מענה ל־Stanford

[dantonov]

#18185

To: All, sneed1

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Hi,

I would like to share Q&A that i had with one of the students in the IPER program:

Dan – I'm just starting the program this quarter, so happy to try to answer any questions or pass you along to someone more knowledgeable.

How many MBA students taking the program (every year) and what is their background?
Not enough data to be meaningful, but so far it seems like 100% of applications
09: 18
08: 5/6
07: 4

Are they coming from engineering/science faculties or have previous education or moreover have work experience in Cleantech?
All backgrounds (including liberal arts), with a majority without background

Do you see any difference between the MBA students in the program and other students in the program?

Can't comment at length, but of course they are more business focused (meaning, for the most part, clean tech v. other environment quesstions) , generally have less of a science background, and tend to have a bit more work experience (particularly for profit).

Are the MBA students are coming with the intention to secure a position in VC/PE companies or doing it mostly to expand their knowledge (have intentions proceeding to PHD in earth science)?
People don't seem to be doing as a pre-phd. They'd just apply for the phd. I'd say more seem to be itnerested in operations of clean tech / green start-up, but there are some interested in VC. PE seems less common

For which fields and companies range does the program opens the door for you that otherwise would be closed if you had only MBA (or at least it would be much harder getting in to). Is your job prospects are more in government related entities or public/private companies (consultancies, industry, VCs…)? How does it improves your chances if you have no previous experience in Cleantech (or chemistry/biology) if at all?
Hard to quantify the causal relationship. I assume it helps, but it is def. not a "professional" school like law or business, so there is no career center or strong focus on alumni network. Job opportunities feel more thorugh MBA across all sectors you mention. I can tell you that I think an MS from Stanford carries some weight, but don't know if it will make a difference at the margin for a specific person.

You probably still don’t have enough occurrences with that, but do you feel that the program puts the emphasis on academia ("pushing" students towards PHD) or industry (to find a job for the prospective graduates). Can you give me a specific examples – like, are there career fairs (specifically for students taking the program)?
Same point as above, but to clarify, it is not a masters that feeds into PhD. It is seen as a stand-alone joint degree that will likely be the extent of one's education.

Are there Alumni Networks (or networks in the field, more science related)?
We have 4 MBA alums, so it's a very close-knit network :) In all seriousness, I think this will happen over time, but sould not be a driving reason

Is there a career service office for the students in the program (that is separate from the MBA career services)? Are you getting help in finding internships during the summer (in which fields – research or financial/consulting companies)?
No – all through MBA. May change at some point, but not too soon.

How long does it take to finish the joint program? From what I read on the program site, it is usually 2/3 semesters longer than regular MBA. Is it what also what you see? Is it possible to squeeze it all in 2 year program or it is technically impossible?
It's possible to do in 2 yrs (what I'm aiming at); they may change this at some point

Before deciding to take the joint program in Stanford, did you consider other programs as well? Like IGEL in Wharton. What made you decide to take the joint program in Stanford?
I didn't even know about it when I applied. I wouldn't consider another bschool (and feel lucky to have the option to go to Stanford) – it was Stanford or nothing for me, so it's a happy coincidence that Stanford has IPER

What is your personal impression from the program? Is it interesting as you thought it would be? In which ways it exceeds your expectations? Are there points you feel you were disillusioned about?
Love meeting the PhDs, who are much more environmentalists and a nice contract to MBAs. Love the extreme flexibility. Nothing to be disillusioned by yet – they are still putting many features in place, so you trade flexibility for structure/support