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theprodigy101 · 04-16-2006, 11:50 PM

Yet another university-related question. Now I know a lot of us cringe at the thought of spending four years at university when instead we could be working on our independent ventures. However, I'm curious as to whether or not anyone is thinking about grad school and attaining an MBA possibly in entrepreneurship. I realize with the likes of Gates and Dell not even completing their undergraduate education, the thought of grad school seems like a complete waste. Nevertheless, just looking for opinions.

clegg · 04-17-2006, 12:13 AM

Dell and Gates are exceptions who were good enough to get into some of the top schools in the country. I don't like how people use them as an excuse to not go to college.
MBA is not about the education, it is about the connections you will build. Excell in undergrad, go to Harvard/MIT/Standord/Wharton/etc MBA program and you will graduate with a class of investment bankers and lawyers and future ceo's of Furtune 500's. Your alumni will have more connections than you can imagine. Then 15 years later when you need those connections for your business, you will be glad your former roommate is the partner at Wachtell or Latham or something.
Don't treat school as a waste of time, it is what you make of it. You can learn far more outside of class than in class. As long as you go to one of the top 30-40 schools in the country, and make the best of your experience, you will probably not regret it.
Are there some exceptions? Sure. But not as many as you might think.

/gets off the soapbox

-clegg

Edit: I realized this might come across as personal, I don't intend it to. This is not directed at you!

GriZzly · 04-17-2006, 02:26 AM

If you are doing your Bachelors then you might as well carry on and do your masters. Afterall the job market is fairly competitive and employers will be looking for anything to set you apart from the rest and a masters gets you well up the list. Now you are probably considering setting up your own business the moment you get your degree, but as a business studies student you should know that the failure rate for first time businesses is not in your favour. Having employment potential is something you can rely on in the event that your business fails and leaves you in a great deal of debt...something that a nicely paid job could help out with.

Elad · 04-17-2006, 02:55 AM

Life’s too short to be doing things that you are not really devoted to.

Don’t be fooled by those who say that you can’t be successful without any formal education. Some of the most successful people in the world never had a university degree.

Having said that, I have nothing against degrees… I am actually completing an MBA degree myself. What I am trying to say is that don’t go to university because it is the correct thing to do. Go to university because you think that you will enjoy it or if it’s vital for your career progress.

Elad
---------------------
www.rags-to-riches.com.au

(NEW SITE!!!! connecting young entrepreneurs in Australia)

akula · 04-17-2006, 03:57 AM

anyone fortunate enough to go to business school is less than smart for analysing the merits of this invaluable opportunity.

Bscivolette · 04-17-2006, 08:45 AM

I love school, I wish I had the time to go. I went to a local community college for 2.5 years and I was the highest ranking business student. I nailed every econ, business, law, and like classes and ended up teaching business law and business ethics as a TA. Too bad I couldn't pass calculus for the life of me.

I say if you feel the need to go, it's an unbeatable opportunity if you have the chance...just make sure you work on your business while your there.

demiGod031 · 04-17-2006, 11:20 AM

Bill Gates and some other people who did not get a formal education but succeeded are exception to the rule.

Don't compare yoursel to Bill Gates since he has already something in his mind that he know would become great in the future so he drooped out. Well, if you have something in your mind that could possibly become the next great thing, then not studying to pursue that something is not a bad idea. But if you have nothing, then I guess the right thing to do is to enrich your mind.

Go to the best business schools. Success will then follow.

Good luck!

GriZzly · 04-17-2006, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elad

Life’s too short to be doing things that you are not really devoted to.

Don’t be fooled by those who say that you can’t be successful without any formal education. Some of the most successful people in the world never had a university degree.

But there is a big difference between being successful and getting a job. If you are fortunate enough to be one of the 30% of first-time business owners who are successful then yes a university education is not essential to further your success. If you are one of the other 70% who will probably end up looking for a business related job then any decent firm will want prospective employees to have atleast a bachelors.

AnthonyT · 04-17-2006, 01:26 PM

Like others have said, don't consider people like Bill Gates and Michael Dell as reasons not to go to University. They are 2 out of 6 billion people....

In addition, I believe that on average those who go to University will become more successful than those who do not.

theprodigy101 · 04-17-2006, 01:57 PM

Oh I already know pretty much which grad school I want to attend and which program I want to complete. I'm just looking for the general consensus on going to b-school. I realize Gates and Dell are exceptions. Nonetheless they are extremely intelligent individuals. And yes, the MBA experience is highly valuable for the purposes of networking.

toptemp · 04-17-2006, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GriZzly

But there is a big difference between being successful and getting a job. If you are fortunate enough to be one of the 30% of first-time business owners who are successful then yes a university education is not essential to further your success. If you are one of the other 70% who will probably end up looking for a business related job then any decent firm will want prospective employees to have atleast a bachelors.

Mark Twain once said that there are three kind of liars: liars, damn liars, and statistics. I've never put much hype on statistics because anyone with reasonable intelligence and ability to face the facts will realize that there are numerous things that they can do to put the statistics in their favor.

With that, there are thousands/millions of potent opportunities out there. All you have to do it accumulate the necessary resources and execute effectively.

I don't know what I'm saying. In the end, if you don't know what you know and don't know if you can be successful with or without this or that, you do need to go to college. If you know you have the tools, abilities, and resources, there's no further question. Get out there and make things happen!