Sydney’s first-class study alternative
"Go forth and set the world on fire," were the words of wisdom I received on graduating from university three years ago. I had been encouraged to do what I liked, perform well and the rest would fall into my lap.
I had a first-rate education from a respectable institution in Chicago, excellent communication skills, a high grade point average, practical business skills and internship experience to boot, but I still could not find a good job.
Too bad no one told me a political science degree is the last way of breaking into the "real" world, making something of oneself and subsequently making an impact on this planet.
Not wanting to settle for a desk job,I opted for freelancing. I did some project management, writing and translating. My goal was to keep developing skills that would help me land a job in marketing or advertising.
With each project my business skills grew, but there was something missing. I still could not walk the walk and talk the talk. I felt like there was a core of knowledge I had never learned. I realised I needed to start afresh with my professional education and learn the fundamentals of business, not just acquire them with time. I needed an MBA.
I am not what you would call a traditional MBA candidate: that is to say, a 28-year-old male consultant from the US. I am female, 24-years-old, a first-generation Polish immigrant to the US. It was only fitting, then, that I should not pick a traditional MBA programme.
My life's motto has always been: "if it's worth doing, it's worth doing well." When choosing an MBA programme I wanted to follow that mantra and go somewhere where I would get a high return on my investment. The programme had to be near a financial capital so that I could get the best opportunities for internships and learning outside the classroom. I also wanted small class sizes, individual attention, renowned faculty, diversity, and an environment conducive to learning rather than stress.
I considered going to school in the US, but I realised that the higher the school's ranking, the more traditional its mix: one-third investment bankers, one-third accountants and one-third venture capitalists. On average, classes were large, students were stressed and competitiveness far exceeded healthy levels. Even though I will ultimately return to the US, I did not want to do my MBA there.
The remaining choices were Hong Kong, Tokyo, Sydney and the European centres such as London, Paris or Barcelona. After I had considered the pros and cons of each, one place stood out: the Australian Graduate School of Management in Sydney.
According to AGSM's brochure, students in the 89-strong full-time class of 2005 had an average graduate management admission test score of 655 and five years' work experience. More than half the students were international, that is, they held non-Australian passports, representing 24 countries. There is a rich exchange programme with 28 top business schools around the globe. Furthermore, 25 per cent of students in the cohort were female, which is higher than at many schools. All this for about A$56,000 ($43,000) in tuition fees.
After talking to several AGSM students, I was sold. I was told the lecturers were friendly and available outside the classroom. There were high profile speakers and many extracurricular activities. Learning was focused on the growing economies of Asia with global applications.
The school's proximity to the beach and to Sydney's central business district were just icing on the cake.
Getting in to the school was not easy, especially because of my age. The application included four short essays and a phone interview. I was then contacted by an outside consultant for another round of interviews before finally being accepted.
Once I arrived and saw the diversity of my classmates I knew that I had made the right choice. My class is just 61-strong. There are 20 women, 67 per cent of the cohort are international, including six Americans, and the average age is 30. As well as the usual investment bankers and accountants, there is a chef, a surgeon, a scuba instructor, a geologist, an air force pilot and several entrepreneurs, consultants and engineers. With such diverse backgrounds, each day brings another story, another point of view, another learning experience.
After surviving the fast-paced craziness of Chicago, Sydney is a welcome change of pace. Classrooms are more informal as lecturers go by their first names, with no titles. The first term's workload has proven heavy, but it has been easy to balance the learning with an equal amount of fun.
For me, AGSM won out over European and US schools because of its proximity to Asia, its less formal environment and value for money. When I finish here in 15 months I will be armed with an Asia-focused MBA from the highly ranked Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-accredited institution. I will not have much debt, although I will have experienced life in a financial capital and done an internship at a global company. All this while living in a warm climate and attending classes where the environment is collaborative rather than competitive.
There is a perception that my degree will not be commonly recognised in the US, but I am not worried. I see the world converging in all areas of business. China is expanding its global presence and an Asia-focused degree like mine will be valuable to companies traditionally used to the western style of doing business. The stronger Asia grows, the better my MBA qualification in the eyes of a US company.
When applying for an MBA, it is easy to stick to the "usual suspects". I believe that AGSM should be added to the short list of anyone who wants a first-tier MBA education but not the misery that can come with it. Yes, there is stress. Yes, there are days when we feel we cannot take any more supply curves, liabilities, congruence or decision trees; but I am in Sydney, by the beach, and life is good.
阳光海滩:另类MBA
三年前，大学毕业前夕，我得到的箴言是：“向前进，去点燃整个世界。”别人鼓励我说，去做自己喜欢做的事，并把它做好，然后，就是“坐等其成”了。
我毕业于芝加哥的一所名校，接受了一流的教育，具备绝佳的沟通技巧，平均成绩点数也很高。另外，我还有商业方面的实际操作能力和实习经验。但是，我还是找不到一份好工作。
遗憾的是，从未有人告诉我，若想进入“现实世界”，然后有所成就，最后能对这个星球产生点影响，最不应该学的就是政治学。
因为不想坐办公室，我毕业后当了一名自由职业者。我做项目管理，搞写作，翻译文章。我想不断学习新技能，以便在将来找一份营销或广告的工作。
每干完一份活，我的商务技能都有提高，但还是觉得缺了点什么。我还是做不到言行一致。我觉得自己始终没有学到一些基本知识。我意识到，在专业教育方面，我需要重新开始，学一些商业基础知识，而不是通过时间来日积月累。我需要读MBA。
我不是你所以为的那种传统的MBA学生，也就是说，我不是一名28岁的男性美国顾问。我是一名女性，24岁，属于移居美国的第一代波兰后裔。因此，对我而言，挑一所非传统的学校就读MBA也是非常合适的。
一直以来，我的生活格言都是：“如果值得做，就值得把它做好。”在选择就读MBA的学校时，我也想坚持这一信念，我要选一所对我的投资有汇报的学校。学校要在金融中心附近，这样我就能获得实习和校外学习的良机。我还要小规模教学，一对一辅导，名师授课，来自不同背景的同学，以及一个有利于学习而非压力重重的学习环境。
我曾考虑去美国读MBA，但我意识到，学校的排名越靠前，同班同学的职业背景就越是传统：三分之一是投资银行家，三分之一是会计，还有三分之一是风险资本家。通常，这些名校都是大班授课，压力很大，竞争的激烈程度远远超过了人体健康可以承受的标准。虽然我最终还是想回美国工作，但我不想在美国读MBA。
接下来，我能去的就是香港、东京、悉尼以及伦敦、巴黎或巴塞罗那等欧洲中心城市了。在我权衡了各项选择的利弊之后，一个地方跃然眼前：位于悉尼的澳大利亚管理学院。
该学院的宣传手册上说，2005年招收的89名全日制学生的录取平均分为655，平均工作经验为五年。超过半数的学生来自别国，即持有的是非澳大利亚的护照，分别来自24个国家。该学院与全球28所顶尖的商学院有交流项目。另外，该班四分之一的学生为女性，高于其它许多学校。来该学院就读的学费约为5.6万澳元（合4.3万美元）。
和该学院的几名学生谈过后，我想，就是它了！这些学生告诉我，那里上课的老师很友好，课后也可以找他们辅导，还有些老师很有名。另外，还有许多课外活动。学习的重点是日益崛起的亚洲国家，同时有其全球应用。此外，该学院毗邻海滩，靠近悉尼的中心商务区。当然，这些只是锦上添花。
但该学院的门槛并不低，何况我的年龄也是一大阻碍。申请就读该学院要递交四篇短论文，还要接受一次电话面试。当时，电话面试我的是其它学校的顾问。通过面试后，我才被录取。
当我来到该学院，看到来自各行各业的同学时，我知道，我没有选错。我所在的班级只有61人，其中有20名女性，67％来自他国，包括6个美国人，平均年龄30岁。除了通常人们所知道的投资银行家和会计以外，还有一名厨师、一名外科医生、一名潜水教练、一位地质学家、一名空军飞行员和几名企业家、顾问和工程师。职业背景如此丰富，每天上课都有新故事，新观点，都是不同的学习体验。
芝加哥的那种快节奏的疯狂日子我也挺过来了，所以悉尼的生活步调对我而言舒服至极。课堂氛围没那么正式，因为老师让我们直呼其名。第一个学期的课业负担很重，但保持学习和娱乐间的平衡并不难。
对我而言，选择澳大利亚管理学院而非欧洲和美国的商学院是因为它离亚洲更近，课堂氛围没那么正式，而且物有所值。再过15个月，我就将结束这里的课程，我拿到的是针对亚洲的MBA学位，而且，该学位有美国管理商学院联合会（Advance Collegiate Schools of Business）的认证。虽然，我在这里的金融中心生活，会在全球性的大公司实习，但我不会背上沉重的债务。与此同时，这里气候温暖，课堂上，彼此之间互帮互助，而不是你争我抢。
有人认为，我的学位在美国不会得到普遍认可，但我并不为此担心。我认为，全球的商业区域都在交融。中国在世界的影响力正日益加强，像我这种针对亚洲的MBA学位会受到曾经习惯于西方经营模式的公司的青睐。亚洲越是强大，我的MBA学位在美国公司的眼中就越值钱。
申请就读MBA时，通常都会盯着那些“传统的名校”。但我认为，如果你既想接受一流的MBA教育，又不想承受随之而来的痛苦生活，那就请在你的决选名单上加上澳大利亚管理学院。的确，这里也有压力，也有我们再也不想听什么供应曲线啊、债务啊、一致性啊或者决策体系的时候，但我现在在悉尼，旁边就是海滩，这里的生活非常惬意。
