Hi everyone,

At what school ranking is an MBA not really worth investing in. Obviously a top 10-20 school is going to be putting you in good shape, but it seems like once you get to the 30+ range of schools that the "ROI" for the MBA degree isn't worth it, since if you just stayed at your job you would most likely be in the same pay bracket anyway, through promotions etc etc....any thoughts?

It really depends on the individual. There isn't a rule of thumb that applies to everybody. For others, it may not be worth going back to school at all, even if it were a top school.

Put it this way. Each person goes to b-school for different reasons. Some go strictly for more money and promotions within their pre-MBA industry. Others go to switch careers. And yet others go because they're young and bored. Some go as a sabbatical from their career, money/ROI be damned. Some go for ego reasons. Others go because they want some branding on their resume. It's different for every person.

Also, whether it's worth it also depends on the person's career and life situation -- some folks have very strong blue chip resumes, where branding isn't important. Others may already have a family, which makes the decision to go back full-time, part-time or not at all a more complicated one, let alone deciding what "tier" of school to target.

Again, you can't really generalize. What matters most to YOU is your own individual circumstance and situation - and what kind of MBA (if any) is worth it to YOU.

Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com

yeah, that is a good point, i guess i should have been more specefic...

in a situation such as myself, single, decent paying job, growth opportunity...maybe im just not ready to do an MBA quite yet even though ive been in the working world for roughly 4 years, it seems like the best time to go back and get the MBA is when you've reached that clieling in your professional career where you aren't learning anything new and growth has become stagnant...

would that be a good assumption?

Sure.

Again, it's very much an individual thing. Someone who has similar circumstances as you may feel it's worth it to go now, and yet others like you may think it's not worth it at all.

There isn't some clear cut answer. Every person does an MBA for their own reasons. As long as you can justify it to yourself and as long as you think it's worth it, it really doesn't matter what others do or think.

Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com