MBA during gap year?

[MonsterAddict]

So my dad tells me to still have health insurance after i graduate i need to keep full time student status, however i also want to work and make money. So then i saw this mba in a year at my state school. I was already thinking about doing the MD/MBA so why not go ahead and do it for 2 nights a week and keep insurance. However, Lets say i do mediocre on the classes and get a weak gpa. Will med schools look really strongly at this even with a good ugrad gpa and mcat?

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[Textuality]

So my dad tells me to still have health insurance after i graduate i need to keep full time student status, however i also want to work and make money. So then i saw this mba in a year at my state school. I was already thinking about doing the MD/MBA so why not go ahead and do it for 2 nights a week and keep insurance. However, Lets say i do mediocre on the classes and get a weak gpa. Will med schools look really strongly at this even with a good ugrad gpa and mcat?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that most MBA programs primarily accept students who've had some real life working experience, and not freshly graduated undergrads? Or maybe that's just the way it is with "brand name" MBA programs like Wharton?

I'm also surprised you can get an MBA in 1 year with only 2 nights a week, all the programs I've heard of connected to MD/MBA's take at least a year, and you're in class much more. Are you positive you're considered full time with only 2 nights a week?

I thought about doing a master's, but decided to work in the healthcare field for a year instead. Made money, had really good insurance coverage that was affordable, could take a few credits worth of free classes every semester which was great, got a lot of amazing clinical and research experience so had lots to talk about at my interviews regarding my year off. 🙂 And I got to enjoy a whole year of no homework or exams, a rare treat.

 

[Law2Doc]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that most MBA programs primarily accept students who've had some real life working experience, and not freshly graduated undergrads? Or maybe that's just the way it is with "brand name" MBA programs like Wharton?

I'm also surprised you can get an MBA in 1 year with only 2 nights a week, all the programs I've heard of connected to MD/MBA's take at least a year, and you're in class much more. Are you positive you're considered full time with only 2 nights a week?

I thought about doing a master's, but decided to work in the healthcare field for a year instead. Made money, had really good insurance coverage that was affordable, could take a few credits worth of free classes every semester which was great, got a lot of amazing clinical and research experience so had lots to talk about at my interviews regarding my year off. 🙂 And I got to enjoy a whole year of no homework or exams, a rare treat.

The good MBA programs (1) require you to have prior work experience or be part of a joint degree program, (2) are either full time (daily classes, not a couple of nights a week) or else part time but extended over more years, and (3) if not part of a joint degree program, are generally 2 years to complete. An MBA program that does not meet the above criteria probably won't be particularly impressive to anyone. And yes, doing poorly will hurt you because that will be seen as your graduate GPA, which tends not to help, but can raise eyebrows if you do poorly.

What OP describes in terms of a couple of nights a week for a year sounds suspiciously like one of those "executive MBA" programs offered to busy executives, which emphasizes things like team building and negotiation but isn't really the traditional MBA where you take the serious courses in management, accounting, operations, marketing and finance. This latter (traditional) program is the kind of MBA that gives you a credential you can actually use. If it doesn't have this, it is not going to net you much.

 

[Asp]

So my dad tells me to still have health insurance after i graduate i need to keep full time student status, however i also want to work and make money. So then i saw this mba in a year at my state school. I was already thinking about doing the MD/MBA so why not go ahead and do it for 2 nights a week and keep insurance. However, Lets say i do mediocre on the classes and get a weak gpa. Will med schools look really strongly at this even with a good ugrad gpa and mcat?

Let me get this straight. You want to do an MBA at some ****ty state school so you can keep your health insurance? Unless you mean UMich or are about to die of cancer, you are out of your mind.

 

[LikeClockWork]

Just get a job and pay for your own insurance. I pay about $65 a month for my individual health insurance, and it's not really breaking the bank or anything...

 

[MonsterAddict]

Was just thinking about at. Im not really trying to impress med schools with it, i just would like to have the knowledge for the future if i open my own practice. I would actually prefer not to even tell them about it. Thanks for the advice though guys.

 

[Law2Doc]

Was just thinking about at. Im not really trying to impress med schools with it, i just would like to have the knowledge for the future if i open my own practice. I would actually prefer not to even tell them about it. Thanks for the advice though guys.

The MBA isn't about med school, it's about future employment (residency and beyond). So if you are going to do it, you ought to do it right (a joint degree, full time two year program, name brand school etc). because it goes on the resume and can look good or really shady.

 

[JuviJuice8]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that most MBA programs primarily accept students who've had some real life working experience, and not freshly graduated undergrads? Or maybe that's just the way it is with "brand name" MBA programs like Wharton?

I'm also surprised you can get an MBA in 1 year with only 2 nights a week, all the programs I've heard of connected to MD/MBA's take at least a year, and you're in class much more. Are you positive you're considered full time with only 2 nights a week?

I thought about doing a master's, but decided to work in the healthcare field for a year instead. Made money, had really good insurance coverage that was affordable, could take a few credits worth of free classes every semester which was great, got a lot of amazing clinical and research experience so had lots to talk about at my interviews regarding my year off. 🙂 And I got to enjoy a whole year of no homework or exams, a rare treat.

Textuality? What job did you have? That sounds great! Where did you work?

 

[nontrdgsbuiucmd]

The MBA isn't about med school, it's about future employment (residency and beyond). So if you are going to do it, you ought to do it right (a joint degree, full time two year program, name brand school etc). because it goes on the resume and can look good or really shady.

Yes, I can't really see redoing an MBA from a better-known school later, pretty much one shot is what you get at this. No the executive MBA programs are not all blow-offs, check out Wharton, Chicago, Northwestern, Stern I think too (NYC).

FYI, I have some experience in your initial issue of benefits available to the full-time student. Two thoughts:

1) contact your parent's the health insurance company. Find out exactly what counts as "fulltime employment" that would allow you to retain coverage. In my experience, for grad school students, there was a certain number of hours per semester that were required for a person to be considered a fulltime student, I'd doubt 2 nights a week would do it, depends on the health insurance company rules.

2) Check "quotesmith.com" for health insurance prices. The prices vary hugely depending on your state; many different regulations regarding what is included which are set by state law. Many companies will cover you regardless of pre-existing conditions provided there is no gap in coverage. It'll likely take 1-2 months for insurance to kick in, much better to get insured while you're currently insured. In CO right now, single person, early 20's no major medical issues, I'd expect around $130 per month for a solid plan that would not cover maternity.

 

[Law2Doc]

Yes, I can't really see redoing an MBA from a better-known school later, pretty much one shot is what you get at this. No the executive MBA programs are not all blow-offs, check out Wharton, Chicago, Northwestern, Stern I think too (NYC).

I didn't say they were blow offs, I said they were of no value to non-executives, because they don't really do the same kind of curricula as the full time MBA. They are a "taste" of an MBA for those who don't really need or have time for the credential.