Big 3 and Tier 1 MBA

[Prloko]

I tried searching through the forum and didn't find an answer. Has anyone been able to succesfully get into a top MBA program using a Bachelor's from the Big 3? I'm seriously considering getting a Bachelors in Accounting from TESC by utilizing CLEP/DSST for all the non accounting courses, and using traditional/online credit for all my accounting courses. Do you think the bigger universities will take the source of my classes into consideration when making an acceptance decision. For example, if my accounting courses are from schools like BYU and reputable institutions with an A average?

[Yenisei]

I'd imagine that your GMAT scores, letters of recommendation and, above all, your professional work experience would be the primary factors determining entry to top MBA programs. Pick the program that will help you get hired and advance in your career because of the networking you can do with fellow alumni.

[burbuja0512]

You'll need to check with the program that you want to apply for. Any competitive school will be tough, but some may not accept DSST/CLEP credit regardless of any other factors. If there are enough applicants for the MBA you want, they are used to turning lots of people down and if they have an excess number of very good applicants, then they are looking for reasons to do so. A non-traditional transcript may be one way to easily decline an application.

It will be very important to call or email each school that you're considering and find out their specific policy regarding CLEP/DSST for undergraduates. Especially if a particular school does not accept testing credits for their own undergrad, you might struggle with admission.

Of course this applies to any graduate program without totally open enrollment, not just MBA's in the top schools. I can say that anyone who wants to get into a selective graduate program with CLEP/DSST should be able to assuming that the rest of your application looks good. However, you can't take anything for granted and just like you would investigate all of your requirements for college, understanding your graduate requirements is essential. Also having a good idea of the % of people who are accepted along with the usual reasons why students are turned away would be helpful to become a better all-around candidate.

[rebel100]

Many school publish a business "core" one determined to use DSST/CLEP might do well to take the core via a traditional route. You might further strengthen your education by graduating from well known program...The University of Wyoming comes to mind, not exactly a business powerhouse per se, but they are a solid State University with a generous CLEP acceptance policy and an affordable online Business Bachelors program.

Management & Marketing | College of Business | University of Wyoming
University of Wyoming | Office of the Registrar | CLEP Exams note Principles of marketing/management are considered upper level too.
They are AACSB accredited. College of Business | University of Wyoming
If I hadn't been painfully close to my BSLS at COSC I would have done my undergrad at UofW

Not to say this will get you into the MBA of your dreams...but I think the case could be made that it's a better choice coming from here than one of the Big 3. Sort of a middle ground if you will.

[Prloko]

Great advice everyone! Thanks a bunch.

At rebel100, I had applied and been accepted to U of Wyoming. The problem is they were pretty restrictive on my credit. They wouldn't accept my transferred "A" in Princ of Marketing at St Leo and they wouldn't accept my Prin of Macro CLEP even though the catalog said so and even though I scored high. At this point, it would take too long to finish with U Wyo. All of my St Leo credits tranferred as elective and I would have to repeat them to get the credit to count.

Despite that, I think it is a great program and the courses are very low cost.

[cookderosa]

Your question is a good example of the inversion that sometimes happens here. You're saying, hey, I'd like to do my undergrad at the big 3 and use testing to complete cheaply and fast....now what can I do with it? How can I bend it to fit MY DREAM of attending ABC college. This is not the best approach.

CLEP, the big 3, and alternative credit sources rock. Really. You CAN use them to shave tuition and time off a degree program, and the big 3 have helped gagillions of people pull out a degree mid-career. But, people can make mistakes, and it sounds like you're about to make one.

To be successful, you have to be clear about YOUR vision and goal. Where YOU want to go. Once you see the finish line, back track and see "if" you can cut time or money off of YOUR path. You don't take THIS path and wonder why it didn't put you at a different finish line.

I'm not saying you shouldn't CLEP, etc. I'm saying you should. But what you REALLY should do is start your homework on the top tier MBA programs you want to attend. Learn their admission requirements INSIDE AND OUT. Make it an obsession. Find out everything there is to know. Then, and only then, will you be able to assess if an undergrad program like TESC will work. It might, I don't know, but it might not. Don't ask us, this is your walk- you drive the process and come back and report TO us how to do it (if at all).

Start at the end.

[jt003806]

Don't ask us, this is your walk- you drive the process and come back and report TO us how to do it (if at all).

Start at the end.

I do not see anything wrong with seeking advice, laying out his/her plan & asking for feedback. As I see it, this is the sole purpose of the forum.
Now to the question- the one thing you will want to consider is the policies of the schools you are looking at when it comes to prerequisites. Many require a minimum grade for particular courses( i.e. economics) so while you would not be discriminated against for testing out, you may have to take it over to show a grade of B or better. Another important consideration is where business classes are taken. In some situations, you can obtain advanced-standing for business courses if they were taken at an AACSB accredited school w/in the last x number of years. It may be worthwhile for you to take your B&M classes at an AACSB school for this reason. Good Luck

[Prloko]

I'm not saying you shouldn't CLEP, etc. I'm saying you should. But what you REALLY should do is start your homework on the top tier MBA programs you want to attend. Learn their admission requirements INSIDE AND OUT. Make it an obsession. Find out everything there is to know. Then, and only then, will you be able to assess if an undergrad program like TESC will work. It might, I don't know, but it might not. Don't ask us, this is your walk- you drive the process and come back and report TO us how to do it (if at all).

Start at the end.

If this was my first stop in my quest, I think your advise would be spot on. My issue is that unfortunately, looking into schools HAD become an obsession to the point I can probably spit out about 12 University catalogs verbatim (and have drove my wife nuts with all the catalogs around the house). I am caught between waiting till I'm out of the service and going to a great school or use the 100 credits I already have (in sporatic areas) and get my degree before I get out in two years. If you go back to my question, it was if ANYONE had tried my proposed path and SUCCEEDED. I never asked anyone to do the research for me. Many colleges spell their requirements clearly, but in reality it is all subjective, and I was just wondering if anyone had success. Every time I clep or get any type of info, I gladly share to people who ASK. That is the whole purpose of this forum, to share knowledge and ask questions and have conversations. Regardless, thanks for taking the time to reply and giving advice.

[Prloko]

I do not see anything wrong with seeking advice, laying out his/her plan & asking for feedback. As I see it, this is the sole purpose of the forum.
Now to the question- the one thing you will want to consider is the policies of the schools you are looking at when it comes to prerequisites. Many require a minimum grade for particular courses( i.e. economics) so while you would not be discriminated against for testing out, you may have to take it over to show a grade of B or better. Another important consideration is where business classes are taken. In some situations, you can obtain advanced-standing for business courses if they were taken at an AACSB accredited school w/in the last x number of years. It may be worthwhile for you to take your B&M classes at an AACSB school for this reason. Good Luck

Great advice. Thank you. I had been looking into AACSB schools. There are good ones that have online courses (unfortunately I'm in Germany). Ones that come to mind are NSULA, USU, ULM, UWyo. I know NSULA will take 30 CLEPS and 30 DSSTs. I also just learned from the admission office at Utah State, that they'll take any regionally accredited AA/AS degree in full (60 credits) regardless of how many cleps. Penn State World has great name recognition and accepts 60 clep/dsst (mostly LL), but they are NOT aacsb accredited and that's what turned me off to them. I'm willing to do the work and in fact, I love school and learning, but my location and my time left in the service has left me in a bit of a time crunch. That's why I asked if anyone has had success with my proposition or if as you said, AACSB credits even though its transferred to TESC.

[Yenisei]

Honestly, it sounds to me like you are overthinking this. If I were you, I'd identify the schools I would like to attend and go from there. If you are planning to get a job as soon as you ETS, it would be better to leave with a degree in hand.