MBA in Bogota (information needed)

LilaM says on Dec 23, 2007, 16:44:

Check about it in Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá, yes it is recognized in the US. take a look on internet.

"You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don´t try" B. Sills

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JulianUSA says on Dec 23, 2007, 17:33:

Oiga LilaM, en en serio esas comentarios que dice...que es mejor llorar en un Mercedes que sonreir en una buseta?

Hey Christophe, I agree with Lila. Universidad de los Andes is recognized in the US. That is the only university from Colombia that I have seen at several conferences here in the US.

Here is the link:

http://www.uniandes.edu.co/

Take care

Julian Garcia

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Enrique187 says on Dec 23, 2007, 19:37:

I think an easier option/better for the long term would be to take time off and live in Colombia for a little while then finish your degree in the US. Maybe get a MBA in Latin American or international business and then move on permanently to Colombia.

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LilaM says on Dec 23, 2007, 20:07:

Jajajaj Julián tu que piensas a que te suena jejeje.

"You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don´t try" B. Sills

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JulianUSA says on Dec 24, 2007, 02:25:

LilaM, =) Es que mi idolo # 1 es Pambele....no puedo imaginarme que mi idolo haya dicho esas cosas.

Julian Garcia

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rhydewithdis says on Dec 24, 2007, 04:42:

Besides Los Andes, you will not find any other MBA programs in Colombia that are on the radar of any Internationally recognized lists.

http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/rankings/part_time_mba_profiles/l...

Cost is about half of what it would cost you for a private university in the US coming in around $442/credit, compared with over $1000/credit for a private school. Average MBA will be around 60 credits ($25k vs. $60k).

Mexico actually has much better programs if you are looking to stay in Latin America. It will give you much better employment opportunities at graduation, including the possibility of taking on a managerial role at a Mexican owned corporation in Colombia. Overall, your career prospects are (obviously) the best if you go to any of the Top 7 schools (i.e. Harvard, Wharton, MIT, etc.) or Insead if you can get in. It will be the one thing that will give you an edge over most of your peers in Colombia for the most coveted positions (i.e. management consulting, portfolio management, private equity, etc.), but I am pretty certain you will end up staying in the US since the salaries there will be one-fifth the amount.

They said I couldn't play football I was too small / They say I couldn't play basketball I wasn't tall / They say I couldn't play baseball at all / And now everyday of my life I ball.

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LilaM says on Dec 24, 2007, 07:44:

Julián pues Pambelé lo dijo en una entrevista pero solo la parte de "es mejor ser rico que pobre" jejeje lo otro no

"You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don´t try" B. Sills

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Wastelandlive says on Dec 24, 2007, 17:17:

It seems my role here to dole out the hard, harsh truth. Christophe, I hate to crush a young man's dreams, but...

1) Can you get into a Colombian program? If you speak Spanish, of course. Education is a product, and the seller wants buyers.

2) Will the degree be "recognized" in the US? That phrase doesn't have a lot of meaning for a terminal master's degree. There is no follow on program for which credits must be validated.

If you are asking, "Will US employers value my degree?," the short answer is no, y punto. Not even from Los Andes, Colombia's best.

(Reference the dearth of Los Andes MBA's relocating to the US and landing executive positions. No, the problem is not merely citizenship, or even a visa: most any Colombian who can afford to go to Los Andes can secure a work visa. But they can't get the job. You'll find them starting out over at Jamba Juice.)

3) How expensive will it be? Well, it's cheap by our standards... even at the private schools like Los Andes and Javeriana. And living is cheap.
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So, if you're looking to improve your Spanish, experience Colombia, make some connections in Bogota, and learn some interesting things... then why not? It's a cheap way to go. Education certainly never hurt anyone, and you'll get more ass than a chair.

If you're trying to convince yourself that this is a viable alternative to a credible American MBA which will lead to professional opportunities in the US... Finance, Operations, Marketing, Management...

Well, I hope you don't. You WILL be dissapointed.

Wasteland

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rhydewithdis says on Dec 24, 2007, 20:00:

at Wastelandlive spot on advise. One other thing he would have to take into account is that if he did decide he wanted to goto Los Andes, he would be required to pay the tuition in full. No loans or low-cost student financing options will be available similar to what you find here in the US.

Given the lack of attractive opportunities you will have awaiting you after graduation combined with the opportunity cost of the money you will front for the education (time-value), your decision will pretty simple. Are you willing to spend the cost of tuition and cover the living expenses to enjoy two years in Bogota?

It's about the equivalent of going to a sub top 20 business school in the US, except it will cost you much less and as Wasteland said so eloquently put it "you'll get more ass than a chair."

They said I couldn't play football I was too small / They say I couldn't play basketball I wasn't tall / They say I couldn't play baseball at all / And now everyday of my life I ball.

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aztec says on Dec 25, 2007, 06:19:

JChrisusa, You are surrounded by good institutions where you can acquire a graduate education. All would place you in a better position for the future.

Your current degree and experience make you a good candidate for most any university in the States. You have indicated on your resume you love your work. Continue in the direction where you have already built a foundation.

Now I must tell you that Los Andes is indeed the best business school in Colombia. My brother in law received an undergraduate degree from the institution. Upon his graduation he enrolled in the The National Autonomous University of Mexico for his doctorate.

My advice is that you stay in the States for your graduate education. Failing that, perhaps you might be interested in one of the great European Universities.

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JChrisusa says on Dec 27, 2007, 14:42:

rhydewiththis, Wastelandlive, rhydewithdis and aztec, Thank you for your comments. I roughly had the same idea but I wanted to make sure I was not mistaken or underestimating the Colombian Universities. I will be going to Bogota for sure to perfect my spanish and studying there was one of my ideas however I don't want to spend two years and get a MBA that will be denigrated by my future employers in the US, Canada or Europe so I will wait and do that in the future in a western country.
It looks like if I go to Bogota, I will find a job first and go there to work.
Thank you for your help.

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Wastelandlive says on Dec 28, 2007, 07:59:

"It looks like if I go to Bogota, I will find a job first and go there to work."

Not likely, mate.

Two things I want to add:
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1) I dissagree, strongly, but respectfully, with rhydwithdis's analysis that graduating from Los Andes would be like graduating from a "sub top 20 business school in the US."

I don't think that's right. Sub top twenty would be like... the University of Maryland, or Georgetown, maybe. Can Los Andes compete with that in the States? No!

The problem is that US employers just aren't all that interested in foreign degrees. They don't know what you learned, and they don't particularly care. There are a few schools in Europe that are known - that I might rate "neutral" - but a Colombian University?

I'll reiterate: they WON'T value that degree. It will be approximately the equivalent of zero.
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2) Don't be afraid to do it simply for the experience, regardless of what employers think. I wasn't joking about that.

Seriously... how old are you? What if you find a 1 year program, that is affordable for you? That would be great fun! You will meet people that you would never meet playing the dissolute drunken expat trolling for ass... And hey, maybe you will actually learn something that will help you should you choose to return to the US and get an American MBA.

(In all the strategizing over rankings and recruiting, sadly, the notion that we actually learn something in school - knowledge - that makes us stronger seems to slip away.)

There are two things to ponder here.

1) If you are getting a full time MBA (NOT an executive MBA), go to a top 10 B-school, or don't go at all. Don't by all the recruiting crap. If it's not top ten, maybe top 15... it won't be worth the investment.

2) You're going to find that big blocks of time spent gaffing off in the developing world don't help your resume at all... not with employers, and not with universities.

You always need a story. You weren't gaffing off, you were doing volunteer work, and here are the references to prove it. It was a great learning experience, and it inspired you to get your MBA because...

Or...

You weren't gaffing off, you were getting an MBA at Colombia's finest University because you had always wanted to perfect your Spanish and experience first hand another culture. You thought the best way to do that would be to combine a little international education with your passion for Finance. It was an amazing experience, and you are glad you did it, but you also earned an appreciation for how recruiting works, and you now realize the importance of earning a traditional MBA from one of America's leading institutions...

Are you seeing it?

My story is that I was a charter captain and contractor working between Cartagena and Colon. All that is true. But altogether, it barely supported me. And it doesn't impress: who in the professional world is going to value experience as a charter captain?

I very much paid a price during the job hunt. People tend to look at your most recent work experience, and if they don't like it, they stop reading your resume. But it was, again, the truth, and it's a better story than no story at all, or "I was lying on the beach by day and chasing prepagos at night," or "I was hoping to find a job or start a business, but it never quite panned out."

So keep those things in mind my friend... because when you search this sight for "employment," you're going to find that "I will find a job first and go there to work" is also not a very realistic gameplan. And I don't want you to go, live on savings for a year while looking for an opportunity, and then have to come back and somehow fill that hole on your resume...

Good luck!

Wasteland

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