Sunday, July 13, 2008

Some Additional Questions

I recently had a discussion about Merage on my professional blog. I wanted to reproduce the discussion here because I answer a number of questions about Merage that you might be interested in.

5 Comments

  • Lauren 1 week ago

    Hi there! I found your MBA blog through admissions411.com, and then found this one through that. I will be attending Paul Merage this coming fall, so I loved reading about your MBA adventures at UCI. Super excited!

    I have a few questions about Merage, and was hoping you can give me some honest answers. I've spoken with adcom staff and student ambassadors, but wanted to get another opinion. :)

    1) How was the job placement this year? Did most students get jobs of their choice?
    2) Do you know what the average starting salary was? I was surprised to discover that the average starting salary for Merage students in 2007 was almost $20K less than schools with the same ranking..
    3) What is the job placement like for the Bay Area? I eventually want to move back to the Bay Area, but it seems like most Merage students stay in the OC. So, just a little concerned.

    Your input is greatly appreciated! Oh, and major congrats on graduating and scoring a cool job!
  • Lauren,
    Thanks for you kind words.
    Some honest answers to your questions.
    1) Job placement was tougher this year due to the economy. I think we may be
    lower than last year for placement before graduation, but I expect we'll be
    equivalent for placement after 3 months. The interesting thing about hiring
    this year was that despite the down turn there were a number of very high
    profile jobs posted - so companies are still making strategic hires at
    Merage.

    2) Average starting salaries are a distorted measure used by ranking
    systems. It is difficult to talk about average starting salaries without
    first talking about the job type. As an example consulting generally pays a
    higher salary due to the life demands it puts on its employees (so schools
    who produce a higher ratio of consultants will have their average salary
    inflated). While I don't necessarily think 20K lower is correct, you are
    right to note that salaries from Merage are generally lower than similar
    ranked programs. This is because a high percentage of its students remain in
    Southern California. Salaries in the OC are often subject to what I call the
    "lifestyle tax". Because it is such an attractive area to live, there are
    more candidates for jobs, pushing down wages. This "lifestyle tax"
    artificially lowers Merage's average starting salary. I hope you get my
    drift why I say the average starting salary is a skewed school indicator. I
    will say as a person who grew up with humid summers and cold winters the
    lifestyle is wonderful and I am willing to accept the "tax".

    3) Interestingly, this year we have a number of students going to work up in
    the bay area (5-10% of the class). The companies range from start-ups to big
    companies like HP. Last year, we had a student get into google. I won't say
    trying to find a job in the bay area is easy. You will be mostly on your own
    and will need to actively network with people in the area starting now if
    you want to go back with a great position. I suggest find conferences that
    suit your preferred industry/job function that are hosted in the bay area.
    That raises the chances of people from the area attending. Then network and
    stay in contact with those people. The conferences worked out real well for
    me this year (I had three solid job opportunities arise) and I recommend
    start doing it as a first year.
  • Lauren 1 week ago
    Hey, thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts. I would think that because OC is such an expensive place to live, the starting salaries would be higher. But you also made a good point about the "lifestyle tax.."

    Great tip about starting early with networking! Where can I find these industry conferences? Any tips?

    Also, I am seriously considering studying abroad for a quarter (something I always regretted not doing in college). Do many Merage students study abroad? Would studying abroad for a quarter put you behind other students (in terms of job search/accumulating enough credits to graduate)?

    Thanks in advance!!
  • Lauren,
    To your follow ups:
    1. You can track down conferences by reading blogs in your field of
    interest, tracking down professional associations of field of interest, or
    often if you have a target company they will highlight which conferences
    they go to on their web page (or just do a google search).

    2. Many students do a study abroad and it is a fantastic experience. You
    will be behind on job search if your primary field of interest is consulting
    or working with a large company with an established MBA hire program.
    Otherwise job search doesn't ramp up until February onward. I used my Q1
    Year 2 to ramp up my networking in order to hit the ground running in Q2.

    Good luck.
  • Lauren 1 week ago
    Thanks Trevor, you're awesome. Best of luck to you as well!

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