Hi, Scott
I came across your blog online. You are possibly the best person to help me out. I've been going back and forth over whether I should attend Kaplan University to obtain my MBA or Norwich University. I received my undergraduate degree from a regular brick & mortar school. I'm leery about the whole online schools to begin with, so it's important that I select one that will be respected. I see you are attending Norwich, how is it so far and how does it compare to Kaplan? I really don't want to take the GMAT, another reason Kaplan was appealing. Please, share your advice. I would appreciate it greatly. Thanks!
Thanks for the positive comments! First of all, if Kaplan and Norwich were my only choices for the MBA, I would pick Norwich, hands down. The reason is not because Kaplan is a bad school. I spent four years there and enjoyed it. I would pick Norwich because (1) I know from personal experience that it is challenging and you will get a lot out of it, and (2) You need to consider accreditation.
I’ve done tons of research into MBA accreditation, and you will want one that is AACSB or ACBSP accredited. Norwich is ACBSP accredited and that is a respected agency. Schools like Kaplan are only accredited by their regional agency. There is nothing wrong with that, but when employers look to verify the quality of your degree (especially the MBA) they will look for one of the two aforementioned “stamps of approval”.
My thought is that if you are going to spend a ton of money on the MBA (and you will) you will need to make sure it’s as top-notch as you can get. The other schools that I found that are ACBSP-accredited that have a GMAT waiver include the University of Dallas, University of Houston at Victoria, and Texas A&M at Commerce. Check those out too. I doubt you will find an AACSP-accredited agency that will waive the GMAT. I could be wrong, however.
If you have any additional questions, please let me know.