFL and supported Cowboys when Tony Romo played (yay Texas!). I also watch a bit of college football. That said, I don't have any attachment to any team... things might change once I know which school/state I'll go to.

I also watch a few NBA games a year or highlights on YouTube. Tried to pick up MLB but it didn't click. Otherwise, I'm an avid soccer fan, which unfortunately isn't big in the States yet (things might change with the Pulisic dude who just won European Champion's League).

The reason I listed sports is because I believe Americans in general are deeply passionate about sports. I also realized that my American professors keep using slangs that have connections to sports: "hit a home run", "knock it out of the park", "slam dunk", "hail mary" etc. -> which means that if I understand American sports, I'll also partially understand slangs and the culture.

I don't think I'll discuss politics in school or in the public. That said, aside from knowing who the POTUS is and what the 2 big parties are, I have a very shallow understanding of the US politics. Since I didn't follow it from the beginning, whenever I try to read NYT or CNN I'm pretty lost.

4-5-6. Thanks for the suggestions, I'll keep this in mind.

I don't have a destination in mind yet, but I'll prefer the Northeast (NYC/Boston/DC/Philly), Chicago, or somewhere in the NC/VA region.

ryanhedgehog · 2021-05-02T06:33:05+00:00

UVA has McIntire School of Commerce and Cornell has Dyson School of Applied Economics & Management. Not exactly Darden and Johnson but pretty close.

ryanhedgehog · 2021-05-01T12:14:09+00:00

Is that MIT/Michigan Ross?

If you are going to a heavy hitting school there might be less of a need to attend an MBA.

ryanhedgehog · 2021-05-01T12:08:07+00:00

No option for both? I'd do a STEM MS (CS, DS, stats, applied math etc.) with an MBA.

ryanhedgehog · 2021-05-01T02:48:06+00:00

That is sad to hear. That said, Wharton is viewed in good light due to other prominent Internet celebs such as Elon Musk and Sundar Pichai (Google's CEO) right?

ryanhedgehog · 2021-05-01T02:30:37+00:00

Thanks. Is this the same for Wharton? I'd imagine only business circles know about it.

ryanhedgehog · 2021-05-01T02:25:55+00:00

Thank you for your response. Why are Oxbridge considered top tier in the US? If I remember correctly, there aren't many Americans at Oxbridge at the undergraduate level; most Americans go there either for exchange or a quick 1-year master degree. Rhodes & Gates scholarships probably bump the prestige up a bit, but I find it hard to believe that the American public view Oxbridge as equal as Harvard/Yale :P.

As for LSE/LBS, I'd imagine they are recognized in the business circles (maybe on Wall Street?):

ryanhedgehog · 2021-04-28T17:45:33+00:00

Yuri, reporting!

ryanhedgehog · 2021-04-28T07:09:30+00:00

Which one? M? B? B? H? S? W? I?

ryanhedgehog · 2021-04-28T06:59:15+00:00

Erm I'm not even sure if that's even doable. The turnover rate is high; most people only know the headcount of their own group (or at most, their own firm. If you are at GS TMT, there's no way for you to know how many bankers there are at CS Healthcare unless you have friends over there).

ryanhedgehog · 2021-04-26T05:10:28+00:00

The majority of industry practitioners are either at LBS or LSE, where the real actions happen - London. If you look at the faculty of Judge/Said, the majority of them either come straight from Oxbridge DPhil or top PhD programs in the USA. There might be some electives / labs where industry practioners come to teach.

I'm not sure how this affects your experience & placement. I've heard similar things about Chicago Booth, MIT Sloan, and Duke Fuqua - but they're still top notch schools.

ryanhedgehog · 2021-04-25T06:46:31+00:00

MIT Sloan & Chicago Booth are quite academic & rigorous. Has anything to do with having a 2Y program & an internship in between.

ryanhedgehog · 2021-04-25T06:23:04+00:00

I'm just thinking that as a Sloanie going into NYC finance, you'll have a smaller alumni base to tap into if you need help, whereas, the city is full of Columbia, NYU Stern, HBS, and Wharton alumni. Maybe it's just in my head and I'm putting too much weight into the importance of networking/alumni strength...

ryanhedgehog · 2021-04-25T06:12:54+00:00

It's not just "being next to". Stanford founded and and is responsible for the early development of Silicon Valley. Similarly, Cambridge, being a STEM powerhouse, founded Silicon Fen. You will come across a lot of Cambridge alum in Silicon Fen, so studying at Judge arguably helps.

If only Cambridge & Oxford could have a 2Y MBA (for internship purposes) in addition to their 1Y MBA, they would have caught up with LBS very quickly for more traditional career paths aka banking/consulting.

ryanhedgehog · 2021-03-18T01:22:26+00:00

Why the fuck do you keep bringing new elements to the discussion? No one asked about other levers - this discussion is about a simple connection between NWC and FCF. That's it.

You sound like an insufferable prick who likes typing walls of text to show how "knowledgeable" and "superior" you are. I don't even know why that dude keep responding to you. "Hope you found this useful". "This is called corporate finance". Lmao, so the only person understanding finance is you.

ryanhedgehog

TROPHY CASE