undergrad2014

I am an undergraduate political science major at ClarkU considering the 5th year program here. Essentially, if you meet the GPA requirements (which I do), you can attend Clark for an extra year and get a Master's degree, tuition-free. I'm not sure whether it is worth it or not. Most people I've talked to suggest I take the MBA program, but I've never been very interested in business. I've also read that an MBA is not very useful unless you attend a top business school (same for law school, which I am considering).

Although it's tuition-free, I'm still investing a year of my life and money for room and board. I'm not sure if the return will justify this investment. What are your thoughts?

undergrad2014

Any advice?

TaciturnType

My sister did the free 5th year to get her masters in biology. It worked out well for her, but you might not find the same results in business. You should probably post this in business board as well, but from what I've heard, an MBA with no experience is essentially worthless. I think MBAs from non-elite b-schools still have value, but you won't be hired straight into management without any real world experience just because your degree qualifies you.

For reference, most of the elite b-schools essentially require 3-5+ years of business experience, unless you've created your own company in college or something prodigious.

polarscribe

Seconding the above poster. An MBA is worthless without experience - it's a meaningless credential if you haven't actually gained significant exposure to a real-world business environment.

broken_symlink

I know a few people who did 5th year in bio too. The IDCE and education programs are pretty popular too. I only know of one person doing the fifth year MBA, I honestly don't know why she is doing it though.

Have you considered finance? Its super easy to get into the MSF program. I got in and I only submitted the first part of the application.

undergrad2014

@Taciturn, my goal isn't to get hired straight into management. I don't really know what I want to do after school, much less what specific kind of job I want to go into. It's really a question of do the benefits of a tuition-free MBA at a non-elite B school justify the costs, even when I'm not necessarily into business.

@broken_symlink, did you end up doing it? Also, why do you suggest the MSF over the MBA?