bmuprhy

I think what is confusing is that you have people from economics in the field, then there are people such as Davis who apparently started in computational biology? and computation theory?!

Hi rsaylors, Undergrad was at Berkeley in Linguistics. I graduated with a 3.98 I then made the horrible mistake of going to Columbia for a year and a half to study math/econ. It was a cash cow post bac program that promised housing, but left me homeless for the first several months. I was also hit by a car (this was in part due to lack of housing). My overall gpa there fell to 3.3. I worked at Penn for a year and took classes part time there, got a 4.0 in math. I've always wanted to teach business school; my original thought was to teach finance. I realized after my experience at Columbia that I am not intuitively mathematical to the extent that finance phd's are. I also felt it was very narrow. Having decided to not pursue finance, I raised VC capital and started a company. The product was badly received and the company went under. However, I developed a lasting love for strategy and entrepreneurship, as I became obsessed reading it while launching my company. I understand that academic literature is different; I've been reading a lot in SMJ and SEJ. I really like Eisenhardt, Davis and a lot of the sociological work coming out of Stanford. Being a working adult, I'm kind at a loss as to how to get the letters, research project and coursework I need to be competitive. I've thought about getting a job in IT at a university, taking some classes and maybe doing some research with a professor. I have the option of returning to Penn and doing interdisciplinary masters (if I can get employment again at UPenn, for example). I'm not sure that would help. I'd appreciate any advice!

Hi all, As some of you have probably read elsewhere, I'm 30 and am looking to pursue a phd in strategy. It's been years since my undergrad, I have no LORs and my degree is in Linguistics. I'm in a masters in computer science and am wondering how to prepare for strategy. I have some mediocre math coursework from Columbia (up to linear algebra) that was years ago. I would have pursued this earlier, but my dad passed away and there were a couple of years of crisis mode as he left a lot of debt. I'm wondering what the best way to prepare for Strategy and be a competitive applicant would be. I'm concerned that at 30, I will be too old to be competitive--particularly if I take time to do another program, etc. a) am I already too old? b) I assume I need a masters of some kind, given that I haven't been in school for so long. Thanks!

Hi, I'm continuing to refine my research and think about it. I was thinking of doing a masters in operations research as a way to prepare for a phd in strategy. Do you think that would be well regarded by admissions committees?

Where is the home country?

Do you think the hollowing out of the MBA market will continue? In other words, mid to low tier schools will see enrollment declines as they have? What Is the Future of MBA Education? — HBS Working Knowledge. My concern is that over the next 5-10 years, there will be a hollowing out--where you have elite institutions and everyone else is struggling. That could really restrict the Phd job market. I really want to pursue this but I get a bit concerned about the future of the job market...because of 3 forces 1) Online learning 2) Decline of the value of the MBA->hollowing out of the middle range in the US market 3) Decline of finance and consulting market, primary consumers of the MBA All leading to a severe reduction in demand for Business phds.. Are these concerns valid or do you think overblown?

Hi, I'm wondering what people think about Moocs and the future demand for business school faculty? Do you think that demand for faculty will decrease? I've posted other things about the future of the MBA (given the decline of finance and consulting). But I'm curious as to how people think these two trends are going to impact future demand for business phds?

Hi, I've been all other the map before, but lately I've really narrowed my interests to Strategy, particularly as it relates to product development. I'd like to teach strategy and product development in a business school but preferably an Engineering school. I would love to be associated with an Entrepreneurship center of some kind, preferably linked to an Engineering school. SVTP is a great model and I really love the work they do. I know I've talked about other disciplines, particularly accounting. But I've been reading the literature in SMJ and SEJ and this is definitely it for me. I'm obviously concerned about the future of the MBA and a future decline in demand for Phd's in strategy. But I'm so interested in this stuff that it's honestly just worth it. My BA is in linguistics, with some mediocre math from Columbia. It's been years since I've been in school and I'm 30. I'd like to find a masters degree I could do to prepare for a Phd in strategy. I'm considering: MS in Applied Mathematics MS in Statistics MS in Computer Science (what I'm currently in), quantitative and with an emphasis in machine learning MS in Computer Science from a better school in Machine learning MS in Sociology (I know people do sociology in these programs, but it seems like something you could learn in the Phd). What would be the best the approach for me? Ideally, I'd like to do something that makes me able to relate to engineers and product development. Thanks!

Sorry for the multiple posts, I'm not sure what happened.

Hi all, I really do appreciate everyone's answers. To be perfectly honest, I do like strategic management quite a bit. I was trying to find a connection to accounting from it because I know that accounting phds are in greater demand. I read through some papers on performance management and found one in particular I really enjoyed: Chang, Hsihui , Banker, R. and Feroz, E . “Performance Measurement in Not-for-Profit Governance: An Empirical Study of the Minnesota Independent School Districts” ANNALS OF OPERATIONS RESEARCH. So this is really a great paper (imho) and a great contribution. I think this kind of stuff is so important because we often hear the argument that government is wasteful/lacks accountability and reducing taxes reduces money for government to waste, therefore eliminate reduce taxes and reduce essential services/public goods. I think this is leading to highly inefficient outcomes and wonder if the field of performance measurement could really help that by providing a framework for measuring outcomes against cost in a way that is separate from market economics. Having said that, my interests historically have been looking at technology/software and how companies innovate and their strategies in the marketplace with that innovation. I raised capital and started a company, so entrepreneurship is something I understand at an intuitive level. That is really what motivated me to be a programmer. My concern about pursuing this is that I see the MBA as a degree of decreasing value and notice that the bulk of management faculty can only really teach in that area. If I pursue a degree in management and MBA enrollment tanks, I could find myself unemployable in any other context and unable to find a TT job. There is a shortage right now, but that is after a massive expansion of MBA programs. Given the US economy losing its privileged position in the world, the primary job outlets for MBAs (consulting and finance) are going to shrink. That is going to create a much smaller market for Management phds and create a red ocean situation where only the very, very gifted and chosen get their foot in the door. Damodaran wrote a blog entry about this a while back: Musings on Markets: The future of the MBA. The creation of all of these MS in accounting programs and the more extensive CPA requirements, coupled with a shortage of accounting phds, make it a discipline that seems to have a much stronger future. Having said that, strategic management of technology/innovation is seriously awesome. Sonali Shah's paper Innovation, Social Structure and the Emergence of New Industries is seriously awesome, for example. Sorry for the rambling answer, but hopefully that gives a better context for the advice.

Hi all, I really do appreciate everyone's answers. To be perfectly honest, I do like strategic management quite a bit. I was trying to find a connection to accounting from it because I know that accounting phds are in greater demand. I read through some papers on performance management and found one in particular I really enjoyed: Chang, Hsihui , Banker, R. and Feroz, E . “Performance Measurement in Not-for-Profit Governance: An Empirical Study of the Minnesota Independent School Districts” ANNALS OF OPERATIONS RESEARCH. So this is really a great paper (imho) and a great contribution. I think this kind of stuff is so important because we often hear the argument that government is wasteful/lacks accountability and reducing taxes reduces money for government to waste, therefore eliminate reduce taxes and reduce essential services/public goods. I think this is leading to highly inefficient outcomes and wonder if the field of performance measurement could really help that by providing a framework for measuring outcomes against cost in a way that is separate from market economics. Having said that, my interests historically have been looking at technology/software and how companies innovate and their strategies in the marketplace with that innovation. I raised capital and started a company, so entrepreneurship is something I understand at an intuitive level. That is really what motivated me to be a programmer. My concern about pursuing this is that I see the MBA as a degree of decreasing value and notice that the bulk of management faculty can only really teach in that area. If I pursue a degree in management and MBA enrollment tanks, I could find myself unemployable in any other context and unable to find a TT job. There is a shortage right now, but that is after a massive expansion of MBA programs. Given the US economy losing its privileged position in the world, the primary job outlets for MBAs (consulting and finance) are going to shrink. That is going to create a much smaller market for Management phds and create a red ocean situation where only the very, very gifted and chosen get their foot in the door. Damodaran wrote a blog entry about this a while back: Musings on Markets: The future of the MBA. The creation of all of these MS in accounting programs the CPA exams new requirements, coupled with a shortage of accounting phds, make it a discipline that seems to have a much stronger future. Having said that, strategic management of technology/innovation is seriously awesome. Sonali Shah's paper Innovation, Social Structure and the Emergence of New Industries is seriously awesome, for example. Sorry for the rambling answer, but hopefully that gives a better context for the advice. Hi all, I really do appreciate everyone's answers. To be perfectly honest, I do like strategic management quite a bit. I was trying to find a connection to accounting from it because I know that accounting phds are in greater demand. I read through some papers on performance management and found one in particular I really enjoyed: Chang, Hsihui , Banker, R. and Feroz, E . “Performance Measurement in Not-for-Profit Governance: An Empirical Study of the Minnesota Independent School Districts” ANNALS OF OPERATIONS RESEARCH. So this is really a great paper (imho) and a great contribution. I think this kind of stuff is so important because we often hear the argument that government is wasteful/lacks accountability and reducing taxes reduces money for government to waste, therefore eliminate reduce taxes and reduce essential services/public goods. I think this is leading to highly inefficient outcomes and wonder if the field of performance measurement could really help that by providing a framework for measuring outcomes against cost in a way that is separate from market economics. Having said that, my interests historically have been looking at technology/software and how companies innovate and their strategies in the marketplace with that innovation. I raised capital and started a company, so entrepreneurship is something I understand at an intuitive level. That is really what motivated me to be a programmer. My concern about pursuing this is that I see the MBA as a degree of decreasing value and notice that the bulk of management faculty can only really teach in that area. If I pursue a degree in management and MBA enrollment tanks, I could find myself unemployable in any other context and unable to find a TT job. There is a shortage right now, but that is after a massive expansion of MBA programs. Given the US economy losing its privileged position in the world, the primary job outlets for MBAs (consulting and finance) are going to shrink. That is going to create a much smaller market for Management phds and create a red ocean situation where only the very, very gifted and chosen get their foot in the door. Damodaran wrote a blog entry about this a while back: Musings on Markets: The future of the MBA. The creation of all of these MS in accounting programs the CPA exams new requirements, coupled with a shortage of accounting phds, make it a discipline that seems to have a much stronger future. Having said that, strategic management of technology/innovation is seriously awesome. Sonali Shah's paper Innovation, Social Structure and the Emergence of New Industries is seriously awesome, for example. Sorry for the rambling answer, but hopefully that gives a better context for the advice.

Hi all, I appreciate the answers. I'm a bit shocked to find out that business schools discriminate based on age. It makes sense when you think about productive research years, etc. I just don't know what to do about the age thing. I can't make my father not die, not have a probate mess, etc. For me to try and have studied during that several year crisis would have just produced inferior results. I personally found the great crash very disruptive as well, in terms of figuring out what to do. For those of us without wealthy parents, it has been a difficult environment to navigate and I've been trying my best to put out fires. Now I'm on the cusp of being too old...it just sucks. I went to computer science because I have been a programmer several years and wanted to study what I do for a living. It's also somewhat related to linguistics (there's a whole aspect of artificial intelligence/syntax that intersects). I realize that performance measurement is a pretty narrow subfield of accounting...I don't have a lot of other interests in it, to be honest. It's hard to gain visibility into accounting research without a background in it. Perhaps the solution is to connect computer science to management in some way? I'm not sure what that would look like...

Hi All, I'm working a software engineer. My company is paying for a graduate program in computer science. I'm doing quite well in the Cs program. Several years ago, I took coursework at Columbia University for a couple of years part time in math and statistics and didn't do very well because I didn't have housing/hit by a car, etc. There was an incredible set of circumstances that just made it impossible to focus and I wound up with a 3.4. So my background is as follows: 4.0 Masters in Computer Science Mediocre State School 3.4 Columbia 2006-2007 Math/Statistics 3.98 U.C. Berkeley Linguistics 780 GMAT Age 30 I've always wanted to teach business school and was originally taking coursework at Columbia to apply to phds in finance. When all of these horrible things happened and I didn't do well, I got a job programming and have been down that path ever since. My father died and I had a lot of bills to pay, so it was really important to hunker down and work as a programmer and pay things down. I've found a lot of topics in Strategic Management I enjoy but am concerned about the future of mba enrollment. I'm thinking there will be far fewer TT management posts as MBA enrollment in the US declines. However, I have read where there is a shortage of accounting phds and am wondering if that might be a good fit. Most of the topics I find interesting around accounting relate to Performance Measurement and strategy as it interacts with accounting... I realize I would need some coursework in Statistics and a M.Acc. I have also read where the chances of getting into a phd in accounting diminish with age. I would probably be 33-34 by the time I applied. Would that preclude me from being admitted to a good program? Would my grades--even though they were a while ago--preclude me from perhaps eventually getting into a T20 program? I guess my point is if my age precludes me from the outset from a strong outcome, it might not be worthwhile.

Some ideas: 1) an MS in Statistics 2) an MS in Econ 3) an MS in Applied Mathematics 4) an MBA (top 20) 5) MA in Sociology (if doing qualitative) Is that completely the wrong track? Thanks!

Hi, What is the best way to prepare for the GMAT? I have a Kaplan 800 GMAT book...but want to invest in a course---preferably online--with more test questions. What is the most effective GMAT preparation out there? Some of my friends have paid for some very inexpensive online courses and been quite happy with them. I've heard bad things about Kaplan...is that true? Thanks!