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  • Query on Major on MBA Program
    From: gaurav.kapil  Jun 28, 2011 Posts 5

    Dear Wharton Student Team,

     

    I have one issue and would like your help for better decision making. I did my Engineering in 2003, worked for a year managing start ups, went for MBA (HR) from top 10 Indian B-School and since 2006 I'm working in HR Department in India's largest PSU.

    I have this indomitable urge to study more for HR profession and at the same time to come back in Corporate. Phd programs are primarily oriented towards making one a academician as well as they take 3-5 years, so they are not serving my purpose.

    I'm looking for specifically 3 things in my 2nd MBA (assuming Wharton accepts that)

    1) I want to study new & best in the field of HR intertwined with Finance & Economics especially in light of my work ex.

    2) I'm also more looking for highest level of interactions with people across countries.

    3) Opportunities for live HR/OB projects with different companies during the course itself.

     

    Please help.

     

    Regards

    Gaurav

  • Re: Query on Major on MBA Program
    From: victormlee  Jun 28, 2011 Posts 2,531
    In reply to

    Hi, Gaurav,

    For what exactly are you looking? I'm not exactly sure what specific questions you have.

    While it is possible for those already with one MBA to matriculate at Wharton, this is usually rare. One must have a particularly compelling reason to show why one needs a second MBA - especially if you are looking to continue in the same field of interest. Why would a second MBA be more productive than experiential learning and career training? Why wasn't the first MBA sufficient? etc.

    Based on the three comments that you have made, above, I would say that it does not seem that an MBA would necessarily be the most logical choice. I might recommend that you look into HR consulting opportunities. That would portentially give you a chance to interact with people from various different regions and countries, as well as to work with various different companies.

    I'm not sure how you intend to intersect the HR and Finance/Economics disciplines, but you may also want to look at the leading-edge publications in your field. 1) might be the most compelling reason to pursue an MBA, but you will need to do more work on this, as there are other non-MBA ways of achieving the same goal. 2) and 3) are too broad to be sufficient justifications for pursuing a second MBA, in my opinion.

    Hope this frank (if a bit blunt) feedback helps.

    -Victor

    WG '11

  • Re: Query on Major on MBA Program
    From: gaurav.kapil  Jun 28, 2011 Posts 5
    In reply to

    Hi Victor,

    Thanks for quick response. You are right in the sense that consulting work and journals are ways to fulfil what I'm looking for. And my first MBA itself has been best thing in my life.

    I went for a workshop some months back where I heard this phrase 'managers scholars', i.e. training managers to do research since managers are alawys sitting on wealth of data which academicians/ researchers usually don't have access to. HR as a function has to combine fundamentals of Eco, Finance, Ops, Marketing to do justice to its existence.

    To distill my thought process further I believe I want to come to Wharton for its entreprenuel spirit (could I be an entrepreneur?), to be globally mobile manager (networking/international students), and most importantly lot of things which didn't make sense during MBA will make more sense to me during this MBA. 

    What exactly I wanted to know by questions 1 and 3 is whether Wharton is known for its HR program, because I saw Organizational Effectiveness as strength over Harvard/Standford, but your placement data shows very few takers for it. Hope you can shed some more light on it.

     

    Regards

    Gaurav

  • Re: Query on Major on MBA Program
    From: victormlee  Jun 28, 2011 Posts 2,531
    In reply to

    Gaurav,

    We have some Organizational Behavior and HR experts at Wharton, including Professor Peter Cappelli (a great guy with whom I had the pleasure of taking one class).

    I would say that Wharton is not as well known for its Management - HR focus, and most of our graduates tend to opt for careers in different fields (especially in finance and consulting).

    However, that does not mean you cannot get a sound education in HR/OB at Wharton. Much of what Wharton offers is flexibility and a breadth of education. If your aim is to focus dominantly and almost exclusively on OB and HR questions, you may be indeed correct that Harvard and Stanford have programs better suited for your needs. Wharton, though, would likely especially well position you for balancing both OB/HR and other disciplines like Economics, Finance, Operations, and Marketing (the ones you mention, above).

    Hope this helps.

    -Victor

  • Re: Query on Major on MBA Program
    From: gaurav.kapil  Jun 28, 2011 Posts 5
    In reply to

    Thanks. Shall keep all this in mind. Thanks a lot.

    Gaurav

  • Re: Query on Major on MBA Program
    From: Fanaticalfan  Jun 28, 2011 Posts 1,159
    In reply to

    Placement data of course reflects the interests of the student body in aggregate, and shouldn't determine YOUR choices.The strength of the Wharton brand is such that most employers will at least look at your resume, after which it comes down to your fit with the organization.

    One area where HR and finance does intersesct is pensions and retirement income. Pensions policy is a mess in most countries around the world, as governments have stuck their heads in the sand rather than facing up to the demographic problems of increased longevity, and poorly understood allocation of risk between the government, the retiree and their (former?) employer. I know that Prof Olivia Mitchell at Wharton does some interesting work in this field.

    FF

  • Re: Query on Major on MBA Program
    From: gaurav.kapil  Jun 28, 2011 Posts 5
    In reply to

    Hi FF,

    My understanding with student choice is that if not many people are taking HR then, usually, college need not attract great faculty for those function, except 3-4. So whereas finance, consulting shall be having best of best, we in HR shall not be fortunate enough.

    And don't take it otherwise but HR has to not only understand Finance but have understanding of cash flow/costing otherwise HR budgting, Comp & Ben, ROI on recuitments and T&D shall never be upto the mark. HR analytics shall not deliver the value sought then.

    Anyways, thanks for answering.

     

    Gaurav

  • Re: Query on Major on MBA Program
    From: victormlee  Jun 28, 2011 Posts 2,531
    In reply to

    Well, Gaurav, at first glance your thought process seems sound and logical; for many schools that focus exclusively on teaching, you may be absolutely right. However, the reality is that, at a top research institution like Wharton, faculty are chosen also for their exceptional knowledge and expertise. Thus, Wharton is able to field faculty who are tops in almost all disciplines even if the MBA student body is not pursuing fields evenly across all those disciplines.

    While many - perhaps most - courses will be created to cater to students in particular, there other courses that some faculty simply wish to teach which are better suited for the few who do share their areas of interest (e.g. - HR/OB).

    Keep in mind, also, that the faculty teach not only MBAs, but also doctoral students who may have different areas of interest than most MBAs. There are OB/HR PhD students at Wharton and they need someone to teach them, right? There is no reason to believe that, with a little diligence and creativity, you could not also take courses with the same professors. This is certainly feasible through Independent Study Projects, at the very least.

    In short, your claim is generally applicable...just not necessarily to Wharton, specifically.

    Furthermore, note that there are no faculty who teach "consulting." There are faculty members who specialize in areas like Strategic Management which are more relevant to what most people think of as "consulting," but there is no "consulting" discipline per se. There is thus some degree of independence between the career objectives of most Wharton MBA graduates and the breadth of academia covered by Wharton faculty. 

    -Victor

  • Re: Query on Major on MBA Program
    From: gaurav.kapil  Jun 29, 2011 Posts 5
    In reply to

    Thanks Victor. I almost gave up on trying for Wharton.

    Gaurav

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