Graduate School.
 

Hello,

I'm interested in going back to school to get my masters. I was wondering if anyone knew of any premier institutions that really specialized in Business (Finance more specifically). I'm not sure if I want to go to a HBCU as I went to for undergrad. I'm open to one though. Also I'm looking for ways to pay for it so if you know of any scholarships for graduate students please let me know. Thanks you help is appreciated.

At the risk of sounding biased, I believe Jackson State University has an awesome Business program. I'm not a Business major, but my alma mater has been recognized nationally as one of the leading HBCUs offering the Ph.D. in Business. Here's a link if you're interested. Good luck. ;) http://www.jsums.edu

Thank you for responding. My only issue now is paying for it. Im researching scholarships. Hopefully I'll find something. Thanks again for your help.

I think Newsweek comes out with an annual mag listing the top schools (grad and undergrad) in the nation divided by major. I'm pretty sure it's Newsweek, this years edition is bright green. You should look through it or purchase it, it is really helpful and gives statistics and other helpful information. I was advised not to make a choice based on rankings though but to find a school that will meet my needs (in other words one I can freaking AFFORD). For a while I was looking at the top 5 in my area but found other schools that actually were equal too, or better, than those schools but just didnt have the big name and hype that the other schools had.

Hope this helps
:)

Thanks!!

HAve you looked into the Consortium?

If you are getting an MBA then you should also check out National Black MBA as well as AAUW (American Association of University Women). They both offer scholarships, I'm currently pursuing a MBA and will help in any way I can.

Thank you Blessed!

I would highly recommend the Consortium as well- their process is really easy and I have three friends who have all successfully gotten into the grad school of their choice through the program.

Just note: they require the GMAT, and a lot of B schools are now accepting the GRE. YMMV, but I found the GRE MUCH easier than the GMAT (I decided to forego grad school for a few years since my top five choices all entailed a commitment of $100k+ in student loans to complete the program.

Yes I have researched the Consortium and I am definately looking into it. Thank you very much for your help.

When you start looking at specific schools, looking into graduate assistantships. Several of my friend who went to grad school were GAs. One was a research assistant for a professor. One taught undergrad classes. One worked in the admissions office. You can even look into being a residential assistant if you would like help with room and board. You can be both a residential assistant and a GA at many schools.

For those who are unfamiliar:

GA = graduate assistantship and consists of RA (research assistantship) or TA (teaching assistantship)

I recommend looking into a TA or RA, starting with your department and then seeing what the university in general (i.e. admissions) has to offer. You may not get the assistantship with your department for your first year but may be offered one in your second year. TA and RA within your department are preferred because, although you may still need loans and grants, you get the experience, networks, and resources to place on your resume` and use for your graduate student and career prospects.

I must shout this from the roof top, loud and clear:
I do not recommend being a residential assistant. Generally speaking, graduate student residential assistants waste a lot of time and patience living around and putting up with undergraduates. You never know how relaxed or how stressful your experience will be until you are in the experience. Unless your career path is residence life or student affairs you will get nothing out of being a residential assistant except for room and board. But, it isn't free in terms of what it requires from you and you don't get paid much (if at all) besides the room and board. By the time those undergraduates are finished with you, you will probably wish you lived off campus and paid for your own room and board. The last thing a graduate student needs is to finish a stressful day of classes, comprehensive exams, etc. and come "home" to some darn college students. Please believe it.

While this IS true is some cases, it is not true in ALL cases. It definitely depends on the university and the housing unit itself. Yes, there are some nightmare floors, but there are many other types of living situations. There are honors floors, major specific floors, upperclassmen floors, married student housing, on campus apartments, co-ops, etc that do not have these nightmares. My three grad student friends who were RAs did have the luxury of choosing their living circumstance. One was placed the married student housing dorm because she was older and closer in age to the residents. Her most common nuisance was when one spouse would lock the other one out and she had to let one in.

It really depends on how much financial assistance the OP wants. If a higher level of assistance is needed, both GAs and RAs are viable options. I know there are people who do not want large loans to deal with when they graduate.

Thanks for clarifying the GA, TA thing. I forget that not everyone on CG is in higher ed.

Like I said, "you never know how relaxed or how stressful your experience will be until you are in the experience." No one can predict that and it doesn't matter what anyone says.

I highly recommend against it and that's based on my experiences and friends' experiences. College students are college students regardless of the university, housing unit, and floor. As a graduate student, undergraduates are best dealt with in the classroom but not after hours when you're "home."

IIRC our school had undergrads as RAs but graduate students could be in charge of entire buildings (I forget the name of the position). They got paid as well as got room and board (and unlike the RAs were explicitly allowed to break cohabitation rules). This would ultimately be more stressful than being an RA (although in more of a management sense than dealing with the day to day drama) it did provide an opportunity to network and gain experience.

Being an RA or TA will hopefully gain you connections and experience in your chosen field, but at least in my experience you do not always end up working in 'your' field or a similar one. It depends on the school, the graduate programs and the positions available. If you're working for the Honors Student office you're much like any other TA in terms of hours but working in more of a guidance role, for example.

I wouldn't recommend being a residential assistant either, but for many people their GA position is more about covering their tuition than building connections. Sure it would be ideal to do both, but you have to do what you have to do to get through school. Hopefully any internships that the program requires will provide some of that networking experience.