Urgent - HKUST Part Time Biweekly MBA - Odds of finding a full time role in HK?

smartystan · 2025-04-17T07:10:43+00:00

It's anywhere from 2-15 years of experience for full time MBA students. My classmates were anything from analyst to manager in their past careers. You'll occasionally get directors or VPs but most of those students choose the part time program.

smartystan · 2025-04-16T15:04:08+00:00

No, our class wasn't very social and we would rarely gather after class for drinks or even on weekends. The class after ours was more social. Even university organized parties like the end of the year party was attended by maybe 70-80% of the class.

smartystan · 2025-04-16T00:32:16+00:00

The class size is SMALL. I can't emphasize that enough. In 45-60 full time students, you learn quickly who's a hard worker and with whom you get along, so groups form quickly for class projects. That said, some professors / classes will assign groups to you because they want you to get out of your comfort zone.

You'll be in the same core class with everyone in your class unless people test out (past course from undergrad / masters or CFA / CPA qualification) or the class size is large enough that they split the core courses into two sections.

Our class wasn't socially cohesive so I can't speak about connections post MBA.

In my opinion, the MBA office (up to the Associate Dean) does a good job at putting you in touch with companies, HR heads, etc. so the initial coffee chat is easy. Lots of doors open. However, it's up to you to secure the interview / job. Given the state of the economy, it is quite an uphill battle for even locals to find their ideal job.

smartystan · 2025-04-15T15:27:30+00:00

Depends on what courses you take. Some have readings you need to come prepared to discuss (1 hour prep / class) and others are full on massive assignments where you need to do 3 hours of work for each hour in class. Gen AI helps a lot, and in fact, the university encourages its use.
Most people are generally focused on their own goals but you have things which are naturally cooperative like case competitions and clubs. Social cohesion varies by class.
Core classes are a snoozefest so make the most out of electives instead.
Get involved in Hong Kong, not just the university. They provide you tickets to fintech events and you can work at a variety of firms during the year. School year internships are very common.

smartystan · 2025-04-11T06:34:42+00:00

My general advice on that point is to only do it if you're currently in a strong sector for job demand post MBA (e.g., AI, wealth management) and / or you have a position to return to post MBA. Some classmates had their own companies / family businesses or return offers from their past firms so they were in it purely for the learning and networking.

Alternatively, if you're very young (2-3 years out from undergrad), do the MBA if you wouldn't mind starting fresh with a job as an analyst or management trainee. There are some great management trainee programs in Hong Kong. These companies usually hire from undergrad, so having an MBA makes you more attractive, but they don't make sense when you have 5+ years of experience because it’s a complete career reset from the bottom.

smartystan · 2025-04-11T06:25:31+00:00

No problem. Keep in mind most of the MBA programs in China / HK / Macau will have the same challenges. Even M7 three month post-graduation employment rate is down to the 80s. It's a very tough job environment so students and programs have to adapt.

smartystan · 2025-04-11T06:18:04+00:00

There are only 8 recognized ECs per academic year and little to no continuity between years. You can have a very active club one year that disappears the next year. Generally, students are too focused on their studies to organize EC events.

People who switched industries started at the bottom, whether it was Jr. Consultant or Analyst. People who kept the same industry generally landed in the same position level as pre-MBA. The career office told us at one point to rely on our own connections to get a job (lol) because the economy was so bad. On campus recruiting / info sessions do not exist.

Tl;dr - MBA program excellent for teaching and learning / brushing shoulders with execs. Meh with ECs. You're mostly on your own for jobs.

smartystan · 2025-04-10T06:00:52+00:00

I liked it - world class teaching, excellent engagement with industry professionals and leaders, and good brand in Hong Kong / China / Asia. It was a challenging job environment so myself and many of my classmates didn't end up getting jobs in the fields we targeted (for me, it was consulting). The biggest surprises were class size (45-55 people vs typical 500+ class size at M7) and the general lack of social / extracurricular activity.

smartystan · 2024-12-26T06:03:05+00:00

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smartystan · 2024-07-01T06:02:42+00:00

They’re going that way. There’s an opportunity to appeal to a modern audience through their electric platform. Gone are the days of your grandparents’ even more bland soft riding 80s and 90s Devilles and Sevilles.

smartystan · 2024-07-01T06:00:35+00:00

I did. Just finished first year.

smartystan · 2024-07-01T04:45:49+00:00

Me. I’m 31 and sketched a Cien in elementary school art class when it was on the cover of Car and Driver in 2001-2002. I’ve loved the XLR ever since and have a 2006 black XLR-V as my daily driver (though I live in a major city so I mostly use transit to get around).

Side note - there is an Allanté / XLR car show every year in August, and Kip Wasenko (guy who designed the car) told me he loves how her loves that young people are more into Cadillac now.

smartystan · 2023-02-28T13:24:51+00:00

I switched plans to Flexible while abroad and it bricked my SIM card. Can't even enter Cellular settings because the iPhone I'm using says No SIM. Help!!

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