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University of South FloridaScholar Commons
Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School
January 2013
Factors Prospective Students Consider WhenSelecting an MBA ProgramLorie Plyler BriggsUniversity of South Florida, [email protected]
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Scholar Commons CitationBriggs, Lorie Plyler, "Factors Prospective Students Consider When Selecting an MBA Program" (2013). Graduate Theses andDissertations.http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/4446
Factors Prospective Students Consider When Selecting an MBA Program
by
Lorie Briggs
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Arts School of Mass Communications
College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida
Major Professor: Justin S. Brown, Ph.D. Kelli Burns, Ph.D.
Sajeev Varki, Ph.D.
Date of Approval: March 26, 2013
Keywords: decision considerations, graduate business, marketing higher education, interviews, business schools
Copyright © 2013, Lorie Briggs
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TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iii CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND .........................................................................................3 A Changing Target Market .....................................................................................4 A Change in the Perceived Value of the MBA .......................................................5
Market Fragmentation .............................................................................................7 Increased Competition ............................................................................................7
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ..........................................................................10
Research Questions ................................................................................................14 Grounded Theory ..................................................................................................15 Contribution to Existing Literature ........................................................................18
CHAPTER 3: METHOD ...................................................................................................19 Sampling ................................................................................................................21 Transcribing and Coding .......................................................................................23 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS ...................................................................................................24 Time to Decision ...................................................................................................26 Why Pursue an MBA? ...........................................................................................28 More Money...............................................................................................28 Career Change ............................................................................................29 Required Credential ...................................................................................29 Need for Knowledge ..................................................................................30 Benefits of an MBA ...............................................................................................31
Where to Pursue the MBA? ...................................................................................31 Just One Answer ....................................................................................................36 Market-Specific Competition .................................................................................36 Obstacles ................................................................................................................38 CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION .............................................................................................40 Limitations .............................................................................................................43 Future Studies ........................................................................................................45 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................47 APPENDIX 1: RECRUITMENT SCRIPT ........................................................................53
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APPENDIX 2: IRB APPROVAL ......................................................................................54 APPENDIX 3: INFORMED CONSENT ..........................................................................55 APPENDIX 4: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS .....................................................................60 APPENDIX 5: INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS ..........................................................62 Incoming #1: Casey ..............................................................................................62 Incoming #2: Marsha ............................................................................................75 Incoming #3: Ish ...................................................................................................87 Incoming #4: Woody ............................................................................................98 Incoming #5: Angie ............................................................................................106 Incoming #6: Chase ............................................................................................112 Incoming #7: Fred ...............................................................................................120 Incoming #8: Mike ..............................................................................................128 Prospect 1: Jorge .................................................................................................137 Prospect 2: JoAnn ...............................................................................................144 Prospect 3: Cassie ...............................................................................................152 Prospect 4: Cory ..................................................................................................161 Prospect 5: Tina ..................................................................................................168 Prospect 6: Lenny ...............................................................................................175 Prospect 7: Dani ..................................................................................................182 Prospect 8: John ..................................................................................................186 Prospect 9: Rusty ................................................................................................194
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ABSTRACT
This paper adds to existing literature regarding MBA selection processes and
helps identify and better understand the needs that motivate consumers to pursue an
MBA degree. Through a series of qualitative, one-on-one interviews with 17 brand-new
MBA students or prospective students, this research found that while many people have
“always wanted” to earn the advanced degree, most have toyed with the idea of a
graduate business degree for many years. The most frequent reasons that people cite
regarding their decision to seriously consider an MBA at a large southern university
centers around four desires. These are, not surprisingly, the desire to earn more money,
the desire to change careers, the desire to advance their careers by obtaining a required
credential, and the desire for knowledge that can be obtained by earning the degree.
Further, this research identified the single most important factor that prospects considered
when determining which university to attend for the MBA degree: the university's ability
to help make them more marketable or advance their career. Other answers included cost,
university's reputation, convenience, program duration, the university's location, and the
caliber of peers in the classroom.
1
CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND
In recent years, according to trend reports from both the Association for the
Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business and the Graduate Management
Admissions Council, the number of students enrolled in full-time, AACSB-accredited
MBA programs has been, until 2012, flat or, in many cases, shrinking, while enrollment
in other graduate business programs has been on the rise. Lifestyle and cultural shifts, as
well as the health of the economy, are likely reasons for diminishing enrollment, but
business schools themselves should accept some of the blame for sagging enrollment.
Market fragmentation, program dilution, the creation of specialized graduate business
degree programs, and ineffective marketing and branding programs appear to contribute
to the problem.
Regardless of whether enrollments are rising or falling, it is important for
business schools to employ effective marketing practices when promoting programs and,
for the flagship program in particular, to create marketing messages by starting with the
foundational question, “what motivating factors does our target market consider when
determining whether and where to pursue the MBA degree?”
The factors prospective students consider in making a decision is not trivial
information to be studied. The marketing messages and campaigns that may have
“worked for years” no longer do. There is a plethora of competition, among public and
2
private non-profit institutions as well as national for-profit colleges. At the University of
South Florida in particular, its competition in the non-profit arena is often equipped with
much larger marketing budgets. In the for-profit arena, USF is faced with competitors
that have national advertising campaigns, large marketing budgets, and more local staff
recruiters who connect students with loans to support the educational endeavor. In
addition, these for-profit schools often have less stringent entry requirements and may not
require students to take standard admissions tests. Because of these challenges, marketers
at programs such as USF must determine what matters to the target audience in order to
craft effective strategic communications messages to recruit new students and hold on to
market share as well as to tailor programs that students desire.
Traditionally, total enrollment (both full-time and part-time) in MBA programs
in the United States has been countercyclical with the American economy. When the
economy was bad, unemployed workers with time on their hands flocked to business
schools to pursue an MBA full-time in order to make themselves more attractive to future
employers. At the same time, employed businessmen (and women) pursued part-time
degrees to remain competitive in the workplace. As a result, enrollment in MBA
programs rose during bad economic times, despite the expense of the program.
Shortly after the turn of the century through the early 2010s, however, business
school administrators and marketers have been bewildered as enrollment remained flat or
rose by relatively small percentages during a sharp economic downturn. According to
Dailey, Anderson, Duffy, Krimm and Thomas (2006), applications to BusinessWeek’s
Top 30 MBA programs dropped roughly 30 percent between 1998 and 2006, some seeing
declines in excess of 50 percent. The Graduate Management Admissions Council, the
3
organization that administers the test many business schools use to assess applicants’
qualifications for admissions, has been following the trend and, in its 2010 and 2011
reports, noted significant drops in both admissions and the number of people applying to
take the entrance test (with the exception of China, where the number of test takers is on
the rise). The organization publishes a preview report each fall; the 2012 report indicates
that, for some universities, the downward trend did not continue this past year and that
some saw improvements in application volume over the prior year, but that “fewer than
half of each MBA program type reported increased volumes over 2011” (p. 4). Further,
the report pointed out that growth in application volume was largely fueled by
“application gains among online/distance offerings” and that “45 percent [of all MBA
programs] saw declines and 10 percent reported no change” (p. 6).
The Wall Street Journal noticed the GMAT reports and, in a September 13,
2011, article, reported “one-third of full-time MBA programs reported drops of more than
10 percent, according to the survey, which included 649 MBA and other business
programs at 331 schools world-wide.” And in academic literature, researchers
Schlegelmilch and Thomas (2011) questioned the future of the program in their research
titled, “The MBA in 2020: will there still be one?”
A Changing Target Market
The target market for the MBA is broad. For many public higher education
institutions, and the University of South Florida in particular, the target market is
comprised of adults who are at least a few years out of undergraduate programs.
According to the 2012 GMAC Applications Trends survey, 57 percent of full-time MBA
4
applicants have at least three years of work experience; for self-paced part-time MBA
programs such as the one offered at the University of South Florida, this report shows
that 66 percent of applicants have at least three years of work experience (p. 36). The
undergraduate program in which they studied is irrelevant, as the broad-based MBA is
not designed solely for business majors. While the prospective student’s undergraduate
major is unimportant, accreditation does matter as AACSB-accredited schools (and likely
the vast majority of respected universities) only accept candidates with degrees from
institutions accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Educational background is not the only area that varies for this target. Today’s
target includes more dual-income married couples. Classrooms are becoming more equal
in terms of gender. Many people, especially in large, metropolitan areas, work full-time
and attend school part-time. Thus, some within the target market may not earn an
undergraduate degree until their mid-to-late 30s. Thus, the MBA target classroom is a
multi-generational one, comprised of people ranging from their early 20s to mid-40s, the
variance depending on whether (or not) students choose to earn an undergraduate degree
straight out of high school by attending college full-time and graduating in four years.
The 2012 GMAC Application Trends Survey reports that for full-time MBA programs,
63 percent of applicants are at least 26 years old; for the part-time self-paced MBA
programs such as the one offered at USF, 71 percent of applicants are at least 26 years
old (p. 36).
5
Marital status, ethnicity, and gender are not primary considerations when
defining the target market.
Business schools may have (likely in an effort to differentiate themselves)
fragmented the market by offering a wide variety of specialized master’s degree tracks as
well as MBA-like and “MBA-light” programs. The following literature review includes a
summary of key (sometimes called underlying) factors identified in previous studies.
A Change in the Perceived Value of the MBA
In recent years, it appears that the MBA is no longer considered a “special”
degree and that, for many, there has been a significant drop in the perceived value of the
program. A survey conducted by Accountemps and referenced by Rapert, Smith,
Velliquette and Garretson (2004) found that 80 percent of top executives consider a
graduate degree in business essential for rising to senior-level corporate positions.
Countless business schools use feature stories and video vignettes of happy, smiling
alumni to illustrate how the lessons learned in the program helped the former students
gain a promotion or “take my career to the next level.” Hundreds of testimonials include
the much-used cliché to say that success was just out of reach until attaining the MBA
and its concomitant life and business lessons.
There is little question that the program has value, but there are mixed reviews
over quality related to value. Regardless, when it comes to marketing the program to
6
prospective students, what matters is the perceived value. In 1997, Goldgehn and Kane
reported a drop in perceived value of the MBA, going so far as to state that business
schools had lost their mystique, that the business market had become dissatisfied with the
MBA product, and to note that there is growing distance between academia and
mainstream business. They noted that subjects in their study felt the MBA had become
“an average degree, nothing special” and wrote, “the majority felt there is less of a return
on investment with an MBA than there used to be” (p. 18). Twelve years later, in an
article in the mainstream publication BusinessWeek (2010), DiMeglio opened a story on
the difficulties of marketing graduate business programs by writing that the MBA
program’s reputation is in “tatters.” Noting the rising costs, weakening programs, the fall
of major business corporations led by MBA graduates, the collapse of Wall Street, and
academia’s slow response to changing times, she wrote, “in some circles, [MBA degrees]
constitute a negative brand: one that’s associated with ethical lapses, business failures,
and the causes of the financial times.”
More recently, Nicholls, Harris, Morgan, Clarke and Sims (2011) wrote, “It is
difficult to define what exactly constitutes an MBA degree because of the variety of
product offerings” (p. 31). Nicholls et al. also pointed out that throughout the last two
decades, the market has matured and, while prospective students in the 1980s might not
have paid attention to differences between programs, the more mature market of the
2010s is more discriminating. Similar themes were echoed in the Wall Street Journal
7
(2011), including one where the headline writer clearly summarized the changing view:
“Business School: No Thanks.”
Market Fragmentation
Goldgehn and Kane (1997) suggested that fragmentation in the delivery system
was to blame for a weakening MBA as curricula vary from market to market and
institution to institution. Business schools no longer offer a traditional MBA program in a
uniform format. There are two-year programs, one-year high intensity programs, fast-
track options, online, extended, and executive MBA cohort programs. In addition,
business schools have created master’s programs with entry requirements that are
somewhat less challenging, such as the MS in Entrepreneurship, MS in Management, MS
in Finance, etc., programs whose growth may have come, in part, at the expense of the
institution’s own MBA program. Johnson, Thomas and Peck (2010) called the shift from
traditional MBA programs to specialized programs a trend, saying these specialized
programs are tailored to fit the individual student’s needs rather than a one-size-fits-all-
MBA. GMAC noted that, in 2012, these specialized programs continued to enjoy robust
growth in application volume.
Increased Competition
Not only are there new specialty programs to deal with, but there is also an
8
increase in competition. In its October 2011 newsletter, GMAC pointed out that 13,670
institutions worldwide offering a business degree. In addition to the sheer number of
(accredited and unaccredited) institutions, the traditional on-site MBA program now
competes with off-site or out-of-market programs, as well as the variety of less rigorous
for-profit programs (that frequently have lower admissions standards) that use corporate
marketing strategies. It is easy to see why these researchers consider market
fragmentation to be cause for concern.
This thesis explores the reasons why students pursue a graduate business
degree and the attributes they consider when selecting a particular institution. An analysis
of what matters to both new and prospective MBA students, this study’s findings offer
information that marketing personnel should consider when designing strategic
communications plans and materials to promote the degree and focus on the things that
matter most to potential students.
The following literature review sheds light on prior studies focused on MBA
marketing and an overview of Grounded Theory, which served as a framework for this
research. Chapter three of this manuscript outlines the methods used to collect data and
analyze results for this study. Chapter four analyzes the results. The findings are
discussed in the closing chapter.
9
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter provides an overview of scholarly research related to the
marketing of graduate business programs, particularly the MBA. After presenting the
research question, this chapter concludes with an overview of Grounded Theory.
More than two dozen scholarly articles on the marketing of MBA or other
graduate business programs worldwide have been written in the last 25 years.
Researchers bemoan the fact that there is not a vast amount of published work specific to
MBA marketing. Heslop and Nadeau (2010) wrote that “the marketing of higher
education has attracted more controversy than study,” (p. 87) and other authors used
phrases such as “paucity of information,” and called this niche an “important but little
understood area” (Powell, personal communication November 2010; Dailey et al. 2006,
p. 144; Ivy & Naude, 2010, p. 92). Because the target market for the MBA is no longer
the same as it was in the 1980s and 1990s, only articles from the 2000s (with two
exceptions, written in 1995 and 1997) were selected for this literature review, a selection
further culled by choosing only articles focusing largely on North America. In addition to
these scholarly articles, two unpublished studies were reviewed, as well as mainstream,
non-scholarly articles and industry association reports.
In 2006, Dailey et al. gathered information on the reasons why students pursue
an MBA, sorting them into broad categories such as “need for knowledge,” “general
10
business knowledge,” “valuable business credential,” and so forth. Dailey et al. (2006)
noted that while the degree was still a credible, valued credential often required for
corporate advancement, its value had dropped over the last decade. Dailey’s research
identified 26 needs that an MBA fulfills. She concluded by stating, “it is apparent from
the results that the needs satisfied by pursuing an MBA degree are not homogenous” (p.
152).
Researchers approached the question of how to market the MBA differently,
some looking at hallmarks and elements of programs and process-related characteristics,
others at program inputs and immediate, short-term, intermediate, and long-term
outcomes. Some evaluated the importance of specific program features and benefits.
Carrel and Schoenbachler (2001) examined the “decision considerations” for
students choosing to study in an Executive MBA program as well as the considerations
sponsoring companies use when deciding to financially support employees pursuing an
executive degree. Classifying these considerations as personal, academic, financial, or
“other,” the scholars found that the most important decision factor for students was the
need for new knowledge (designated as a personal consideration), followed closely by the
convenience and flexible scheduling of classes (categorized as an “other” consideration).
Their findings indicated that students are interested in programs that enhance their on-
the-job performance and do not interfere with work schedules.
Rapert et al. (2004) compiled a list of attributes that students considered
“hallmarks” of quality programs and categorized them into metathemes of “in-class” and
“outside-class” environments. Heslop and Nadeau (2010) approached the question
differently, answering four questions in order to craft a list of “must-haves” and
11
“important-to-haves” for MBA programs. In the only published study (reviewed in this
research) that examined views of prospects rather than current students in MBA programs
or recent grads, Heslop and Nadeau (2010) surveyed MBA fair attendees to determine
what important factors they used to determine whether or not to pursue the degree and
what were the important qualities they used in determining the school at which they
chose to study. The researchers used this same group to study the attributes of the “most
preferred” institution to rank the importance of desired outcomes and rated MBA
programs on their ability to deliver these outcomes. Looking at the ease or difficulty of
the decision to pursue the degree, Heslop and Nadeau (2010) found that the primary
decision factors included financial cost, investment of time, career uncertainty, future job
opportunity, and an expressed interest in learning. Heslop and Nadeau (2010) then looked
at the factors most often cited as critical for applicants in selecting a particular school in
which to study. They found that reputation, quality (of both the faculty and the university
as a whole), location convenience, personal fit of program style or goals, scheduling and
programmatic flexibility (as well as ease of navigation), cost, and the ability to gain entry
into the program were most important (Heslop & Nadeau, 2010). In discussing reputation
as a critical factor, it was noted that applicants who were confused or overwhelmed by
the myriad of MBA program choices available “can always fall back on others’ opinions
(including those of ratings magazines), expressed as reputation, [which] makes justifying
their choice of program and school to others very easy” (p. 101).
Next, Heslop and Nadeau (2010) looked at how prospects viewed the “most-
preferred” school (as well as other schools researched) using this indirect approach to
determine what was important to applicants. The authors found that applicants valued
12
certain immediate outcomes (a program with a challenging workload and studying in the
functional areas of management), intermediate outcomes (developing a network of
business contacts; learning strategic decision making, leadership, communication skills;
learning how to work in a team and manage change and innovation; studying both
business theory and business practice) and one long-term outcome (positioning
themselves for a good career).
Moving on to look more specifically at the outcomes that prospects desired
from MBA programs, Heslop and Nadeau (2010) then categorized the outcomes into
immediate-, short-, and long-term outcomes. They created a top ten (out of 40) list of
outcomes. Heslop and Nadeau concluded that the “most critical outcomes for MBA
programs reflect general learning (resulting from a challenging course load and specific
skills development), program content (skills and functional areas of business),
employment and career [opportunities], personal fit (location), and status outcomes
(reputation of school).” They determined this list by comparing the elements that
appeared in the go/no go decision list, the outcomes that impacted the choice of which
institution decision, the top ten ratings of the most preferred program list, and how two
particular schools fared on their (perceived) ability to deliver. They then developed a key
drivers list for MBA applicants, with “must-haves” and “important to haves.” Among the
must-haves: learning leadership skills, a challenging workload, and the ability to develop
a good network. Among the important-to-haves: location convenience, good career
prospects, good reputation, and the opportunity to learn both theory and practice.
Noting that high rankings in magazines did not make either the “must-haves” or
“important to haves” rosters, Heslop and Nadeau (2010) suggested that rankings serve
13
only as a quality signal verified by a third-party that could be used to help justify a
student’s decision to others. The authors also noted that program delivery outcomes such
as case studies, faculty experience and teaching ability, program customization, and
immediate application of lessons did not make either list, suggesting that these important
factors were less a determinant of the MBA program selection process.
In a paper presented at the 17th Annual Professional MBA Conference at
DePaul University in 2010, Powell (2010) surveyed 1,100 prospective MBA students
who were identified by four public and four private universities. Powell (2010)
determined that job security outweighed advancement as a motive for seeking graduate
business degrees. Pointing out that a decade ago students earned an MBA to broaden
skills and take on additional responsibilities on the job, Powell called the changing goals
of MBA seekers a “generational shift,” and suggested, in a news release distributed by
the University of Texas at Dallas, that “business schools may need to carefully rethink
many aspects of how they reach and teach this group of students.”
Noting that it is “almost as if they are pursuing the degree as an insurance
policy,” the news release also pointed out that Powell (2010) found that today’s MBA
prospects aim to keep themselves competitive and make themselves more valuable to
their employer, to seek more security in their jobs, increase their salaries, and position
themselves for promotions. Powell’s (2010) research paper, which looked solely at
students’ expectations prior to matriculation, provided important information related to
how to manage and meet expectations and examined the go/no go question. It did not
delve deeply into the specific factors that prospects consider when selecting a program,
but general conclusions were drawn that could aid both administrators and marketers.
14
Those specific to recruiting prospects included the following: most did not value
information sessions; 25 percent of respondents earned less than $50,000, perhaps
indicating the need for greater aid packages or payment options; the caliber of peers
matters, as 70 percent of respondents expected to have classmates with high GMAT
scores; and nearly half the respondents did not want schools to communicate with them
via social media. In the classroom, prospects expect faculty to have both PhDs and
practical experience; to have access to, along with feedback from and involvement with,
faculty; and to have academic questions answered within 24 hours. Prospects no longer
value study groups (64 percent plan to study mostly alone) but demand more writing labs,
tutoring, and other out-of-class services (Powell, 2010).
While Powell’s research examined the expectations of prospective MBA
students, Dailey et al. (2006) looked at the needs of the MBA consumer, categorizing
them based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (1987). While three needs were mentioned
most frequently (career advancement, financial security, and job security), the authors
found that a need for knowledge/job security, elevated social status/prestige, general
business knowledge, and achievement/challenge fulfillment clustered relatively close
together in a second grouping.
Research Questions
Whether selling consumable goods, durable goods, or intangible services and
programs such as an MBA, marketers must understand consumers’ needs – what
motivates them to buy and what factors they consider when searching for a product to
meet those needs – in order to develop an effective marketing and mass communications
15
strategy. This study sought to determine:
R1: What factors do prospects consider when determining whether to pursue the
MBA, and, for those making that decision,
R2: what program elements do they consider most important when opting to
attend the MBA program at the University of South Florida?
Grounded Theory
Grounded Theory is often referred to as a theory, but, in a sense, it is really the
process that is used to develop a theory that emerges or evolves during the research
process, one that is “grounded in data from the field, especially in the actions,
interactions, and social processes of people” (Creswell, p. 63). The idea is to generate or
discover a theory by using a specific, reflective coding approach to discover processes.
Creswell wrote that the theory “is a good design to use when a theory is not available to
explain a process.” He also noted that “the literature may have models available, but they
were developed and tested on samples and populations other than those of interest to the
[particular] qualitative researcher” (p. 66). Because this research examines a particular
population (one that has not previously been studied) and the process/behaviors of this
group, Grounded Theory serves as an appropriate methodological basis for this inquiry.
Grounded Theory’s founders, sociologists Glaser and Strauss (1967), developed
the theory for sociology scholars but, according to Goulding (2010), Licqurish (2011),
and Payne (2007), among others, the theory has become a popular qualitative research
method across disciplines. Dunne (2011) wrote that the theory has become quite popular
16
in the last two decades in fields ranging from software development processes to
healthcare research. Goulding wrote, “given its emphasis on behaviour it is possible to
argue that it has potential for theoretical advancements in the area of, for example,
consumer research” (p. 22).
Payne (2007) pointed out that this experiential approach is concerned with
inferring meaning about what people think, feel, and do. Given that the purpose of this
study was to understand behavior, namely why consumers choose to pursue an MBA and
what factors they consider when making this choice, Grounded Theory is, again, an
appropriate theory for this inquiry.
Payne also noted that researchers could consider this theory when “relatively little
is known about the topic area, there are no ‘grand’ theories to explain adequately the
specific…behaviors under investigation [or]…researchers are interested in eliciting
participants’ understandings, perceptions, and experiences” (2007, p. 70).
In addition, according to Dunne (2011), Grounded Theory is an “effective
research strategy for topics which have been subject to relatively little research and about
which there is a paucity of knowledge” (p. 116). It was pointed out earlier in this paper
that researchers called this niche an “important but little understood area” and used
phrases such as “paucity of information” to describe the amount of inquiry into this area
This gap in existing literature provides another reason why Grounded Theory was well-
suited for this exploratory study.
In Grounded Theory, the researcher does not begin with a hypothesis but, instead,
poses a question and remains open to whatever theory might emerge from the collected
data (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Strauss & Corbin, 1990). According to Dunne (2011), the
17
researcher is not focused on testing a hypothesis as much as developing one from
empirical data collected in the field. Dunne (2011) also suggested that Grounded Theory
provides a framework for the qualitative researcher and provides systematic guidelines
that counter criticisms that quantitative researchers had lobbied at their peers in the
qualitative arena.
There are specific steps that should be followed when using Grounded Theory,
particularly in terms of data collection and the method and timing of data analysis.
Grounded Theory, according to Dunne (2011), “demands that data collection and analysis
occur concurrently, rather than in a linear sequence” (p. 111).
Scholars use adjectives such as “zigzag,” “spiral,” “circular,” and “constant
comparative” to describe Grounded Theory’s framework (Creswell, 1998, Dunne, 2010;
Payne, 2007; Glaser & Strauss, 1967). In this process/theory, analysis and data collection
are concurrent. The researcher begins data collection and, while it is still early in the data
collection process, begins to analyze the data, reviewing and coding it right away,
searching for major categories of information. After the initial data collection takes place,
followed by open coding and reflection, Grounded Theory’s process calls for more data
collection, followed by more coding – and possibly modification/refinement of the
questions asked during data collection. Initial coding, also called open coding, involves
assigning labels to topics that are mentioned in the interview. Open coding occurs
relatively soon after the interview and, as a result, themes begin to emerge.
According to Goulding (2010), coding usually begins with a line-by-line review
of the transcribed interview, during which the researcher seeks out key words or phrases
that give insight into the subject’s thoughts or behavior. An important point that Goulding
18
(2010) makes related to the development of theory is that one may not emerge. She
wrote, “even for those who do use the method correctly, it is wrong to assume that a
theory will automatically emerge” (p. 30).
Contribution to Existing Literature
This study adds to the existing body of research in several ways. First, it uses an
approach that has not been used in this area before; prior studies have largely been
quantitative in nature. As such, prior work examining studies about motivators lacked
the richness that comes with in-depth interviews. Second, it looked at two specific
segments: new students who were about to start their coursework or were just a few
weeks into their MBA program and prospective students who had not yet determined
whether or not to pursue the degree.
Additionally, it examined a very specific population and used the University of
South Florida as an illustration of an MBA program in consideration. As a result, this
study closes with suggestions for improved strategic marketing and communications
efforts at this specific university.
The next chapter discusses this study’s research design, sample selection,
intercoder reliability, and data analysis.
19
CHAPTER 3: METHOD
This chapter begins with an overview of the method used for this study. It is
followed by a description of the sampling method used to recruit interview subjects. It
closes with a description of the transcription and coding process and the steps taken to
avoid coder bias.
Goulding (2001) pointed out that interviews and observations are the most
common sources of data for this type of research because “interpretations must, or should
include the perspectives and choices of those studied” (p. 23). Additionally, according to
Payne (2007), interviews were suitable for this study because they “build upon everyday
experience of conversations and generally people are pleased to have the opportunity to
talk with an attentive person in a face-to-face situation” (p. 72). Marketing researchers
Griffin and Hauser (2001) pointed out the interviews are an effective way to gather
customer input, saying that “to address both strategic and operational decisions, industry
practice has evolved a form of customer input that has become known as the ‘Voice of
the Customer’” (p. 2). They also wrote that this qualitative method of inquiry is effective
in identifying customer needs. They suggested that a typical study should include
“between 10 and 30 customers” who are interviewed for one hour in a one-on-one
setting. Further, in the same paper, Griffin and Hauser (2001) wrote that “two one-on-one
interviews are about as effective as one focus group…and that four interviews are about
20
as effective as two focus groups” (p. 7) and that “interviewing 20 customers identifies
over 90 percent of the needs provided by 30 customers” (p. 9).
After approval for a qualitative inquiry was received by the University of South
Florida Institutional Review Board, 17 semi-structured in-depth interviews were
conducted between December 2012 and January 2013. The interviews began with a
review of an IRB-approved consent form (see Appendix 3) and were recorded,
transcribed, and analyzed for cues into the factors that current students felt were
important when considering graduate school and then, once that decision was made,
when determining which university might be better suited for each individual.
According to Ruggeri, Gizelis, and Dorussen, intercoder reliability requires that
different coders review the collected data and give the same scores on all dimensions.
Such random checks help to assess reliability, but “it can be a daunting task to recode
previously collected information…and limited monetary resources and time constraints
can seriously derail a project” (p. 346). The researchers pointed out that there is no
guarantee that spot-checks conclusively identify all major problems but such checks may
allow researchers to estimate data reliability. For this thesis, to check against coder bias, a
fellow graduate student in the mass communications program at the University of South
Florida reviewed the first interview and transcript for accuracy, comparing the recorded
interview against its written version. Later, another student randomly selected a different
transcript and reviewed the way it was coded into a master spreadsheet that showed
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question-by-question answers.
Sampling
A blend of random and purposeful sampling was used for this study. Numerous
researchers (Payne, 2007; Gambett & Graffigna, 2012; Goulding, 2010; Licqurish, 2010;
and Creswell, 1998) stress that one of the tenets of Grounded Theory is theoretical
sampling, which means that “participants are selected based on the basis of the emerging
analysis…” (Payne, 2007, p. 664). This sampling method allows researchers to select
additional participants as concepts are identified and the researcher notes that subjects
with specific backgrounds, genders, etc. are needed to fill in gaps in the studied
population and strengthen the findings. Thus, the sampling method for this research
began with a random selection of students who were extended an invitation to participate
in the study and the first interviews were conducted based on convenience and response
order. Later, students were selected for interviews based on a review of the data analyzed
at that point.
Subjects were selected at random from two lists provided by the University of
South Florida. The first list contained names and email addresses for 38 students who had
applied, been accepted, and had paid a deposit to begin MBA classes in January 2013.
This group was labeled as incoming students. Invitations to participate in the study were
extended via email (see Appendix 1) in three rounds (first to every fifth name on the list,
second to every twelfth name on the list – numbers selected at random – then, finally,
given that responses were largely female, to every male on the list who had not already
been invited to participate). A total of 36 requests to be interviewed were sent via email.
22
Eight incoming students agreed to be interviewed. All were either about to begin their
first semester of classes or were less than three weeks into their first semester of the
MBA program.
The second list contained the names of 76 people who had made a reservation to
attend an information session regarding the MBA program at the University of South
Florida. This group was labeled as prospects. Potential subjects were selected at random
and a total of 56 invitations to be interviewed were extended in three waves. The first
group was invited via an email to every fifth person on the list; a second wave of
invitations was extended only to every fifth person who actually attended an information
session. A third wave of invitations was extended to all who had actually attended an
information session as of December 2012. Nine interviews were conducted from this
group (one person who had agreed to be interviewed but who had been denied admission
into the program was not interviewed). See Appendix 1 for the script that was used to
recruit participants.
These two different groups were selected to determine if there were any factors
that one group recognized as key as compared to the other.
Questions for the interviews (see Appendix 4 for a list of questions) were crafted
based on the work of Heslop and Nadeau (2010) and Powell (2010) as both of these
studies focused on prospective MBA students and their expectations, rather than current
students or recent graduates. Questions were clustered as follows: A) questions related to
decision factors, B) questions related to choosing a particular institution, namely USF and
C) demographic information. Questions were not always asked in the exact same order
23
and, based on the conversation and rapport established between the interviewer and
subject, sidebar or follow-up questions were occasionally asked.
Transcribing and Coding
Grounded Theory’s circular approach requires that data is collected, analyzed, and
reviewed as it is collected in order to search for major categories of information. This
approach calls for more data collection, followed by more coding – and possibly
modification/refinement of the questions asked during data collection. Open coding
occurs relatively soon after the interview and, as a result, themes begin to emerge. For
this thesis, interviews were recorded and posted on a private YouTube channel with a
private link to be used solely by the researcher to transcribe interviews. Transcription
took place within a few days of each interview. A graduate student who was not involved
in this research reviewed the first interview and transcription for accuracy.
As is common in Grounded Theory research, the interviewer took notes during
the interviews and additional notes were taken as the written transcriptions were reviewed
by the interviewer. These notes included key words or phrases that may have been cited
by others. These simple notes also included words to trigger the interviewer to compare
at particular areas when evaluating all of the data.
After all of the interviews were transcribed, a master chart of all answers, by
question, was created. Common themes were then identified from the responses
contained in the transcripts. To protect anonymity, an alias provided by each person
interviewed was used for the transcripts, analysis, and reporting of the results.
The next chapter discusses the results of this study.
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CHAPTER 4: RESULTS
Seventeen interviews were conducted, largely in-person (just two were conducted
via telephone), at the University of South Florida, though locations were varied based on
convenience for the subject, particularly prospective students who had not yet made a
decision about studying at the university and did not have a parking pass for the
university or regular business to conduct there. After a review of an IRB-approved
Informed Consent Form (see Appendix 3), whereby subjects were informed of study
goals, interviews were conducted and followed a similar format. The interviews lasted an
average of 24 minutes. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded. Per IRB
standards, all subjects provided an alias that was used in the resulting transcriptions (see
Appendix 5).
Subjects ranged in age from 23 to 44 years of age; most (59 percent, n = 10) were
in their 30s. Respondents were nearly equally split in terms of gender (47 percent women,
n = 8).
More than half of the subjects interviewed were single (nine people said they
were single, two said they were divorced, five reported that they were married, and one
person’s marital status was unknown). The majority of the subjects did not have children;
only one of the subjects was a parent of more than one child.
25
In terms of ethnic or cultural background, 65 percent (n = 11) of the group was
Caucasian and 20 percent of the people interviewed were Asian (n = 3). A quarter of
those interviewed (n = 4) were internationals living in the United States; two indicated a
desire to return to their native nations and use the knowledge gained from the MBA
program to conduct business there.
Though they often share the classroom with MBA students, students pursuing
specialized master’s degrees such as the Master of Science in Marketing or the Master of
Science in Entrepreneurship were not interviewed. At the time the interviews were
scheduled, it was unknown if a prospective student was considering the Executive MBA
and/or traditional MBA program. Two people who were interviewed were considering
the Executive MBA.
Nearly all of those interviewed were working professionals. Just two people
considered themselves full-time students (and both had previously worked full-time); one
person, who had formerly been employed full-time as well, considered herself a full-time
parent. Subjects worked in a variety of areas, ranging from marketing and
communications to school teacher to military analyst. Their employers also varied, with
three people working for non-profits and three working for family businesses. Others
worked for large employers such as Coca-Cola or Baycare Health Systems.
While it is difficult to draw firm conclusions from just 17 people, this suggests
that, for communications purposes, the target market for prospective students could be
comprised of working adults ranging in age from 20 to 45 years old, single or married,
with no children or very young children. This further suggests that there may not be one
specific industry that could be selected as a primary target market from which to recruit
26
new students, though analysis of USF's entire MBA population might reveal the top two
or three industries in which most current students work.
Regarding educational backgrounds, all subjects had earned an undergraduate
degree within the last 12 years, with nearly 60 percent (n = 10) earning their degree more
than five years ago. Nearly half (47 percent, n = 8) of those interviewed earned an
undergraduate degree from the University of South Florida, though their undergraduate
majors varied from business to communications. In total, just 47 percent (n = 8) of the
people interviewed earned undergraduate degrees in business. Others earned bachelor's
degrees in disciplines such as mass communications, Spanish, international relations,
hospitality management, engineering, and microbiology.
Time to Decision
Regardless of area of study, more than half of the subjects (52 percent, n = 9)
noted that they had thought about getting an MBA since they were undergraduate
students, using phrases such as "always on my radar" and "when I first graduated from
college" when asked how long they had been thinking about pursuing an MBA.
I thought about it for years, actually. But I just kind of stayed away from it because it is tough to do when you are working full-time. The opportunity cost of stopping making money is tough to swallow…coming back and not being employed made it an easy transition for me to come to school full-time…I get to, kind of, recalibrate my career. – Fred, incoming student
Since I graduated it was an option, but I, well, I started working with my dad and I kept putting it off and putting it off…really, since before graduation, all of my accounting professors pretty much suggested that if you're going to graduate, get an undergraduate degree in accounting, you might as well go for your MBA so you can be a CPA. All of them really suggested it. – Jorge
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I always knew that I would go back and get my MBA. – Chase, incoming student
While subjects frequently stated that pursuing an MBA was a consideration they
had for years, most people interviewed (76 percent, n = 13) indicated that they had been
seriously considering an MBA for at least six months. This may indicate that the MBA
sales cycle begins with faculty members and adjunct professors or instructors who
promote graduate business programs in their undergraduate classrooms. Once people
move to the ‘seriously considering’ stage several years later, the sales cycle ranges from a
few months to three years. This may signal marketers, at least those in this particular
market, that call-to-action MBA advertising campaigns don’t pay off until many months
later.
This suggests that there may be fertile ground for to plant proverbial recruiting
seeds by educating faculty about how their seemingly passing comments on graduate
education are stored by students. As part of a strategic communications plan, faculty
from the business school as well as those in areas far beyond this discipline should be
educated about the benefits of pursuing an MBA and encouraged to suggest the graduate
business program to their students by discussing the career benefits that could come with
the advanced degree. Further, the strategic communications campaign should include
outreach to business faculty and instructors that informs them of the impact their
suggestions regarding graduate education have upon undergraduate students in their
classrooms. It is likely, however, that faculty from other areas of study are likely to
encourage students to pursue graduate education in the same discipline.
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Why Pursue an MBA?
Subjects found it easier to answer questions about long-term career goals than to
identify short-term career goals. Answers were clustered around moving into
management or executive-level positions (59 percent, n = 10), or potentially launching
their own businesses (23 percent, n = 4), or taking over the family business (12 percent, n
= 2).
All of the people interviewed saw the MBA as a means to an end: a promotion,
the opportunity to earn more money, the chance to take over family business, or to
change his or her career. When asked if there was a specific incident that led to recent
inquiries into the MBA, or, for those who were brand-new students, something that
prompted enrollment in the program, answers clustered around four areas:
More Money
Eighty-two percent expressed that they considered earning the graduate business
degree because they desire to earn a better salary (two people cited money directly, but
12 people (71 percent) cited a desire to advance in their careers, which implies earning
more money (though, admittedly, money may not be the key motivator for upward
mobility).
Being able to change fields and make more money…it is really about finding a job that pays more money. – Angie, incoming student
Long-term, my salary. That’s pretty much it…[the] most important decision I want to make with this is if, you know, if I do get this job that I do make a better salary. That’s the main importance. So that, that it's worth going. – Tina, prospective student
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Career Change
The desire to change careers or industries was mentioned by several people. A
third (35 percent, n = 6) of those interviewed indicated that they are dissatisfied with their
current job and/or want to change careers and see the MBA as a way to do so.
And so I said to my husband, "you know, if I just don't love my job making $37,000, why don't I not love my job making $100,000?" – Casey, incoming student
And also, a shift in the field of engineering. I am basically going to select an elective like healthcare. So a shift in the field from...software industry to healthcare provision, basically. – Angie, incoming student
…knowing, basically, that I wanted to switch careers, and knowing that without getting formal training it would be difficult to get into a new position…so I figured this is the best step in order to bridge the gap, basically. – JoAnn, incoming student
Required Credential
The desire to prepare for next step in career progression (using phrases such as
“diversify skillset,” “become more marketable,” “position myself for promotion” or
"can't move up without" an MBA) was mentioned by all but four subjects (76 percent, n
= 13). More than half (52 percent, n = 9) of those interviewed pointed out that they feel
they cannot move any further up the corporate ladder without the MBA. One referred to
the MBA as a "required credential;" another pointed out that he needed the "three letters."
I think the long-term benefit would be general career advancement. I can't go any further without an MBA. – Marsha, incoming student
It's a competitive advantage over people who don't have a master's degree of some sort. And there are still a large amount of those people out there.
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So any competitive advantage is going to get you the initial interview and hopefully will help. – Fred, incoming student
I thought that I wanted to get an MBA because, looking around, everybody has an [undergraduate] degree and an MBA would give me an edge, really, in terms of contacts. And also the quality of people….A lot of experience in hand. I'll be able to talk to the right people. – Ish, incoming student
When I talked to a few headhunters for the positions that I wanted, they, you know, they said "you should start thinking about getting an MBA; it would really help you." – Woody, incoming student
The long-term benefit of an MBA would allow you to move into senior-level management positions, such as, like a [chief operator officer] of the hospital, a vice president of a company, that type of position. – Cory, prospective student
I am really stuck in a place where I can't move up. So that's why. – JoAnn, incoming student
Need for Knowledge
Just four people (24 percent) expressed that their desire for business knowledge
prompted their inquiry into the program; three of the four indicated that their career plans
involved working in a family business, which, therefore, meant that they needed the
business fundamentals that can be learned in an MBA program.
I know before I get too, get too far ahead in the company, that I really do [need], like you were saying, the financial aspect of things. I really do need to get that experience. I do intend to take over the company. I kind of have a five year plan. – Cassie, prospective student
So, if, you know, every once in a while I have an idea that's a great idea. I don't know what to do with it, you know, and so it's kind of… I want to have that kind of foundational knowledge so that I can branch out and
31
have, you know, have a side business or develop it into something more if that opportunity comes along. – Chase, incoming student
Benefits of an MBA
As one might expect, nearly every person interviewed said the long-term benefits
of earning an MBA were related to career and/or salary growth. Prospects and incoming
students alike used terms such as "workplace marketability," "differentiate myself,"
"competitive advantage," or "having an edge over other applicants" when describing how
the MBA could help their careers
When asked how long it would take for them to say "this was worth it" when
reflecting on the MBA, the answers were varied. Several people struggled to find an
answer to the question.
I think, ultimately, after the whole program I would hope to feel well-rounded enough. But I would imagine that starting in the courses I would start to see the return. And talking about those relationships and the people that you are going to be meeting. – Cassie, prospective student
Others looked at it more matter-of-factly, saying when they earn a salary greater
than the cost of the program or obtain a position that they could not have obtained
without the MBA credential. Of those who gave a specific timeframe, most said a few
years after graduation (though, of course, some said immediately after graduation).
Where to Pursue the MBA?
Subjects were asked to simply cite factors they considered when choosing a
particular university; they were not provided a list that included particular elements. Not
surprisingly, 27 different factors were cited, ranging from ability to gain admission to
32
face-to-face content to opportunities for spring admissions. The most common factors
cited were career opportunities that open up as a result of MBA (12 times), the
university's reputation (11 times), face-to-face content preferred over online courses (11
times), and program content or design (10 times).
It positions me in the workplace, right, for a higher level management role as a controller. – Chase, incoming student
Because I wanted face-to-face [classes] and it has, like, the classes are night classes. And they have that whole semesters divided (referring to 8-week and 12-week classes). The whole thing. The way they have this planned out so that you can work around your work schedule. It's awesome. – Marsha, incoming student
There did not appear to be a significant difference in the things that mattered to
prospects versus things that mattered to incoming students, however an interesting
observation can be made by comparing the two groups. For incoming students, issue of
timing was referenced using terms such as “the time is right in my life,” “time is right in
my career,” and “job loss makes timing right.” Prospects did not use such terms, instead
noting that they were considering the degree because of fears of job loss or a reduction in
their company’s workforce or to position themselves to move up or withstand such a
change. This might be explained by noting that of course “the time is right” for those
who have made the decision to move forward with those who have not yet made this
decision have not come to such a conclusion.
The opportunity to network with peers and professors, cost, and location of the
university were all cited by a third (35 percent, n = 6) of the people interviewed,
prospects and incoming students alike. They indicated that they care about the caliber of
33
peers in the classroom and that networking with peers and/or faculty was a benefit that
could be gained from pursuing an MBA.
I mean, when you are in the classroom environment you don't just learn from whoever is teaching the course, you learn from the people around you...so that is important to me, just knowing what other people bring. What I can learn from these people. Because at the end of the day, I -- most of us are already working individuals, so to see how their experiences can help me to maybe have a better experience at my job or advance my career. – Rusty, prospective student
I completely ruled out doing any kind of internet program. I really don't want to miss out on that face-to-face experience with the professors or the other people in the cohort. That's important to me and from what I have heard, people really enjoy that. – Cassie, prospective student
And the other piece is the collaboration. I mean, with your professors, having those kinds of discussions that you get in the classroom setting and the networking opportunities with other students. – Mike, , incoming student
What kind of business opportunities, what kind of connections, what kind of networking are you really going to be able to do living and going to school in Gainesville? That was a big factor. – Casey, incoming student
Reputation and rankings mattered to some people. Subjects said that they read
online MBA forums (six percent, n = 1), looked at BusinessWeek or U.S. News and
World Report rankings (24 percent, n = 4), or cited the vague term "reputation" (53
percent, n = 9) when determining which university to attend.
[rankings matter because] it gives me this thinking that the people that I am going to meet and be meeting is better quality....the quality of the program and the quality of the people. – Ish, incoming student
34
The decision was if I am going to go back to get my MBA. That was the big decision. And if I am not getting into, you know, a Top 50 school, based on U.S. News and World Reports, I don't necessarily care where I go. It was -- and if I look at schools relative the same as far as their perception in the business world -- I want to go to the one that is easiest and most convenient for me and get my MBA. – Fred, incoming student
Though most subjects indicated that they had considered online options, most
implied that online options were considered to be less valuable than face-to-face MBA
programs. Only one person expressed interest in earning an MBA online; eleven people
(65 percent, n = 11) cited face-to-face instruction as a factor that was important when
choosing a university.
A third (35 percent, n = 6) of those interviewed cited the length of the program
(duration of the program) as a decision factor.
There were a few surprises in the findings. Just nine people (52 percent) said that
program cost was a primary factor in their decision to pursue the degree.
The cost wasn't, it really wasn't that much of a deciding factor. The cost. The network of people was more important to me. That was ultimately why I decided not to get an online degree for Florida or Auburn, Penn State, or something like that, because, yeah, it has name recognition, but what you pay for in a master's program is the people that you meet. Yeah, at least, that's where I put my value. The only way I was going to, you know, take advantage of that was to go to a local university. – Chase, incoming student
You know, the money is, for what it is going to, you know, give me for the rest of my life, it is kind of a drop in the bucket. It's -- no, I can't think about the money. – Woody, incoming student
An interesting observation is six of the nine people who indicated cost was
important were prospects. Only three of the people who said cost was a significant factor
35
were incoming students. One possible explanation for this difference might be
justification. Students who have already chosen to take on the expense of the program
may be justifying the cost whereas, for those who have not yet decided to pursue the
MBA, this is a weightier issue.
In addition, few subjects – incoming students and prospects alike – listed AACSB
accreditation when freely naming program elements or features that were important. In
nearly half of the interviews (47 percent, n = 8), accreditation was not mentioned by the
subject or the interviewer. In cases where the interviewer directly asked, in a follow up
question, if accreditation mattered, several people said it mattered but that it was not
information that they sought out. Three people said it didn't really matter. One person
said, "it's just that there's a blanket level of trust" that the university is accredited. Asked
why accreditation was not a key factor in his decision where to study, he summed it up by
saying,
...to me it's not relevant. I mean, I am sure that there are others where it might [be relevant]. I trust that the university would take the program seriously and hire very competent professionals to instruct. – John, prospective student Oh, [accreditation], that really didn't matter. I didn't even know about this. – Jorge, prospective student It [accreditation] mattered. But [I] just wanted to know it had it. – Cassie, prospective student
This might signal marketers that the AACSB-accreditation seal is something to be
featured on advertisements but it should not be one of the key communications messages.
Future studies might investigate how often and in what industries such accreditation
matters when it comes to hiring managers.
36
Just One Answer
When asked to narrow down all factors to the single-most important factor, 41
percent (n = 7) of the subjects narrowed their answers down to the university's ability to
help make them more marketable or advance their career. Other answers included cost,
university's reputation (cited twice), convenience, program duration, university's location
(cited twice), and the caliber of peers in the classroom (cited twice).
Market-specific Competition
USF's competition for MBA students, based on this sample, is largely the
University of Florida and The University of Tampa, perhaps indicating that USF's
potential students are place-bound.
I love where I live in Sarasota and wanted to find a program where I could live in Sarasota at least for the next year and a half. – Woody, incoming student
I didn't put all these schools next to each other and say, "oooh, I wonder where I should go." It was sort of like, "I am going to USF." – Marsha, incoming student
Ideally I would love to go back to [the University of Florida] just because I went there and am a diehard Gator, but, at the same time, the traveling; it would really be what is going to hold me back, I think. – Cassie, prospective student
Fifty-three percent (n = 9) of the subjects indicated that they considered the
University of Florida; 47 percent (n = 8) cited The University of Tampa. Only four
people indicated that they considered universities outside of Florida and, in those cases,
37
two of them only considered non-Florida colleges because of an online MBA option.
Only one person mentioned a for-profit university.
As would be expected, most subjects said their journey to learn more about the
MBA programs began with an online search. Seven people attended the info sessions
hosted by USF's MBA office. Interestingly, of the brand new students interviewed, only
38 percent (n = 3) had attended an info session but nearly all of the prospects had
attended the info session (note: the list for new students included any recently accepted
student who had paid a deposit; the list for potential subjects was obtained by pulling
people who had RSVP'd for an info session which could explain why the percentage of
people who attended is so much higher for prospects than new students).
Only two people had attended an info session for a university other than the
University of South Florida. Most of those who attended USF's information sessions
found it to be satisfactory, though two of the ten who had attended a session indicated
that having current students or recent alumni there would improve the sessions.
I was a little under-impressed. I kind of felt the same way about orientation...I think a lot about the attitude and the energy and how you want to portray your program. And the info sessions seemed a little too casual. I was expecting it to be more. You know, to have that "fancy business feel." And it didn't. – Casey, incoming student
It was informative, but, to be honest, I kind of felt like if I read the website I really didn't need to go. I didn't really gain more information. But I was glad that I went. – JoAnn, prospective student
Three-fourths of those interviewed indicated that they sought out information on
the program informally through word-of-mouth. Several specifically sought out current
students in USF's MBA program to talk about their experiences. Given that the most
38
frequent suggestion for improving USF's info session was to include current students or
young alumni as presenters or panelists, it is clear that prospective MBA students want to
hear from people who are traversing the road that the prospect is considering.
Obstacles
Prospective students said that they worried about being successful in the program
and being able to achieve academically. In addition, while most people expressed a desire
to network and get to know the "right" people, or stated that the caliber of peers in the
classroom was important, nearly 65 percent (n = 11) of those interviewed indicated that
they personally worried about being the “right” people, about their own ability to gain
admission into the program.
Half of the people interviewed indicated that they worried about passing the
GMAT and all of the prospects interviewed still have the GMAT test ahead of them
(including two who took it as undergraduates but are not satisfied with those early
scores). Fifty-five percent of those the prospects interviewed (n = 5) have already
narrowed their school choices down to just two schools or indicated that they are very
likely to choose USF. Of those who have already begun their first semester of
coursework, 75 percent (n = 6) had already decided on USF before taking the test. This
suggests that purchasing lists of GMAT test takers or registrants in order to send direct
mail or email blasts might reassure test takers that their selection of USF as a likely
school is a good decision. It is unlikely, however, to sway those who have not yet
considered USF as a potential school.
39
These results are discussed in the next chapter, which also includes some
suggestions for practitioners to consider when creating a strategic communications
program for USF’s MBA program.
40
CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION
The purpose of this study was to determine what mattered to potential MBA
students in order to craft strategic communications messages that are used to promote a
particular university’s MBA program and to recruit potential students.
Results from this study suggest that, when trying to reach a target audience
similar to the one described in this study, several changes could be made in the
advertising and communications messages used to promote the University of South
Florida MBA. Some tactical suggestions are offered below, as well as some broader
information that should be considered when crafting a strategic communications plan.
First, the university’s advertising creative and communications messages should
be improved to better reflect what matters most to potential students: how long is it going
to take, who am I going to be studying alongside, and can I get in?
In response to suggestions from faculty and university leadership about the
importance of world-class faculty and relevant research, advertisements for the USF
MBA were tweaked in the last two years to feature several faculty members, from a
variety of disciplines, and talked about their research credentials and the relevance of
their scholarly inquiries. In addition, the AACSB-seal was added to advertisements and
inserts placed in the regional editions of the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, BusinessWeek,
and the like.
41
Promoting the faculty credentials and the college’s AACSB accreditation is not a
bad thing, of course, but it runs counter to this study; according to those interviewed,
these factors do not appear to be of primary importance to the college’s target market.
Ads should, instead, point to the program’s face-to-face learning and networking
opportunities and the MBAs ability to help students advance their careers.
Communication materials (everything from the website to online ads to social media
posts) should point to the caliber of students that prospects would be studying alongside,
perhaps using current students and/or recent alumni to talk about the new business
partners they met in the MBA program. The challenge, of course, would be to do so
without making the admissions requirements and credentials seem unattainable as so
many people expressed concern about their own ability to gain admission.
The vehicles used for the communications materials should be reviewed carefully.
Prospects revealed that their information seeking began with online searches, so the
university’s search engine rankings and search engine optimization strategies should be
explored. If direct mail is to be included in the university’s buy plan, this study revealed
that purchasing lists of GMAT test registrants and test takers in order to send such
revised messages about the caliber of peers in the classroom would likely affirm choices
already made (which is a good thing); this is unlikely to be an avenue to sway people
who have not already narrowed down their choices. Therefore, the purpose of the direct
mail campaign should be clearly defined or the use of other lists should be explored.
Secondly, given that several subjects shared that they sought out information from
current students that they work alongside, using current students as informal ambassadors
could be a guerilla-marketing tactic that could prove to sway people who are still in the
42
“always wanted to do it” stage to start investigating MBA programs. This could be
accomplished by providing promotional items for all MBA students upon admission to
the program. If this were something for the office, the item could be used to spark
conversation amongst coworkers. This could be something fairly inexpensive, such as
sticky note pads that proudly proclaim the students status as a “Business Bull” or
something more expensive, such as photo frames for soon-to-be graduates who are
registering for their final semester of classes.
In addition, certain features that might seem bland or fairly common could be
highlighted to better reflect the benefits of USF’s program. For instance, USF offers 16-
week, 12-week, 8-week, and one week semesters, depending on the course. This feature
could be better highlighted to address a benefit that mattered to most of the subjects
interviewed, namely “how long is the program going to take me to finish.”
Also, given that the caliber of peers in the classroom and geographic location
were two important considerations for those interviewed, messaging should convey
USF’s physical location in Tampa and point to its business connections as part of a large
metropolitan community.
Given that the website is the first place that prospects said they sought
information about the program, messages and content on the MBA website should be
edited to convey similar messages. While the current website includes all the specific
information about program content and features, it should speak more to the benefits of
the program. In addition, more photos and testimonials should be added that could
illustrate how current students or recent graduates have been able to advance up the
corporate ladder.
43
Several people, prospects and new students alike, indicated that while all of the
content provided at the sessions was accurate and relevant, that the sessions could be, in a
sense, “dressed up” to have, as one subject put it “that fancy business feel.” An easy way
to tweak information sessions to convey a more formal business feel would be by having
students and employees in business attire. In addition, several people who attended the
sessions implied that they did not learn anything that they could not have learned via a
careful review of the website; including opportunities for attendees to interact with
current students or recent graduates would make the sessions more meaningful. It would
also serve to illustrate the caliber of students in the classroom as well as reaffirm that the
decision to attend USF would be a smart one, in the eyes of these credible third-party
(somewhat) peers. This would likely be very easy to accomplish by recruiting a small
team of informal ambassadors from the program and providing tchotchkes or special
recognition for those who participate in several sessions per semester. Given that it was
fairly easy to recruit brand-new students and prospects for this study simply by sending
email, recruiting a cache of a dozen or so new students or recent alumni would likely be
fairly easy to do.
Limitations
Among the limitations of this research: the sample only included prospective
graduate students who had registered to attend an information session at USF or those
who were enrolled in first-year MBA classes at this particular university, therefore
revealing only what matters to those already interested in USF. It did not reveal
information that mattered to those who considered USF but chose to attend another
44
institution or those who never considered this university. Interviews with those who
attended information sessions at other universities would provide additional data that
might enhance the findings, as would interviews with those who considered USF but
opted to attend a different institution.
Another limitation of this study is its sample size. While 17 interviews are
certainly enough to determine themes among the new and prospective students, it falls
short of Griffin and Hauser’s (1993) “recommended 20-30 interviews…necessary to get
90-95 percent of the customer needs” (p. 12). One of the tenets of Grounded Theory is
that the researcher conducts research, analyzes it, and then continues to conduct
additional research until one of the categories that has developed is fully saturated. While
17 exploratory interviews seemed to be enough to saturate some categories, such as
reasons to pursue an MBA, more interviews could be conducted in order to fully saturate
every category.
Further, while two different graduate students reviewed the researcher’s work to
check for coder bias, Griffin and Hauser (1993) suggest that “multiple analysts or team
members should read and interpret the raw transcripts” (p. 12). Time and a lack of
staffing resources prevented such a review.
As Goulding (2010) pointed out, grounded theorists must acknowledge that there
are risk factors associated with this method, which include the lack of an emergent theory
or research that is “an eclectic empiricism in which too many categories are combined in
an a-theoretical framework whereby causal relations and tendencies…are lost” (p 30). In
this study, no concrete theory emerged and the resulting information is simply a narrative
45
exploration of the factors new students considered when deciding to pursue an MBA at
USF.
Recognizing that using this study is limited to one particular site, another
limitation is that because of its the sample size, the results of this study are not
generalizable or transferrable.
Finally, the author of this thesis is a current graduate student in the mass
communications program at the University of South Florida. When contacting subjects
to request interviews, she presented herself as such, however, at some of the interviews,
during casual banter, many of the subjects asked where the interviewer worked or why
she would choose to conduct this particular study. The interviewer and study author
revealed that she was as a student in the mass communications program but was also an
employee of the USF College of Business. This fact may (or may not) have affected the
subjects’ candor.
Future Studies
There are many ways that future studies could extend this research. The most
obvious: to examine what prospects who opted to attend another university considered
when making their decision to pursue an MBA as well as where to obtain the degree. If
the samples included USF’s two primary competitors, namely the University of Florida
and The University of Tampa, such an additional inquiry might inform marketers of the
primary factors that mattered to prospects choosing other universities as well as perceived
differences among programs.
46
Future research might also delve deeper into areas that surfaced later in this
particular inquiry, namely the areas of accreditation and the caliber of faculty. In this
research, the interviewer did not ask questions related to these areas until after it became
apparent that these were not being included in the free response answers about factors
that mattered. Future inquiries could include questions about these areas from the onset in
order to gather more data as to whether these omissions are due to an assumption about
the faculty’s caliber based on the university’s reputation.
Future inquiries could look to see how theories such as the Theory of Reasoned
Action, which is used to predict behavioral intent, or the actions people will take based
on their attitudes, might apply to this area. Such a study might reveal if it is possible to
predict behaviors for prospects, should certain factors, such as endorsements or
encouragement from supervisors, be present – or which factors must be present in order
to predict certain behaviors.
A quantitative study might extend this research by using a Likert scale to measure
the level of weight or importance that could be assigned to the factors cited by the
subjects in this study.
Finally, future research might look closely at the information sessions hosted by
the university. The prospect group used for this research largely included people who
attended an information session. Future inquiries could examine how those who did not
attend such a session determined where to study.
47
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APPENDICES
53
APPENDIX 1 - RECRUITMENT SCRIPT
As a fellow graduate student at the University of South Florida, I am emailing to ask for your participation in a research study about factors prospective MBA students consider when deciding whether or not to pursue an MBA, and, in particular, factors considered when you chose to pursue an MBA at the University of South Florida. The purpose of the study is to help create strategic communications messages that are created considering those factors that are most important to future students. Participation is simple: you would simply be interviewed, in person, by a researcher who would inquire about your decision to pursue an MBA and your selection of this particular program. It would require approximately 45 minutes of your time, to be scheduled at a mutually agreeable time. The interviews would be conducted at a convenient location for you, preferably at USF in the College of Business. To be eligible for this study, you must be pursuing an MBA and in the first semester of study at USF. You must also be at least 21 years old. If you are willing to participate, please reply to this email and you will be contacted to schedule an interview. Name of interviewer/investigator: Lorie Briggs, [email protected], 813-732-6233. USF IRB number Pro ID:Pro00010367
54
APPENDIX 2 - IRB APPROVAL
55
APPENDIX 3 - INFORMED CONSENT
Informed Consent to Participate in Research Information to Consider Before Taking Part in this Research Study IRB Study # Pro00010367 You are being asked to take part in a research study. Research studies include only people who choose to take part. This document is called an informed consent form. Please read this information carefully and take your time making your decision. Ask the researcher or study staff to discuss this consent form with you. Please ask him/her to explain any words or information you do not clearly understand. We encourage you to talk with your family and friends before you decide to take part in this research study. The nature of the study, risks, inconveniences, discomforts, and other important information about the study are listed below. We are asking you to take part in a research study called: Factors Prospective Students Consider When Selecting an MBA Program The person who is in charge of this research study is Lorie Briggs. This person is called the Principal Investigator. However, other research staff may be involved and can act on behalf of the person in charge. She is being guided in this research by Dr. Justin Brown. The research will be conducted at the University of South Florida Tampa campus.
Purpose of the study The purpose of this study is to:
Determine the factors that prospective students consider when selecting an MBA program.
It is part of a master’s thesis for a student in the USF School of Mass Communications.
Should you take part in this study?
Before you decide:
Read this form and find out what the study is about.
You may have questions this form does not answer. You do not have to guess at things you don’t understand. If you have questions, ask the person in charge of the study or study staff as you go along. Ask them to explain things in a way you can understand.
Take your time to think about it. This form tells you about this research study. This form explains:
56
APPENDIX 3 (CONTINUED)
Why this study is being done.
What will happen during this study and what you will need to do.
Whether there is any chance of benefits from being in this study.
The risks involved in this study.
How the information collected about you during this study will be used and with whom it may be shared.
Taking part in this research study is up to you. If you choose to be in the study, then you should sign this informed consent form. If you do not want to take part in this study, you should not sign this form.
Why is this research being done?
The purpose of this study is to find out what factors prospective students consider when looking at an MBA program, and, in particular the factors that were most important to you in your recent decision to pursue an MBA at the University of South Florida.
Why are you being asked to take part?
We are asking you to take part in this study because you are a graduate business student who began coursework toward an MBA within the last year.
What will happen during this study?
You will be asked to spend about one hour in this study. This hour will include a one-on-one interview with the PI to discuss your decision to pursue an MBA. A study visit is with the person in charge of the study or study staff. You will need to come for one study visit in all. Most study visits will take about one hour. Some study visits may be longer. The interview will be recorded, with consent, for the purposes of transcription and, once transcribed, subjects will be assigned an alias and the recordings will be destroyed.
Total Number of Participants
About a dozen individuals will take part in this study at USF.
Alternatives
You do not have to participate in this research study.
Benefits
We are unsure if you will receive any benefits by taking part in this research study.
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APPENDIX 3 (CONTINUED)
Risks or Discomfort
This research is considered to be minimal risk. That means that the risks associated with this study are the same as what you face every day. There are no known additional risks to those who take part in this study.
Compensation
You will receive no payment or other compensation for taking part in this study.
Cost
There is no cost to participate in this study.
Privacy and Confidentiality
We will keep your study records private and confidential. Certain people may need to see your study records. By law, anyone who looks at your records must keep them completely confidential. The only people who will be allowed to see these records are:
The research team, including the Principal Investigator, study coordinator, research nurses, and all other research staff
Certain government and university people who need to know more about the study. For example, individuals who provide oversight on this study may need to look at your records. This is done to make sure that we are doing the study in the right way. They also need to make sure that we are protecting your rights and your safety.
The USF Institutional Review Board (IRB) and its related staff who have oversight responsibilities for this study, staff in the USF Office of Research and Innovation, USF Division of Research Integrity and Compliance, and other USF offices who oversee this research.
We may publish what we learn from this study. If we do, we will not include your name. We will not publish anything that would let people know who you are.
Voluntary Participation/Withdrawal
You should only take part in this study if you want to volunteer. You should not feel that there is any pressure to take part in the study. You are free to participate in this research or withdraw at any time. There will be no penalty or loss of benefits you are entitled to receive if you stop taking part in this study. Your decision to participate or not to participate will not affect your student status (course grade) or job status.
New information about the study
During the course of this study, we may find more information that could be important to you. This includes information that, once learned, might cause you to change your mind
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APPENDIX 3 (CONTINUED)
about being in the study. We will notify you as soon as possible if such information becomes available.
What happens if you decide not to take part in this study?
You should only take part in this study if you want to volunteer. You should not feel there is any pressure to take part in the study to please research staff. If you decide not to take part in the study you, will not be in trouble or lose any rights you normally have.
You can get the answers to your questions, concerns, or complaints.
If you have any questions, concerns or complaints about this study, call Lorie Briggs at 813-974-7280. If you have questions about your rights, general questions, complaints, or issues as a person taking part in this study, call the USF IRB at (813) 974-5638.
Consent to Take Part in Research
It is up to you to decide whether you want to take part in this study. If you want to take part, please read the statements below and sign the form if the statements are true. I freely give my consent to take part in this study. I understand that by signing this form I am agreeing to take part in research. I have received a copy of this form to take with me. ______________________________________________ Signature of Person Taking Part in Study Date ______________________________________________ Printed Name of Person Taking Part in Study
Statement of Person Obtaining Informed Consent and Research Authorization
I have carefully explained to the person taking part in the study what he or she can expect from their participation. I hereby certify that when this person signs this form, to the best of my knowledge, he/ she understands:
What the study is about; What procedures/interventions/investigational drugs or devices will be used; What the potential benefits might be; and What the known risks might be.
I can confirm that this research subject speaks the language that was used to explain this research and is receiving an informed consent form in the appropriate language. Additionally, this subject reads well enough to understand this document or, if not, this person is able to hear and understand when the form is read to him or her. This subject does not have a medical/psychological problem that would compromise comprehension and therefore makes it hard to understand what is being explained and can, therefore, give legally effective informed consent. This subject is not under any type of anesthesia or
59
APPENDIX 3 (CONTINUED)
analgesic that may cloud their judgment or make it hard to understand what is being explained and, therefore, can be considered competent to give informed consent. ___________________________________________ ______ Signature of Person Obtaining Informed Consent Date ___________________________________________ Printed Name of Person Obtaining Informed Consent
60
APPENDIX 4 - INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Where did you attend school? How long ago did you graduate?
2. What did you study as an undergrad?
3. Do you work? Where and how many years of work experience do you have?
Thinking about when you first began to consider an MBA… 4. How long ago did you first start thinking about pursuing an MBA degree?
5. Was there a particular incident that led you to consider an MBA, or was there a particular reason you began to think about the degree?
6. What did you think the long-term benefit would be?
7. Did you think there might be some short-term benefits? Headaches?
Thinking about your process to decision… 8. How long did you think about it before you began researching programs?
9. Did you think about program first, then university, or university first, then program?
10. When did you take the GMAT…before exploring programs, after exploring programs but before exploring universities, after the decision and location had been determined?
Deciding on a program… 11. How did you go about seeking information on the programs?
12. What factors were important to you as you began to research programs? For instance, were you looking at the program content or other factors?
13. How would you rank those factors in terms of importance to you at that time?
Deciding on a university… 14. Once you decided to go for the degree, what universities did you consider?
15. How did you find out information about the specific universities? Did you attend in-person information sessions? Get all the information online? Seek word-of-mouth reviews from friends? Ask coworkers about particular institutions?
16. What factors were important as you determined the institution you would attend?
17. How would you rank those items in terms of importance to you at the time?
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APPENDIX 4 (CONTINUED)
18. What was the one thing that was most important to you all along this process?
Once you obtain the degree… 19. What are your career aspirations, short-term? Long-term?
20. How long do you believe it will take to see a monetary gain as a result of earning the degree?
62
APPENDIX 5 - INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS
InterviewDate: December11,2012InterviewLocation: USFCollegeofBusiness,TampaInterviewSubject: Casey,35yearoldfemale,Incoming#1InterviewDuration: 36minutes
CaseyisaCaucasianfemalewhohasapplied,beenaccepted,andpaidthedeposittobegintheMBAprogramatUSFinthecomingsemester.Shehadattendedthenewstudent orientation a fewdaysprior to the interviewbuthadnot yetbegunMBAclasses.ShehasworkedforseveralyearssinceearninganundergraduatedegreeinSpanish fromNortheasternUniversity in Boston,Mass.When contacting Casey toschedule the interview, it was discovered that Casey and her husband are bothemployeesattheUniversityofSouthFlorida,bothworkinginthestudentservicesfield.Therewassomeinitialbanterabouttheuniversity’sgratistuitionprogramforemployees prior to the interview, as thiswas relevant to the couple’s decision(s)relatedtograduateeducation.AsherhusbandisalsoconsideringtheMBAprogram,and he is an influencer in her life, she included commentary about his choicesthroughouttheinterview.
Interviewer: So, first, where did you attend school for your1undergrad?2
Subject: IwenttoschoolatNortheasternUniversityinBoston.3Interviewer: Howlongagodidyougraduateandwhatdidyoustudy?4Subject: I started my undergrad degree in 1996 and studied5
abroad, and then moved abroad. I didn’t go back to6finish my undergrad degree until ‘05. So I actually7graduatedin’06.8
Interviewer: Didyougraduatefromthesameschool?9Subject: Yes, I went back to Northeastern. I graduated with a10
BachelorofArtsinSpanish.11Interviewer: Wheredidyoustudyabroad?12Subject: Argentina. And then I had a – my first master’s is a13
master’s in education in curriculum instructionwith a14concentrationincollegestudentaffairs.15
Interviewer: Wheredidyougetthatdegree?16Subject: ThatwasfromNortheastern,too.17Interviewer: Andearlier(priortotheinterview)yousaidyouwerein18
alinguisticsprogramaswell?19Subject: I am. It’s a master – it’s an MA, so a Master of Arts20
degree. It’s a TSOL program, so teaching English as a21secondlanguageatthecollegelevel(unintelligible).22
Interviewer: Sowhyintheworld,withone,er,oneandahalfdegrees23behindyou,wouldyouconsiderstartingtheMBA?24
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Subject: Well, I like to take classes. I feel like it’s a . . . it’s a25benefit . . . it’saveryfinanciallyworthwhilebenefitfor26us to take classes, so I enjoy school, so I always found27somethinginterestingtostudy.That’skindofwhy,why28school. The MBA, I got started thinking about it, you29know,workingwithstudentseveryday,hearingabout30their job opportunities just [as they are] finishing the31business undergrad degree. And seeing the kinds of32experiences they’re having and all the different33directions they’re going in, primarily, hearing about34theirsalary,youknow,justwiththeirundergraddegree35andnoworkexperience[theyare]goingoffandmaking36$60,000‐$65,000.Anditjust,itgotmethinking.Alittle37bit about long‐term goals. My husband and I are very38aggressive savers and want to retire young. We have39other income streams besides our job, you and we40probably picked theworst field towork in to try and41save money. So it started with that. Last year my42brother‐in‐law did a one‐year accelerated at [the43Universityof]Floridaandsowelearnedalittlebitmore44about theMBAprogram, it sortofbecamedemystified45inaway.Ididn’tstudy...I,youknow,studiedSpanish,46and so business concepts are very anecdotal to me,47very, very new, unfamiliar. And, so I was intimidated48about the ideaof theMBA.Now I think, “God, Iwish I49haddonethisin’06.”But,hearinghis(herbrother‐in‐50law’s) experiences [now] . . . he had a background in51theater or something like that . ... talking about the52different classmates and the quality of the classmates,53youknow,itwasn’tallcreamofthecrop,soitstartedto54feelalittlebitmorelikeapossibility.Iwaskindofata55pointwiththelinguisticswhereitwasgoingtotakeme56acoupleofextrasemestersbecauseof[thesequenceof57how] the classes are offered. And so I just kind of58started talkingwithmy husband about, “you,what do59youthink?”...seewhat’sitlike.Takeacoupleofclasses60andseehowitgoes.AndIfeelcommittedtoit.ButIstill61havealittlebitoffearthatIamnotgoingtobeableto62doit.But,I’vefeltthatwaybeforeandgottenthoughit63successfully, so I amkind of like trying to squash that64fear(unintelligible).65
Interviewer: So are you dropping out of the linguistics program or66areyoujustpushingitaside?67
Subject: No, I have very little left to do. It’s actually the68internship that is like, kind of . . . it’s very difficult69schedulewise.Becausethebesttimeformetodoitisin70
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the summer, but, you know we are slammed with71orientation the summer and it’s difficult. Our office is72understaffed.So it’s like, I cando the internship if it is73like,thisdayandthisday...betweenthesethreehours.74Sogettingitscheduledhasjustbeenchallenging.Andso75(unintelligible) have been kind of putting it off. I will76finish it; I just have two classes left and the two77internships.And the classes areonly offeredwhatever78semester, so it is probably going to take me until79summer of ’14, if I am able to do the internship this80summer.Andhavingtopayfor[theinternship,sinceit81isn’tcoveredunderthefreetuitionplan],iskindof . . .82I’m going back and forth aboutwhyam I reallydoing83this?DoIreallyneedit?I’vetaughtEnglishbefore,you84don’treallyneedtohavethedegree.Butthethoughtis85that itwill be a real benefit later on. I’ll retire and I’ll86have that credential and be able to teach later on87(unintelligible). Sorry I rambled on a bit there (both88interviewerandsubjectlaugh).89
Interviewer: Andso,doyouwork?Yes,youworkatUSF.How long90haveyouworkedatUSF?91
Subject: Twoyears.92Interviewer: Didyouworkbeforethat?93Subject: Yes, I worked at a university in North Carolina, ECU94
[EasternCarolinaUniversity].Thoseare the jobs that I95havehad since Iwas30 (unintelligible) since I gotmy96masters. Ihaveacolorfulworkexperiencebeforethat,97but...98
Interviewer: Soyoutalkeda littlebitaboutyourbrother‐in‐lawgot99thedegreeatUF,theaccelerateddegree.Wasthatwhen100youstartedthinkingaboutpursuinganMBA?Howlong101haveyoubeenthinkingaboutit?102
Subject: Yeah. He would have started his MBA in May ’11. I103would say then is when I started talking about it. He104was actually interested in it first. Then I kind of105gradually thought thatwould it really be helpful ifwe106werebothmakingmoremoney.But,again,Ikindofsaw107it as a pipedream at first. But then I started learning108more about the classes. I have another friend who is109doing apost‐bac in accounting.Her experiences in the110classesasanolderstudentwhoalreadyhasamaster’s111is very different fromwhat I hear from theundergrad112students.Theundergradstudentsconstantlytalkabout113how hard it is, how impossible, how this teacher, that114teacher . . .hearing it fromtheperspectiveofsomeone115who shares a little bit more in commonwithmewas116
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helpful.Mybrother‐in‐law isactuallystillunemployed,117whichwewerenotexpectingatall sincehegraduated118inMay. Florida has a high placement rate. He actually119won the case competition, the (subjectstrugglestofind120name)...121
Interviewer: TheIntercollegiateCaseCompetition?122Subject: Yes. The [case subject company] Popeye’s has hired123
him;theylikedtheideasomuch–Ithinktheyjusthired124him from his team – but they have hired him as a125consultant to work on developing that idea, so he is126gainfullyemployedatthistime,butheisstillwaitingfor127full‐timeemployment.Sowewerekindof–togetback128tothatidea–KevinandI,myhusbandandIwerekind129of waiting to see what happened with Brad. Was he130goingtogeta$100,000offerrightaway?Whatwashis131experience? Because depending on howmuchmoney132wearereallygoingtobeabletomake,isitworthwhile?133So,thosearesomeofthefactorsthatIwas...134
Interviewer: Soyouwerelookingatreturnoninvestment?135Subject: It’soneofthebigfactors,yeah.136Interviewer: Now,Brad,isheyourhusbandoryourbrother‐in‐law?137Subject: Bradismybrother‐in‐law.138Interviewer: Kevin,yousaidhewasthinkingaboutanMBA,too?139Subject: Yes.140Interviewer: IshegoingtogetanMBA?141Subject: KevinisgoingtobeapplyingtotheExecutiveMBA.He142
hasmanyyearsofmanagementexperience.Hedoesn’t143want to take it slowly; he wants to just do it. So he144hasn’t applied to the program just yet, but he has,145almost completely I think, decided on the Executive146MBA(unintelligible).147
Interviewer: So, thenextquestionyouhavekindofdancedaround,148but was there any particular reason that you started149thinkingaboutit?150
Subject: Yeah,Iwouldsaycertainlythatmybrother‐in‐lawgoing151back to school. You know, he did very poorly in his152undergrad but had a very successful career in theater153development,writinggrantsandstuff like that.Andso154when hewas considered as an applicant, even though155he didn’t have a stellar undergrad degree, and so I156thought, “well, if he can do it, I can do it.” And so,157hearing about his experience and, knowing that he158couldgetin,thatitwasn’tall, like,everyone’sagenius,159you know. It wasn’t like that at all. He had a lot of160frustrating experiences with classmates, teammates,161especially those without much life experience . . . It162
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really,likeIsaid,kindofdemystifieditforme.Itmade163mefeellikeitwasanoption.164
Interviewer: Sobydemystifyingit...wasoneofyourworries,“amI165goingtobeabletogetin?”166
Subject: No.[Itwas]amIgoingtobeabletodoit?Imean,Ihave167reallyhighgrades. IhaveagoodGREscore.ButIhave168always chosen classes that I like and pursued careers169that interested me and that I am good at. So I had170alwaysavoided . . .math,basically.Mathclassesofany171kind. And so knowing that there’s a lot of economics172math, accounting math; there’s going to be a lot of173calculationandthefactthatIreallykindofshiedaway174fromclasseslikethatsinceIwas,say,15[yearsold],it175made me feel a little apprehensive. So that’s what I176meanaboutdemystifying it. Is it thekindof thing that177only certain people can do? Do you have to already178knowthis? Youknow,soIstartedtoseethatitreally179wasn’tthat.AndIknowthatIamareallyhardworker.180Gradesarereallyimportanttome.Admirationfromthe181professor is really important to me. So, if I don’t get182something, Iworkreallyhardat it.Andso, I thinkthat183was what I mean by demystified; that it was not184somethingthatIcouldn’tdo.185
Interviewer: So you’ve talked a little bit about what you think the186long‐termbenefitswouldbe.I’mhearingyousaysalary,187personalgrowth.Arethereotherthingsthat...Imean,188is that what I am hearing you say? Are there other189things?190
Subject: Yeah. It is really about finding a job that pays more191money.Iamkindofcomingfromaplacewhere...you192know, I would consider my field . . . it is a very low‐193incomefieldunlessyoucanmanagetogetintoadean’s194orkeyposition.AndIdon’tseemyselfpursuingaPhD,195whichiswhatIwouldneedtodo.Sowhatyouhearalot196from people in the field is “I am so passionate about197this,”or“Ilovemyjob,”“Ilovetogetupeverydayand198see the students, it’s worth the sacrifice.” And I just199don’t feel that way anymore. And so I said to my200husband,“youknow, if I justdon’t lovemy jobmaking201$37,000,whydon’tInotlovemyjobmaking$100,000?”202You knowwhat I mean? It kind of – I mean, he was203reallytryingtodiginto,[saying]“whydoyoureallywant204to do this? Are you going to like this? You keep205searching for things thataregoing tomakeyouhappy206and they’re not.” And I’m like, “I know, I think I just207don’tliketowork.I’mwillingtowork.It’sjustthatIam208
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nevergoingtobethatpersonwhoislike“Ilovetobeat209workeveryday, it’s somuch fun, it fulfillsme, it’s just210thatIlovewhatIdo.”Idon’tknowit’sjustnotareality;211it’sneverbeenarealityforme.Andso,havingsomeof212the long‐term plans thatwe have itmakes a lotmore213sense totryandget intosomethingthatwouldhelpus214outmore[financially]inthelongrun.AndthefactthatI215candoit,youknow,withsomefinancialassistancefrom216theschoolis,wellthat’sanotherbigfactor.Idon’tthink217thatIwouldbedoinganMBAifitwasn’tforthetuition218assistance.219
Interviewer: Andhowlongdoyouthinkitisgoingtotakeyou?220Subject: I have to do 42 [credit] hours, and so I thinking221
probably four years if I don’t do any more than two222[classes]persemester.BecauseinthebeginningI’llstill223have some linguistics classes I have to take here and224there. And I think that may change, you know,225depending on how it feels once I get started. I have226consideredtakingthreeclassespersemesterbutIama227littleconcernedabouttheload.Payingforitisonething228[since the tuition assistance offer is restricted to two229classespersemester]. It’sa thousanddollars. It’snota230fortune but handling the full‐time work and three231classesisconcerning.Igetreallyexcitedaboutit,sortof232attheendofthesemester.Andagainatthebeginningof233thenextsemester,butthenhalfwaythroughIget...234
Interviewer: (laughing)“Ican’tbelieveIamdoingthis!”235Subject: Yea,well,Ihaven’tdoneityet...butIgetlike,“Ican’t236
evenbelieveIthoughtabouttakingthree.”SoIhaven’t237. . . so I think itwillprobably takeme fouryears(both238interviewerand subject laughat the subject’sanimated239appearance awhile discussing mid‐semester panic).240BecauseIhavetodoALLthefoundationclassesaswell.241
Interviewer: So how long did you think about it before you began242researchingprograms? I thinkyousaidaboutayear?243Wasthatit?Orwasitmore,orless?244
Subject: Yeah,Ithinkitwasaboutayear.245Interviewer: And did you think about program first, and then246
university,ordidyouthinkaboutuniversityfirst.247Interviewer: Program first. Once the idea of the MBA sort of,248
emerged. I considered [the University of] Florida only249becauseIwillnowhavetwomaster’sdegreesfromUSF250[after finishing the linguistics degree and MBA]. So I251thought a little bit the diversity and the value of the252diversity. My husband, I think, is going to do the253ExecutiveMBAatFloridabecausehehasanundergrad254
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and grad degree from USF. And they offer a distance255option.But,forme[tostudyatUF],itwouldmean...it256wouldhavehadtohavebeen...heandIgettingjobsin257Gainesville . . . or working at USF. And looking at258Gainesville more than anything else. What kind of259businessopportunities,whatkindofconnections,what260kindofnetworkingareyoureallygoingtobeabletodo261livingandgoingtoschoolinGainesville?Andthat,that262was a big factor. In our fields, you bounce around263schools all the time, so that [moving to Gainesville]264wasn’t asunrealisticas itmight sound,but, youknow,265it’s applying to jobs and going to Gainesville. It was a266possibility.ButitwasreallytheTampacommunityand267the fact that it was something that we could do [in268Tampa] as soon as we decided. It would have been a269much longer process to get started up there. And270consideringhisideaofwantingtodo...Atfirsthewas271considering . . . so I guessmyhusband’s choiceshada272lottodowithitaswell...hewasconsideringdoingthe273full‐time day program that was over here like his274brother did. And thatwas part of the consideration of275potentiallymovingtoGainesville.Buthecamehere[to276USF] and the info session here, withme, and got info277about the ExecutiveMBA program. Andwe started to278think,“oh,sothat’sanoption,too.”279
Interviewer: ButheisnotconsideringUSF’sExecutiveMBA?280Subject: (shakingheadno)Well, he’s considering both. I mean,281
thewayhelookedatitwas(longpause)heperceivesUF282as a better (subjectmotionswithhands to indicateair283quotes)“name.”Amorerecognizablename,one.Itwas284more expensive but notmuchmore expensive. And it285offered,forhimitwouldbe...anotherdegreefromUSF286withnootherdegreesfromanywhereelse.Heisalittle287concernedaboutthataswell.288
Interviewer: Okay.289Subject: Sothat’swherehe...290Interviewer: SoyouhavealreadytakentheGMAT?291Subject: Ididn’thavetotaketheGMATbecauseIamdoingthe292
dual masters. Because I am already a USF graduate293studentandmatriculating intotheprogram,Iwasable294to not have to take the GMAT. And because my GRE295scores are on file, even though they are expired, they296are already scanned into our system. And so, I didn’t297have to take the GMAT, I could circumvent298(unintelligible).Whichhelpsoutalot.299
Interviewer: Iknow!I’mthinking,“wow”(unintelligible).300
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Subject: It’ssomethingthat.. .itkindofworkedout,youknow,301with Karen [in the USF MBA office] talked about my302options, and things I have pursued, and we kind of303talked about that. For some reason, the dual degree304seemed reasonable. It was helpful, something I hadn’t305thoughtof.306
Interviewer: So how did you go about seeking information on the307MBA?308
Subject: I read over the website and as soon as we saw an309information session available, we came to an info310session.311
Interviewer: Andwhatdidyouthinkoftheinfosession?312Subject: (very longpause) Iwasa littleunder‐impressed. Ikind313
offeltthesamewayabouttheorientation.Andbecause314Idothingslikethat,also,Ithinkalotabouttheattitude,315and the energy, and how you want to portray your316program.Andtheinfosessionseemedalittletoocasual.317Iwas expecting it to bemore. You know, to have that318“fancybusinessfeel.”Anditdidn’t.DoyouknowwhatI319meanbythat?320
Interviewer: Uh‐huh.321Subject: So I was a little surprised by that. It gave me all the322
informationthatIneeded.Alotofpeoplehadquestions323and every question got answered. And it was really324helpful tosplitupbecause Iwouldn’tnecessarilywant325to sit there and listen to all of those Executive MBA326program’squestions,soitwasgoodthattheydividedit.327
Interviewer: So,weretherealumni...itsoundslikethepresentation328wasfine,itwasthepresentationofthecontent?329
Subject: (nodsheadinagreement)330Interviewer: Sowouldyousaythatifithadbeendressedup,forlack331
ofabetterterm,it...332Subject: Alittlebitmore.Maybealumnipresent.333Interviewer: Wouldthathavemadeitabetterpresentation?334Subject: Alumni, if theywere, youknow,engagingalumni.That335
wouldhavebeengreat. Ididn’t feel itwas lacking,but336now that you say it, it would have been great. One337exampleisinthepresentationthereisavideo.Andthe338video didn’t play. Which, I know that occasionally339happens. And the presenterwent, okay, no video, and340went on to the next slides. Rather than [telling the341audience]whatwasonthevideo.[Iwondered]whatare342wemissing?I’veseensuchvideos,soIknowitisn’tany343unique content, but I was thinking, “what if I need to344knowwhatwason thevideo?” Whatever, that is just345one example. But yeah, it was an informative session346
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but having alumni at the info session or orientation347session – especially if theywere there for one‐on‐one348questions after – or sharing some of their experiences349about how theMBA benefitted them, thatwould have350beenhelpful.351
Interviewer: So as you began to research these programs, you352mentioned thatyou lookedat thewebsiteandwent to353theinformationsession,whatkindofinformationwere354youlookingfor?Whatkindofprogramcontent?What355werethefactorsthatyouweretryingtofindoutabout?356
Subject: Iwantedtoseewhattheclasseswere,whatthesubjects357were. I was looking for some guidance as to the358sequencing –which I didn’t find – and that reallywas359not addressed at the orientation session I attended360either. Iwanted to see how long itwould take. It [the361information Iwas seeking]was reallymore related to362the classes and what kind of things would I want to363combine,whatkindsofthingsIwantedtokeepseparate364(unintelligible) things like I don’twant to take finance365andStatsIItogether.AndsoIwasreallylookingatthe366subjects (unintelligible) I wanted to see when367accountingwouldendandeconomicswouldbeginso I368that I could take it right before finance so that there369wouldn’t be a [gap] between accounting and finance370(unintelligible) because for me those are the classes371whereIthinkIamgoingtostruggle.Iamthinkingthat372if I can sequence them, then . . . but Iwould imagine373that Imightbeable to see that informationonce I can374register, but, anyway, I was looking for order, I was375looking for some of that information and I didn’t find376that on the website, nor at the orientation that I just377attended. Because I did go to the orientation just this378pastweekend.379
Interviewer: So you mentioned sequencing, subjects, kind of380guidance on those kinds of things . . . what wasmost381importanttoyou?Ifyouhadtorankthemsortof“this382was most important to me,” time to degree, or383whatever.384
Subject: Time to degree. Just knowing [it]. Not necessarily385becauseIamlookingforsomethingthatIcancomplete386quickly.But justbeingable toconceptualize it. Sortof,387“howlongdoIhavetostayatUSF?”Youknow,because388(unintelligible), sort of being able to talk about these389thingswithmyhusbandbecausehealsoworksatUSF.390Andkindofforecastingahead[intermsofschedule].391
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Interviewer: So it would be time to degree, followed closely by392sequencing?393
Subject: Yes,ma’am.394Interviewer: Okay. And, once you decided on the degree, what395
universitiesdidyouconsider?396Subject: UF,USF.Justthose.397Interviewer: Not UT [University of Tampa], no UCF [University of398
CentralFlorida]?399Subject: Nope.400Interviewer: And how did you go about finding information about401
thoseuniversities?402Subject: Ididn’tlookupanyinformationaboutUF.Ihadsortof403
the first‐hand experiences of the brother‐in‐law so I404didn’t go very far into seeking info about UF. I have,405however, a friendwhoused towork inadmissions for406theCollege ofBusiness atUF, so I already knew some407informationaboutUF(unintelligible).408
Interviewer: Didyouseekword‐of‐mouthinformationfromfriends?409Subject: Justmyfamily.410Interviewer: Did you ask your coworkers at all about particular411
institutions?412Subject: Ididn’twant them toknow [that Iwas thinkingabout413
gettingMBA](subjectlaughs)414Interviewer: Sowhen youwere looking atUSF vs.UF,what factors415
wereimportanttoyou?416Subject: Location, financial constraints. You know, location in417
terms of having tomove but also location in terms of418Tampa being such a big area, the likelihood that we419would stay inTampaoncewe changed careers, so the420being able to be herewhile in school,meeting people,421creating contacts, being able to take advantage of422opportunities. I didn’t see that being possible in423Gainesville.Sothatwasahugebenefit[ofUSF].424
Interviewer: Andwouldyousay…whichonewasmost important to425you?Location,money?426
Subject: (longpause)Financial.427Interviewer: Whatwastheonething,thinkingbacktowhenyoufirst428
had the idea, what was the one thing that was most429importanttoyouallalong?430
Subject: Beingabletochangefieldsandmakemoney.431Interviewer: So now, what are your career aspirations, both short‐432
andlong‐term?433Subject: (longpause) I had forgotten about this, but now that434
you mention this, what really decided – what really435mademe fill out the application for theMBAwas the436info session that Iwent to aboutNASA (USFhostedan437
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info session about careers at NASA). NASA came to438campus a couple of weeks ago and I told with my439husband, “Hey, I want to work at NASA” (both440interviewerandsubjectchuckle).Wejokedabout it,you441know?Andthen,myhusbandsaid,“it’sanoption,you442know.Yougottadowhatyougottado.”Andsothatwas443kind of the [impetus], that gotmemoving. So I really444was impressed with [NASA’s] internships, the job445opportunities. So for short‐term after the degree, I446wouldliketo–actually,beforethedegreeisfinished–I447would like todo the internshipatNASAwhereyougo448overthereandworkforayearthenyoucomebackand449finish the degree. And I really don’t have any450restrictionsas faras long‐term. Iamnotcommitted to451anyonecommunity‐orindustry,Ishouldsay‐oreven452anyspecificjobatthispoint.Ireallydon’thaveenough;453I haven’t researched it enoughor really thought about454anylong‐termopportunitiesoralternatives.I’mina“I’ll455takeitonesemesteratatime”kindofmodeofthinking456rightnow,buttheideaistodefinitelygetanewjobas457soonaspossible,anewlineofwork.Assoonasagood458onecomesalong, Iwillconsider it.Whether Iamdone459withthedegreeornot.460
Interviewer: Okay. You’re not place‐bound, are you? That’swhat I461amhearingyousay.462
Subject: Well,(saidwithhesitation)Imean,really,no.463Interviewer: Doyouhavechildren?464Subject: No, Idon’thavekids.Allofmyhusband’s familyare in465
this area, Tampa Bay, but we are willing to move466internationally. Or around the country. IF (emphasis)467the right opportunity comes along. That’s what it is468reallyallabout.Andwe’reweather‐bound.469
Interviewer: (laughs)Butit’snotlike…470Subject: Imean,I’mfromNewYork…471Interviewer: So it isn’t likeyouhavestrongtiestoTampa[as ifyou472
said]“IchoseUSFbecauseI…”473Subject: (unintelligible)474Interviewer: And, what kind of headaches do you anticipate will475
comealongwiththeMBA?476Subject: Didyousayheadaches?477Interviewer: (nodsheadindicatingyes)478Subject: One ofmy biggest concernswas the exposure [that] I479
will now have to be with students that I am working480with professionally. I was really interested in the481student organizations that they talked about [at MBA482orientation] and I know that there are undergraduate483
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members.AndsoI feel like it isgoingtobedifficult to484balance,youknow,myrelationshipwiththesestudents485–nottheMBAstudentsbuttheundergraduatestudents486– as a professional. But then also to be a student487[alongsidethem]andtakepartintheopportunitiesthat488areavailableforstudents.SoIamalittleapprehensive489aboutthat.ItwasoneofthereasonsIdidn’twanttotell490anyoneIwasthinkingabout ituntil IwasreallysureI491was going to do it. Because I am not sure how it is492perceived.Iamnotsure…Idon’tseeanybodyelseinthe493collegegoingaftertheMBA,definitelynotanyoneinthe494advisingoffice.Ididn’taskanyone’spermissionortalk495about it with anyone really because I … (subjecttrails496off).497
Another concern I hadwas, I was also, and I still am,498reallynervousaboutbeingsuccessful.Ididn’twantitto499looklike,“well,here’sanemployeeandshe’sfailingthe500classes” (both interviewerandsubjectchuckle). I didn’t501goaroundtellingeverybodyIdidituntilIknewIthatI502was going to go forward. So those aremy twokindof503biggest concerns. I am littlebitworriedabout someof504the courses that I perceive as beingmore harder than505others,butIknowdeepdowninthereIcangetthrough506things. There will be classes that I struggle with and507that’s just theway it is (unintelligible). I thinkbefore I508have a little bit more first‐hand experience with the509program,forme,atthispoint,itisjustkindofnebulous.510I feel the sameway aboutwhatmy professional goals511are as a result of the MBA. I don’t know. We’ll see. I512reallyjustdon’tknow.513
Interviewer: And how long do you think it will be to see an ROI514(returnonthisinvestment)?515
Subject: (longpause)Well, I am not putting anymoney into it,516which is a great benefit for me, so I also think that517(pause) that I am, that I have a possibility of changing518professions in the middle of the program, because I519havesomeexperienceinbanking.Youknow,Ihavehad520alotofjobsandbusinessexperiences(pause)soIthink521assoonasIchangecareersiswhenIwillstarttoseethe522investmentpayoff,becauseIwon’thavetomakeupany523losses.524
Interviewer: Okay.525Subject: And, I’ve never studied ROI, so I don’t know…526
(interviewerandsubjectbothchuckle).527Interviewer: Well,you’vegotatimeinvestment…528
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Subject: (laughing)Iwanttoanswerthat,butIreallydon’tknow529whatitis(laughing)…530
Interviewer: Butthereisatimeinvestmentthatyou’vegotinvolved531here.532
Subject: Yep.533Interviewer: Howlongwillittakeforyoutothink,thatyousay,“this534
wasworthit?”535Subject: Gotcha. I think probably 18‐24 months in a new536
position. You know I feel like I am in a placewhere I537really belong, to feel like I am in control of it, feeling538comfortableandprofessional,youknow? Tofeel likeI539am creating goals (unintelligible). I think about 18‐24540months after I am in aposition to really feel like “this541wasright,Ididit.”542
Interviewer: Great.That’sall the formalquestions that Ihave. Iwill543tellyou,though,thatIdidn’ttellanyoneIwasgoingto544start my master’s until after I accidentally saw Irene545(USF’s MBA Program Director) at grad school546orientationandshewaslike,“whatareyoudoinghere?”547I didn’t wanna…I wasn’t sure I could do it, I didn’t548choose the MBA because I was fearful of the finance549classes,soIhadverysimilar[angst].550
Subject: I know…the same thing, when I was finishing my551undergrad, you know, I was 28 and I [initially] had552thoughtIwantedtoteachSpanishinhighschool[but]I553didnotwanttoteachSpanishinhighschool,butIwas554so close to finishing the degree…. I talked to the555[college]CareerCenterandyouknow, Ikindofbatted556around the ideaof lawschool– Inever thoughtof the557MBA–butevenwithlawschoolitwasthesamething.I558never, I mean, I graduated my undergrad degree559[program]withlikea3.8,Iamagoodstudent,I’mnot,I560just,IthinkIjustlackconfidence.It’stakenmeareally561long time to see, like (unintelligible) that there are562incapablepeopleineveryfieldandtheystillgetthrough563school. So who are you (referring toherself) to think564that you can’t do it? And so, looking back, I wish I565hadn’tgone toaprivateschool, Iwish that Ihadgone,566thatIhadtransferredtoapublicschool,notpaidallthat567tuition, wondering “why did I lack the confidence?”568Yeah,whydidIshyaway[fromabusinessdegree]?569
Interviewer: Well, I thankyou foryour time. I thinkyouhavegiven570mesomegreatinformation.571
Subject: Great.572 # # #
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InterviewDate: December21,2012InterviewLocation: FletcherAvenueStarbucks,TampaInterviewSubject: Marsha,32yearoldfemale,Incoming#2InterviewDuration: 36minutesMarsha is a 32‐year‐old Caucasian femalewho has applied, been accepted,and paid the deposit to begin the MBA program at USF in the comingsemester.SheisnotaUnitedStatescitizen;shecametoAmericamanyyearsago via an education Visa, coming to America fromEstonia. Upon learningthattheMarshawasfromEstonia,theinterviewernotedthatshehadhelpedplan an event at USF featuring Estonia’s President Toomas Ilves; it wasdiscovered that Marsha had attended that event at USF a few years agobeforetoinquiringabouttheMBAprogram,butthathadbeenheronlypriorinteractionwithUSF.Atthetimeoftheinterview,shehadrecentlyattendedthe new student orientation but had not yet begun MBA classes. She hasworked for several years since earning an undergraduate degree, mostrecentlyinmarketingforaprofessionalassociation.Interviewer: So,youhavebeenacceptedintotheMBAprogramand1
youstartclassessoon,correct?2Subject: Yes,inJanuary.3Interviewer: Wheredidyouearnyourundergrad[degree]?4Subject: TheUniversityofSouthDakota.5Interviewer: Andhowlongagodidyougraduate?6Subject: 2002.December2002.7Interviewer: Okay.Andwhatdidyoustudy?8Subject: My degree is a Bachelor of Science in Contemporary9
MediaandJournalism;emphasisisPR(publicrelations)10and aminor in English. The "with emphasis on PR" is11interesting because that is actually what is on my12diploma.Itreads:BachelorofScienceinContemporary13Media and Journalism with Emphasis in Public14Relations.Isn’tthatcrazy?15
Interviewer: Itis,becausemineis…16Subject: Reallylong.17Interviewer: Minewas inadvertising; itwas inmasscommwithan18
emphasisinadvertising,butitjustsaysmasscommon19thediploma.20
Subject: Yeah.21Interviewer: Okay.Sowhatdidyoudoafteryouearnedthedegree?22
Wheredidyouwork?Whatwasyourcareerpath?23Subject: Well, fromthere, Iactually, Ineeda–well,a lotofmy24
careerpathhasbeensortoflikemoldedbythefactthat25I have special requirements being an international26person to be able to work in the United States, so I27needed to find a company. I didn’t really have a lot of28
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choice in termsofwhere Iworked. Itwas almost as if29theypickedmeupthenIcould,youknow,likebecause30they…31
Interviewer: Theyhavetosponsoryouforafewyears?32Subject: (nodsheadinagreement)Theyhavetosponsormefora33
work visa and there is money involved and a lot of34processandtheyhavetoreallytakemeonassortofa35project.AndsoIwasoriginallyhiredinAmes,Iowa,by36the American Agricultural Economics Association. And37so that’s how I sort of got into the association world;38which iswhat, that’s the areawhere I work in now. I39work for professional associations. I have a certificate40and our credential and I am a Certified Associations41Executive. So I have earned that and that was sort of42like,Iguess,themostcommonlyknownlikeCPAwould43be,becauseyouarerequiredtotakeanexamtocertify44for it and then you are required to take continuing45education hours every year to be able to renew your46credential. In the association world, that’s one major47thing that one would need to be successful in48associationmanagement, in the higher levels [such as49an]executive.So,sothat’showIgotstarted.Ijoinedthe50AmericanSocietyofAssociationExecutives,whichisthe51association that supports association management52professionalsandsoIwasworkingforAAEAandsortof53fell intothatfield,youknow? Somyspecialty–sothe54areathatIgotintowascommunications.55
Interviewer: Okay.56Subject: So a lot of activities involving that. I originally started57
outbeing likehands‐on,withdesktoppublishingand I58putoutanewsletterandIdidthepressinterviews,and59coordinated all themarketing and advertising and the60website. This was a relatively small organization, so I61was it. Itwasaone‐manshow.SoIworkedthereuntil62Decemberof2005.IwashiredonOctoberof2003andI63workedthereuntilDecemberof2005andIhappenedto64haveafrienddownhereinTampawhohadanopening65athercompanyforacoordinatorposition.SoIapplied66forthatbecauseIwantedtoleavetheplacewhereIwas67[working].BecauseIhadbeentherefortwoyearsandI68feltlikeIwassortof,youknow…69
Interviewer: I’mdone.70Subject: Yeah. Andso thecompanydownhere,BICSI, iswho I71
work for now and that company hired me on as the72communications coordinator. Shortly after I came on73board, about four months later, they promoted me to74
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communications manager. So I started managing a75departmentof11individualsandthey...andallofthis76againisaprofessionalorganizationthatIworkfornow,77sinceJanuaryof2006.SoImanageadepartmentof1178in communications. Then we transitioned into79marketing.Then in2009 iswhen I actuallyearnedmy80credential, my CAE, and then I was promoted. Two81monthslaterIwaspromotedtodirectorofmembership82andmarketing,which iswhat I am now. So they gave83me two departments, so there’s 15 or so individuals84reportingtomenow.85
86Sowith thewhole grad school thing, originallywhen I87graduated college I wanted to go into international88tradelawactually.Iwantedtobecomeanattorney.So,I89am not entirely sure why, really. It was always90somethingthatIwantedtodoandtherewasagoodlaw91school at theUniversity of SouthDakota and thatwas92sort of what I was going to do. I actually started to93practicefortheLSATs,whichisthe...94
Interviewer: Theentryexam.95Subject: Yeah.96Subject: Ididverywellonmypracticeexamsandwasreadyto97
gobutthenIrealizedthatIhad$37,000inschoolloans98because I had to pay international out‐of‐state tuition,99plusallofmylivingexpenses. I tookeverythingouton100privateloansbecause,asaninternational,Idon’tqualify101for any government assistance. At all. None. So102everything I hadwas a private loan and I had to start103paying that back. So that’s quite a bit ofmoney.And I104would have had to take out additional loans to go for105lawschoolanditisextremelyexpensive,obviously.106
Interviewer: Right.107Subject: (jumping fromthought‐to‐thoughtduringconversation)108
SoIdecidedthatIwasgoingtotrytofindajobinstead,109and towork. And I sort of had given up on thewhole110ideaofgradschoolatthattime.IthinkthatIwasalways111wanting it. In fact, therewasagirl thatworkedforme112that had graduated.And any time I havehired I really113lookedto,toreallylikementoryouknowyoungwomen114who had graduated out of college. You know, so that115theycangeton their feet. I feel like they, like theyare116the individuals that can be most likely molded into117successful, you know,whatever, that you canhave the118most impact.Sotherewasthisgirlwhohadgraduated119fromUSFand‐‐atthiscompanythatIworkfornow–120
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but sheno longerworks forme. Shewas trying to get121intogradschoolandwhatshewasgoingtogoforwas122anMBA.AndshewastryingtotaketheGMATs,Ithink,123and she didn’t dowell. She tried several times and so124shedidnotdowell enough. So I think she gaveupon125the idea. Actually, she ended up not going to grad126school.ButIthinkthat’skindof,sortof,whenIstarted127toreallythinkaboutwhatitisthatIwantedtobe.Plus128my,thebossthatcameonboardthenactuallypromoted129me to director. He is the CEO of the company and is130extremely–heismymentor–andheisvery,very,he’s131like a high profile individual, he came from, I don’t132know.HehasanMBA,heaCAE,andhe’stheCEO.Isort133oflooktohimas.. .forawhilethereIwantedtogoto134from director to [vice president], from VP to CEO. I135wanted to become an executive director for an136associationmyself and Ineeded to figureoutaway to137do that. Plus, I had alwayswanted to go back to grad138school.Plus,mynewboss,ashewaspromotingme,you139knowhetookmeouttolunchtotalkkindofaboutthe140promotion,he’dbringitup.Thatwasthefirstthingthat141hewantedtotalkabout.Youknow,“whatdoyouwant142to dowith, as far as professional development, where143do you want to go from here?” He is really big on144people continuing to educate themselves. Plus, my145companyprovidesaprettygoodeducationalassistance146program,wheretheygivemesomemoneytobeableto147gotakeclassesorwhateverIwanttodo.So,atthattime148[overlunchtimeconversation],itwaskindoflikeaspur149of themoment thing, that I just sort of blurted out, “I150wanttogogetmyMBA!”Youknow,becauseIthinkhad151beenthinkingaboutitallalonganyway,becausehehas152anMBAand(laughing)Iwantedtobejustlikehim,you153know?154
Interviewer: It’sthecredentialyouneeded?155Subject: Yeah. Because I already had the CAE, which is one of156
those.Imean,inreality,there’sreallyonly,ifyougoand157look at the successful association executives, the ones158whoare executivedirectors orCEOs, youwill see that159theyhavethecertifiedassociationexecutivecredential.160It’s like the one and only credential there is in the161associationmanagementworld. Andmost likely if you162want to go and have an executive director position163somewhere,youshouldtechnicallyhavethatcredential.164The other thing that is really, really common is that165peoplehaveadvanceddegrees.TheonethatIseemost166
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commonlyistheMBA.There’sotherones,buttheMBA167is really, you know, you don’t, it doesn’t box you into168onespecificarea,it’ssortoflike,it’sjustthe,itshows...169My boss always says this, he says, “what I learned in170gradschoolisthatIlearnedtothink.”Andthat’ssortof171whathe,youknow,“soIamreallyexcitedthatyouare172goingtogo.”Sohe(pause)soanyways,sohepromoted173me.Anditgotreallyroughatwork,soIdidn’teven. . .174That was in 2010,March of 2010, so I didn’t . . . so I175ignoredwhatIhadsaidandIdidn’tdoanythingtoward176gettingintogradschoolatall.177
Interviewer: Okay.178Subject: Iwasjusttryingtofocusonmynewposition,tryingto,179
youknowwhatImean?ButIwasstillsayingthatIwas180going todo it.And then I hadmy reviewwithhim six181monthslater...182
Interviewer: (laughing)183Subject: Andhesays,“sooooo,whatisitthatyouwanttodo?”184
AndI’msayingIdon’tknow.Hesays, “No,really,what185doyouwanttodo?”Isaid,“IstillwanttheMBAbutit’s186reallynotagoodtimerightnow,Ijustcan’tdoit.”He’s187like, “noproblem.” So Igeta revieweverysixmonths188rightnowbecauseIamonwhateverhecallsafast‐track189thing,whatever.Soheasksmeagainthenexttime.And190Iwaslike,IreallyfeellikeI’vegottodosomethingand191then I said tohim that Iwanted tobeconsidered–he192had established a new level in the company because193previous to this there were only some managers and194directors, and directors reported directly to the CEO;195well,heestablishedavicepresidentlevel.Hepromoted196our CFO to vice president and hired on two vice197presidents.Sowiththathappening,Ithought,“okay,I’m198adirector,what’sthenextlogicalstep?”Well,Iwantto199beavicepresident,sohowdoIdothat?SoItalkedto200him. I said, “You know, I really want to be a vice201president.”Rightnowmyonlyoptionistomoveupina202company that I’m in; I really can’t look externally203becauseIneedtostaythereforimmigrationpurposes.I204reallyneedtostaywithinmyexistingcompanybecause205I amon like temporarygreen cardwaiting status. So I206really can’t go anywhere else.Which is fine, because I207am happywhere I am at and I have a really excellent208job. It’s awesome; it’s like, a dream. You know, like, I209don’t think (pause). I’mvery lucky. Just say that.Great210benefits, great pay. My life is awesome. Great people,211whatever. And this great boss. So I would really just212
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lovetobecomeavicepresident.Iaskedhimwhetheror213nothe saw that inmy futureat that company.He said214yes, that the position that I was in was certainly215somethingthatcouldlookit...hewaslike,“youknow,216youcan’tdovicepresidentof[humanresources]orvice217presidentofaccountingbutyoucouldcertainly,canbe218vice president of membership and marketing; that’s219somethingthatwouldbeafinepositiontocreate.“He220said, “you alreadyhave your credentials, really all you221needistogetstartedontheMBAprogram.Atleaststart222taking some classes and [to gain] a little bit more223experience.”SoIwaslike,okay.SoIthinkitwasatthat224time that it sortof clicked like,okay that I reallydon’t225have a choice here. And it wasn’t that I was trying to226delayitnecessarilybecauseIdidn’twanttodoit.Ithink227I have always wanted to go to grad school. It’s my228dreamcometrue.Like,Iambeyondexcited.229
Interviewer: Good!230Subject Ican’teventellyou.IlikeflippedoutwhenIfoundoutI231
was accepted. I think that my primary concern has232alwaysbeenthefinancialaspectofit.Iamcompletely..233. I have to completely do this bymyself. I’m not even234able to take out a loan right now. I paid offmy other235loans,but,inorderformetotakeoutnewloansIhave236tohaveaco‐signeronmyschoolloans.237
Interviewer: Becauseofyourstatus?238Subject: (noddinghead)Becauseofmystatus.BecauseIamnota239
resident.EventhoughIwork,Ipaytaxeslikeacitizenin240everyotherwayexceptforthefactthathavethis,thatI241am sort of temporary, that I could be deported at any242time.Thatkindofathing.AndIdon’twanttomakethe243peoplewhohelpedmeco‐signmyloanthefirsttime, I244don’t want to ask them again because that was a big245thing, for somebody to trustme. So I needed to figure246outawaytodoitbymyself,buteventuallyIwaskindof247like, “you know what, I am just going to take this a248semester at a time.” I’ve gotten a lot of pay raises in249betweenfromwhenIfirstconsideredittonow,soIam250making a lotmoremoney. Andmy company provides251assistanceand,youknow,IthinkthatI justneedtodo252this.Andso I startedmoving toward theprocessearly253lastyearwithoutconsideringthefinancialaspectofit.I254thoughttomyselfthatIamnotgoingtofigurethisout255rightnow.Iamjustgoingtotrustthatitwillsomehow256work out and I am going to start applying. Once I get257accepted,thenIwillfigureoutwhereIamgoingtofrom258
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there, financially. There’s always a way, you know?259There’sgottobe.260
Interviewer: Okay.261Subject: SoIwent,soIstartedstudyingfortheGMAT.Well,that262
was really, well, first I had an appointment with an263advising,whatever. Iwas like, “whatdo Ineed todo?”264AndtheysaidtotaketheGMAT.Iwaslike,okay.Sothat265wasmy first step. And itwas sort of non‐committal. I266mean, all it is is studying for an exam. It was a few267hundreddollarsanditdoesn’tmeanacommitmenttoa268university.It’sjust...269
Interviewer: Atest.270Subject: Yes,it’sjusttakingatest.SoIjustignoredtherestofit271
andjustfocusedontheexam.Ididn’tdonearlyaswell272asIwantedto.ItwasanaveragescoreandIwasjust,I273don’t know, okay,well, we’ll see (bothinterviewerand274subjectchuckle). Let’s seewhat happens. So then I put275my application together. I was going for the fall276semesterbutwhathappenedwasthe. . .eventhoughI277don’tneedaVisatogotoschooltheyclassifiedmeasan278international student and they basically said I missed279my deadline; even though I met the deadline but the280system classified me as something else than what I281actuallywas.282
Interviewer: Oh,yeah.283Subject: Iwaslikeokay,yeah,wellthatdoesn’tmatter.It’sbetter284
anyway. It givesmemore time, right? So that iswhat,285hence the mid‐year start. It would not have been my286preference,butIthink,well,nowIamgratefulthatthat287isthewayitworkedout.SoIsubmittedmyapplication288andeverythingandIhadtogetrecommendationletters289and obviouslymyCEOwrotemeone.Must have been290good. Idon’tknow.He’s reallybeenpushingme toget291thisthing,so...292
Interviewer: Soitalsolethimknowthatyouweremoving,thatyou293weredoingsomething...294
Subject: Yeah, you know. And the other thingwas I needed to295work with the school to get them to give me in‐state296tuition,even though theyconsidermean international297student. And that was – that was kind of a lengthy298process. I had to provide a lot of paperwork to show299thatIhavebeen...becauseIhavebeeninFloridasince3002006, but in terms of resident, I am not a Florida301resident, I am an international person. So they can’t302classifymeasaresidentanywhere.But,luckilyforme–303
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because an international student tuition per credit304tuitionislike$800‐whateverdollars.305
Interviewer: It’salot.306Subject: Yeah,itisliketwiceasmuch.Sothatwasbasicallygoing307
todecidewhetherornotIwasgoingtobeabletoeven308consider this thing. If they had givenme international309out‐of‐state tuition I would not have been able to go.310ButImetwithsomebodyattheMBAofficeorwhatever.311Andthewomansaid,shewaslike,“no,definitely,Ithink312you quality for in‐state.” You know they determine313residentfortuitionpurposesisdifferentforwhatalegal314resident? Luckily. So I did everything I needed to do315and, thankGod, theygaveme in‐state tuition.So Iwas316like,okay,anotherhurdlecrossed.Andthen,basically,I317wasjustwaitingtogetaccepted.AndIgotaccepted.In318fact, I didn’t getmy acceptance letter.What I gotwas,319from the international student office, I got this weird,320cryptic message like “as a student who has been321acceptedtoUSF,youknow,weneedtoalsoreviewyour322immigrationfiles”orwhatever.323
Interviewer: Yougotthatbeforeyougotyour...324Subject: Yeah,congratulationsonyouracceptancetoUSF.Iwas325
like,yeah,IguessthatmeansIamaccepted!Igotallof326that and like five emails from the international office327andnothingfromtheUSFCollegeofBusiness...328
Interviewer: You’rein!329Subject: Yeah, nothing saying your acceptance letter, or330
whatever. I got all of that the next day and then the331acceptedemails after that. So thatwasahappyday! I332was really very excited. I didn’t really think that that333would happen. I don’t knowwhy. Just didn’t thinkmy334GMATwas,Imean,Ithinkitwasanacceptablescore;I335justdidn’tthinkitwasexcellent.336
Interviewer: But they lookat the totalpackage, youknow.Youhad337work experience; you had good letters from your338employer...339
Subject: Yeah.Tenyearsofsolidexecutiveworkexperience.Not340just, [experience in] business (emphasis), not just in341anythingregular.Notjustregularworkexperience,but342businessworkexperience.343
Interviewer: Sotheportfolioadmissionclearlyhelped.344Subject: Yeah. I graduated cum laude from my undergraduate345
program,sothatprobablyhadsomethingtodowithit,346too,alittlebit.347
Interviewer: Sure.348
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Subject: Yeah(stumblingoverwords),butIreallydidn’t–Idon’t349knowwhy–Ijustdidn’tthinkthatIwouldgetaccepted350orwhateverbutIdid,so...351
Interviewer: Okay, so you have already answered several of these352questions . . . how long ago, you started in 2010;353particular incident, it was really career planning354(subjectindicatesagreement)andthose,theinfluenceof355your boss. What did you think the long‐term benefit356wouldbe?IthinkIheardyousayitwasreallythatvice357presidentposition–oristheresomethingelse?358
Subject: I think the long‐term benefit would be general career359advancement.Ican’tgoanyfurtherwithoutanMBA.360
Interviewer: Andwhataboutshort‐termbenefits?361Subject: Well,firstofall, it’sshowingmybossthatIammoving362
forwardwithourplan.Ifeellikehepromotedmeonthe363condition that I would go forward and get an MBA.364BecausemostoftheotherdirectorshaveanMBAandI365don’t.366
Interviewer: Do you think there were any short‐term headaches?367Anythingyouwerekindofdreading?368
Subject: The financial is number one. Secondly is the time.My369jobisnotastandard8‐to‐5.Iworkallthetime,nights,370weekends. I have a very crazy schedule to beginwith371andIassumethisisgoingtoaddtomyworkload.372
Interviewer: Itwill(chuckling).Soonceyoudecidedyouweregoing373to do this, how long did – how did you research374programs? How did you think about it? Did you go375online?376
Subject: ItisalmostasifIdidn’t.USFissortof,rightthere.377Interviewer: So you thought about the program first, and then the378
university,nottheuniversityfirst.379Subject: (displaysquizzicallook)380Interviewer: Itwas,IwantanMBA,notUSF,itwasn’tlikeUSF,thenI381
willgoforanMBA.382Subject: Theywerebothkindofnatural[decisions].Infact,USF383
wastheonlyuniversitythatIappliedto.384Interviewer: Oh,okay.385Subject: Yeah,Ididn’tevenapplytoanywhereelsebecauseUSF386
isdownthestreetfromhere.Itisphysicallyclose.Itisa387respectedfour‐yearschool.AndIwantedaface‐to‐face388program; I didn’t even want to consider anything389online. I didn’t consider the University of Tampa390becauseoftheexpenseandIthinkthatUSFisthebest391schoolallaround.392
Interviewer: (unintelligible,laughing)393Subject: Yeah,Iknow!394
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Interviewer: So you took the GMAT before you even explored the395program?396
Subject: Yeah.397Interviewer: No, you explored the program first because they told398
youthatyouneededtotakethetest.399Subject: Honestly, though, I don’t really know what the word400
exploremeansherebecause Ididn’t reallyexplore the401programatall.BecauseafterIgotacceptedpeoplewere402like,“sohowmanycreditsdoyouhavetotake?”AndI403don’t know (both interviewer and subject chuckle).404“Whatclassesareyougoing to take?“ Idon’tknow . . .405(laughing)IamjustgoingtogoandgetthisMBA,Idon’t406know.407
Interviewer: Butyouwent–youdidgototheoffice? Youwentin‐408personandtalkedtopeople?409
Subject: Yeah.410Interviewer: Didyougototheinfosessionaswellorno?411Subject: Well we just had the required MBA orientation [this412
pastweekend].Allday.413Interviewer: Right,butbeforegoingin,togetinfo...414Subject: No.415Interviewer: Okay. How did you go about finding any information?416
Didyougoonline?Didyourequestbrochures?417Subject: No,anythingthatI,really...itwasallonline.418Interviewer: Sodidyoufindeverythingyouneededonawebsite?419Subject: It was a little difficult to navigate, honestly. Like the420
whole...421Interviewer: Howso?422Subject: BecauseIhadalotofdifferent,likespecific,thingsthatI423
hadtofind.Likethestuffaboutthetuitionclassification424info. Those things were complicated and in several425different places. Like the application. You knowwhen426you log in you fill out the [online] application [form].427Well, it was so rigid it wouldn’t allow for my specific428circumstances. So itwas just, you know…I had unique429circumstances that you couldn’t qualify it in a drop‐430down.And Ihad, youknow, I had to call themseveral431times to ask themwhat do youwantme to put here?432Whatfits?433
Interviewer: So the information seekingwas fine, it was the actual434navigation[ofthegradschoolapplication]?435
Subject: Justhowwelltheprocess[ofapplying]wasthoughtout.436Ithinkthattherewerea lotof . . .plusthere’s[a lotof437differentsites],wellthinkaboutit.There’sgeneralUSF.438Then there’s USF Grad School, then MBA school, then439College of Business. And each of them have their own440
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sectionsofthewebsiteandtheirownrequirements.So441you sort of have to do a full sweep of each section,442especially during the application process because you443don’twanttomissstuff.Youhavetothink,“well,Ihave444totakecareofthis,that,andtheotherthing,so...”Plus445itisabigschool,bigwebsite.446
Interviewer: Yes,it’shuge.447Subject: Yeah.448Interviewer: Whatwasmost important toyouasyou–youkindof449
told me it was a respected four‐year institution, you450wanted face‐to‐face, that you were, partially – I mean451notpartially–totally,atlocation.452
Subject: It couldn’t be a more perfect fit in reality. Because I453wantedface‐to‐faceandithas,like,theclassesarenight454classes. And they have that whole semesters divided455(referring to 8‐week and 12‐week classes). The whole456thing.Theway theyhave this plannedout so that you457canworkaroundyourworkschedule.It’sawesome.It’s458really thought out for working professionals, on like,459howtogetit.TheonlythingIamconcernedaboutisthe460five‐year thing. Because I need tomake sure I get this461doneinfiveyears.AndIhopeitisn’tgoingtotakethat462longbut I amconcerned.This first semester I amonly463takingsevencreditsandthatisbecauseofthefinancial464thing.465
Interviewer: Well, onapersonal level, Ihave to finish in fiveyears,466too, and I amonly taking two classes a semestermax.467And so I was concerned; I thought I would end up468getting the degree at 50 [years old] and I will end up469gettingitat48.470
Subject: Oh,nice.471Interviewer: Onceyougetinityourealizetherearesomethingsthat472
are really cool, like the one‐week classes. You have to473takevacation,takeaweekoffofwork,butyougetthree474creditsdone.475
Subject: Yeah.476Interviewer: IhearsomuchgoodstuffabouttheLEANclass.IwishI477
hadtakenitbutItooktheimprovone.478Subject: Ihearitisgreat.479Interviewer: Even though itwill costyouaweekofvacation, itwill480
shaveayearoff.481Subject: Ihaveway toomuchworkvacationsavedupbecause,482
not because I never take it but because I have been483thereforsucha longtimethatIhavelikesevenweeks484ofvacationrightnow(laughing).485
Interviewer: Okay,youcantakeaweekoffforaclass!486
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Subject: (unintelligible)487Interviewer: So out of all of these things, which was the most488
importanttoyou?Iheardplace,thereputation,face‐to‐489face, night classes, program design, and finance. Was490thereanyonethingforyou?ThoseareallthingsthatI491amhearing.492
Subject: Idon’tknow.Youknow,Ididn’tlookatthemthatway.I493just lookedatthewhole. Itwasn’t likeIhadachoice. I494didn’tputall theseschoolsnext toeachotherandsay,495“oooh,IwonderwhereIshouldgo.”Itwassortoflike,I496amgoingtoUSF.497
Interviewer: Didyouevenconsiderlikea[Universityof]Phoenix?498Subject: Absolutely not. I would never. And not to sound499
pompous,butIhirepeople.AndIdon’tbelieveinonline500education.Ijustdon’t.Asmuch.501
Interviewer: Okay. Well, I didn’t ask them in order, but you have502essentiallyansweredallofthesequestions.Howlongdo503you think itwill take foryou togetamonetary return504on your investment in this degree? How long do you505thinkitwilltakebeforeithaspaidforitself?506
Subject: (longpause) No idea. I just feel like, maybe . . . (long507pause)508
Interviewer: How long do you think it will be until you get509promoted?510
Subject: Ayearortwo.Probably.511Interviewer: Wellisthereanythingelseyou’dliketoadd?512Subject: Oh,no,Italkedalot!513Interviewer: But you know what? You made it easy for me. You514
essentially answered every question, I didn’t have to515ask.Youwentthroughandansweredeveryoneofthem.516Sothat’sit.517
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InterviewDate: January4,2013InterviewLocation: Subject’sHome,TampaInterviewSubject: Ish,28yearoldSingaporeanmale,Incoming#3InterviewDuration: 26minutesIsh isa28‐year‐oldSingaporeanmalewhohasapplied,beenaccepted,andpaid thedeposit tobegintheMBAprogramatUSF in thecomingsemester.HeisnotaUnitedStatescitizen;hecametoAmericaafewyearsagoviaaneducationVisa,comingtoAmericafromSingapore,wherehewasastudentinUSF’sprogramat theCenter forAmericanEducation.Upon learning thattheIshwasfromSingapore,theinterviewernotedthatshehadbeentotheCAEinSingaporetwice;itwasdiscoveredthatthesubjecthadbeenastudentthere during one of the two visits. At the time of the interview, Ish hadrecently attended the new student orientation but had not yet begunMBAclasses.Whiletheinterviewerwassettingupthevideorecorder,Ishchattedinformally about his thoughts onMBA students and the anticipated groupprojects that will be involved in the program (part of this conversation iscapturedandisincludedbelow,sinceitprovidessomeinsightononeofhishighest‐rankedfactors,namelythecaliberofstudentsintheprogram).Subject: Usually,MBAstudents,becauseofhowharditistoget1
in,youhavetogettherecommendations,haveagood2GMATscoreandallthat,Ithinkmostofthemarequite3driven. The only thing that I am concerned about is4thatmostofthemareworking,andtheyhavefamilies,5someofthemthatmightmakethemgoastray.6
Interviewer Thatmeans you have to do yourwork at nightwith7them (subject implies agreement). I’ve taken four8classes in the MBA program as all of my electives.9They’ve been good [but they have] all had group10projects.ThissemesterIamtakingmylastone.It’sthe11brandclass.Idon’tknowifyouaretakingthatone.12
Subject: BrandManagement?13Interviewer: Uh‐huh.I’mtakingthat.Thatwillbemyfinalclass.14Subject: That’sinmarketing,right?15Interviewer: Yes, but every MBA student has to take a certain16
number of marketing courses. But you’ll be – you’re17startinginJanuary?18
Subject: I’mstartinginJanuary.19Interviewer: Soyou’llbetakingyourfoundationcourses.20Subject: Yeah, I do. I think Idoneed . . . I amexempted from21
some foundation [courses] because I am a business22student.23
Interviewer: Oh.24Subject: There are some required courses, but foundational25
ones[arewaived].26
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Interviewerandsubjectdiscussthepronunciationofhisname.2728Interviewer: So,youstudiedbusinessasanundergrad,then.Where29
didyougetyourdegree? 30Subject: USF.31Interviewer: Oh,okay.32Subject: Ididmarketing.33Interviewer: So I am taking Biswas for marketing. Have you had34
himyet?35Subject: Who?36Interviewer: Forbrand,thiscomingsemester.37Subject: (notunderstandingreferenceto facultymember) No, I38
amactuallydoingMBA.39Interviewer: DidyoutakeBiswasasanundergrad?40Subject: No.41Interviewer: Sohowlongagodidyougraduate?42Subject: Actually,Igraduatedlastyear,lastspring.43Interviewer: Sothatwouldbespring2011.44Subject: No,2012.45Interviewer: Oh.Solike,justthispastMay.46Subject: Great.47Interviewer: Okay.So,doyoucurrentlywork?48Subject: No,I’mafull‐timestudent.49Interviewer: Haveyoueverhadajoborworkexperience?50Subject: Yes, Ihave fouryearsofworkexperience.Twoyears51
asafirefighterandanothertwoyearsrunningmyown52businessbackinSingapore.53
Interviewer: The only place I have been that is out of the United54StatesisSingapore.Iwenttheretwice.55
Subject: Oh,really?Forvacation?56Interviewer: I loved it there; Iwouldgoback inaminute.No,USF57
hasaprograminSingaporetogetyourUSFdegreein58Singapore,andIwentoverthere.59
Subject: Butyouwerethere,really?60Interviewer: Uh‐huh.61Subject: Iwasthere.Ididmyfirstyearoverthere.62Interviewer: Really,withMrs.Chan?63Subject: Yeah.ThenafterthatIdecidedtocomeherebecauseI64
wanted tochangemymajor.Over thereyoucanonly65get business administration [major].And Iwanted to66domarketing.SoImovedhere.And it isalsotogeta67breather from thehustle andbustle of the city. But I68didn’tknowyouwerethere.69
Interviewer: Yeah,Icametwice.WithJackieNelson.Iprobablyhave70photosof–Iwentoverandtookphotosformarketing71andnewsletterpurposes.72
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Subject: Really.73Interviewer: Made a video with Mrs. Chan that they played at74
graduation.DidyouknowErwin?75Subject: Whenwereyouthere?2010?76Interviewer: Iwent2009and2010,or2010and2011.Iwenttwo77
yearsinarow.78Subject: Probably 2010 and 2011, you probably saw me; we79
justdidn’trecognizeeachother.80Interviewer: Therewereonlyabouttenstudentsintheclass?81Subject: Yeah.82Interviewer: Yeah.Okay.SoyouworkedtwoyearsinSingaporeand83
twoyearsinafamilybusiness,oryourownbusiness?84Subject: Yeah,familybusiness.85Interviewer: Whatkindofbusinessdidya’llhave?86Subject: Wehave a chain of restaurants in Singapore.We are87
doing pretty good. So this is the reason why – and88beforeI left Iactuallyhandedovermydutiesandmy89responsibilitiestomyfamilyandwhenIgothere,Ileft90behindeverything.91
Interviewer: DidyoueverinviteDr.Stampsoverfordinner?92Subject: Yeah.Idid.93Interviewer: Ihaveheardofyou!Shelovesyou.She...94Subject: (laughing)95Interviewer: Youwereherfavoritestudentoverthere.96Subject: Oh,really?97Interviewer: Well,Iwouldn’tknowitfromaname,butshetoldme98
storieswhereshewenttoa–oneofherstudentshis99family owned a restaurant and she went to dinner100withthem.Shelovedyou.101
Subject: (laughing)Ihaven’tmetherforsolongIthinkIshould102whenschoolstarts.103
Interviewer: Shejustretired.104Subject: Shejustretired?105Interviewer: Sosheisonlyoncampuslikeoneortwodaysaweek.106Subject: Ohreally?HowdoIgetintouchwithher?107Interviewer: Um,Iwillsendyouhercontactinfo.Okay.108Subject: Great.109Interviewer: Everybody from USF loved going to Singapore. We110
werereallydisappointedthatprogramdidn’t takeoff111moreandMrs.ChanissellingtheCAE.112
Subject: It’sthelaws.Thelawsaregettingtighterandhonestly,113to me, they did not do good marketing. Not enough114marketingtodrawthelocals.Theycannotdependjust115oninternationalstudents.116
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Interviewer: Iagreewithyou.Okay,sohowlongagodidyouthink117about getting an MBA? When did you first start118thinkingaboutit?119
Subject: Um,IstartedtothinkaboutdoinganMBAwhenIwas120abouttoleavefortheUnitedStatesso2011,fall.121
Interviewer: Okay. Andwas there something that led you to start122thinkingaboutitorwasthereaparticularreasonyou123werethinking,“ImightgetanMBA?”124
Subject: Yeah, I thought that IwantedtogetanMBAbecause,125looking around, everybodyhas adegree and anMBA126would give me an edge, really, in terms of contacts.127Andalsothequalityofpeople.Prettymuchtheirfull–128theyhavetheircareers,youknow?Alotofexperience129in hand. I’ll be able to talk to the right people. As130compared to undergrads, there is a mixture of kids131and, like, working adults and, like you know, it is a132massive mix. So you have to really make the right133connections.AndwithanMBAIamhopingtodothat.134
Interviewer: Okay. So it was the quality of the peers in the135classroomthatwasabigpartofit?136
Subject: Yes.137Interviewer: Sowhatdoyouthinkthelong‐termbenefitsofgetting138
anMBAwillbe?139Subject: Opportunity.140Interviewer: Meaning?141Subject: Meaning, likeIsaidbefore,theconnectionsthatIwill142
make,thefriendsthatIwillbeabletomeetandfrom143there, you never know what kind of opportunities I144will get. Business deals. Access to different markets.145Or,yeah,thingslikethat.146
Interviewer: Okay.Doyouplantoreturn–areyoufromSingapore,147areyouaninternationalstudentinSingapore?148
Subject: IamfromSingapore.149Interviewer: DoyouplantoreturntoSingapore?150Subject: Yes,IplantoreturntoSingapore.151Interviewer: Youplantostaythere?152Subject: Uh‐huh.153Interviewer: Sowhatdidyouthink–fortheMBA–wouldbesome154
short‐termbenefits?Youtoldmelong‐term.155Subject: Short‐term?156Interviewer: Yes.157Subject: Hmmm. I guess it is the education, the educational158
valueofit.Thingslikefinance,marketing,accounting.159Those kinds of things would be useful for business160later on. A lot of the things you learn in the MBA161program I do expect it, that I can apply it into my162
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business.Because I justrecently finishedundergrad I163know that there are things likemarketing that I can164applybacktomybusiness.SothisiswhatIamhoping165[togain]fromMBAprogramaswell,intheshort‐term.166
Interviewer: Doyouthinktherewillbeanyheadaches?167Subject: Headaches?168Interviewer: Yes.169Subject: Suchas?Like?170Interviewer: Well, Idon’tknow. Is thereanythingthatyouarenot171
lookingforwardto?172Subject: I was never really strong in math, so think I might173
haveproblemwithfinance.174Interviewer: Yeah.175Subject: Yeah,but Ididprettywell in financebefore. It is just176
thatwhenyoudon’thavetheinterest‐‐177Interviewer: Didyouhave[USFfinanceprofessor]Besley?178Subject: Yeah (laughing). Ididnothavegoodexperiencewith179
him.180Interviewer: (laughing)I’veheardstudentssaythat.181Subject: I did pretty well. Yeah, and I also don’t see myself182
doingfinanceinthefuture.Maybethelackofinterest183and also the usability of what I am going to learn is184probably the biggest obstacle I am going to face185movingon.186
Interviewer: Okay.187(briefinterruptionasroommatereturnsearlyfromsoccergame)188Interviewer: SodidyouthinkabouttheMBAandthenthinkabout189
where you would get it, or did you think about190continuingedatUSFandthen–191
Subject: Iwas,no,Iwasn’tthinkingofcontinuingatUSF.192Interviewer: Okay.193Subject: When, initially, I went to look at theMBA, I thought194
thatafterIgraduatedfrommyundergradIwasgoing195togohome,workforafewyears,andafterthatIwill196startthinkingaboutdoingmyMBA.But,asIgotcloser197tomygraduation,IrealizedthatIwasonaroll.Iwas198like, student living, student life, my mindset is that199kindofmindsetandIdon’twanttohavetogobackto200work and after that and – you’ve been to Singapore,201youknowhowbusyitis?202
Interviewer: Yes.203Subject: And it is sodifficult togetaway fromall that. It took204
me a long time; it tookme awhole year to just, you205know,disconnectmyselffromworktocomehere.And206IhaveafeelingthatifIweretogohomeandtogetmy207MBA later on, it would take me very long to208
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disconnect. It would be very, very difficult because I209will have more responsibilities than before. So I210thought that maybe I should think about doing my211MBArightaftermyundergrad.Sothat’swhenIstarted212preparingforit.Ibeganstudying,lookingatschools...213
Interviewer: Soitfitswithyourlifestylenow?214Subject: Yes.215Interviewer: Andsowheredidyouthinkaboutgoing?216Subject: I was thinking about NU, the National University of217
Singapore, Singapore Management University, the218University of Florida, USF, of course, and the219UniversityofMiami.220
Interviewer: And so when did you take the GMAT? Before221exploringprograms?Hadyoudecidedonauniversity222beforeyoutooktheGMAT?Kindof,whendidyou...223
Subject: Yeah, I kind of like decided that those are the224universities that Iwant to attend. I started to do the225GMATrightaftergraduation.Startingpreparingforit.226And right, right, a fewmonths ago I just finishedmy227GMATandIenrolledforspring.228
Interviewer: Great. And so how did you go about seeking229informationabouttheprograms?230
Subject: What I did was, I, well, I was doing my GMAT with231Kaplan. And they gave me a kit with all this232information about how to choose business schools. I233also looked for online forums reviews to see which234schoolsarebestformeandhowIcouldcontributeto235the program as well as contribute to my personal236interests.237
Interviewer: Sowerethere,like,MBAforums,ordidyoujustGoogle238toseewhatkindofforumspoppedup?239
Subject: Google ismainly for the reviews. Forums aremainly240forstudentswhoareinthereandtheyhavepersonal,241they have personal interests that theywant to share242withotherpeoplewhoareinterestedinjoiningthem.243
Interviewer: So what was important to you as you began to244research them, as you were looking at what these245studentshadtosay,whatwasimportanttoyou?246
Subject: Really thepeoplewho [are] in theprogram.Will Ibe247abletoconnectwiththem?WillIbeableto,youknow,248drawoutexperiencesfromthem,and,yeah,justthings249likethat.Andhowtheyteach.Academically,modules.250
Interviewer: Programdesign?251Subject: Yes.252Interviewer: Kindof?Okay.253Subject: Yes.254
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Interviewer: (stumblingoverwords)Were you looking at program255content or other factors? It sounds to me like you256were looking at who were your peers going to be,257wouldyoufit inwiththem,thewaytheprogramwas258taught.Wasthereanythingelseyouwereconsidering?259
Subject: Thenlengthoftime.260Interviewer: Theduration,oh,okay.261Subject: Because Iwanted to do itwithin a year, to finish up262
within a year. And most of the programs promised263that. Sort of. Well, USF didn’t promise that. I just264assumed that I could finish. I didn’t realize the265schedulewasarollingschedule.266
Interviewer: Uh‐huh.267Subject: So I can’t finish it within a year. One year, three268
monthsinstead.It’snotthatbad.269Interviewer: Oh,that’snotbad.270Subject: Yeah,but...271Interviewer: Make sure you take advantage of the one‐week272
courses.Theyaresoworthit.273Subject: One‐weekcourses?Theyhaveone‐weekcourses?274Interviewer: Yeah,everyspringbreak...275Subject: Oh,forsummer.276Interviewer: No,everyspringbreaktheyofferaone‐weekcoursein277
Lean. It’s 8‐5 every day for an entire week. It278consumes your life, but at the end of thatweek, you279havethreecreditsfinished.280
Subject: Really?281Interviewer: Andtheweekbeforefallsemesterstartstheyhavean282
improv class. It’s managerial improv. Again, same283thing,40hours.It’sconsuming,butthenattheendof284theweekit’sdone.285
Subject: Ahhhh.Fivedays?286Interviewer: Fivedays.287Subject: Oh,my.288Interviewer: MondaythroughFriday,8‐5. Ifyoucoulddo[classes]289
in Singapore with the way the finance course was290taught,youcoulddotheseclasses.291
Subject: Okay(laughing).292Interviewer: (unintelligible)Financeisanotherstory.293Subject: Yeah,financeisanotherstory.294Interviewer: So,durationoftheprogramwasalsoimportanttoyou.295
So out of all of those things, which [were] duration,296experiences, yourpeers, teaching style,whatwas the297onethingthatwasmostimportanttoyou?298
Subject: Peers.299
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Interviewer: Alright. So you told me which universities you300considered.WhatmadeyoudecideonUSF?301
Subject: Mainly because, like I said before, the length of the302program. The duration. And Iwanted to finish up as303soonaspossible.TheproblemwithUF,SMU–no,not304SMU,UF in theU.S. andMiami is that theyonly start305every fall. So that means that I would have to wait306untilthenextfalltogetin.AndIwasthinking,“What307amIgoingtodoforthenext fewmonths?” Imean, I308couldgobacktoSingaporeandworkforalittlebit,but309that means that I cannot commit to them [his310employer].Andthatwouldlike,beaproblem.311
Interviewer: AndyouarehereonastudentVisa,Iassume.312Subject: Yeah.SoIwouldratherrightawaygettoschool,getto313
finish and then when I go back I am done, finished314withschoolandIcancommit100percenttomywork.315Because before [as an undergraduate in Singapore] I316was working full‐time, studying full‐time and it was317hectic,yeah.318
Interviewer: I would imagine. So how did you go about finding319informationaboutalloftheseuniversities?Didyougo320online?321
Subject: Their websites. And they have, like, information322officers; I emailed them and I gave them a list of323questionsthatIhad.324
Interviewer: Didyougotoinfosessions?325Subject: No.Noreason.326Interviewer: Doesthatnotappealtoyou?327Subject: Well,theuniversitiesinSingapore[are]abitfaraway.328Interviewer: Yeah(chuckling).329Subject: UF,Idon’tknowwhy,butIdidn’twanttotravelallthe330
way there and I don’t see why I should travel there331when I can email themandget all the, theywill give332mealloftheanswers.So,Idon’tthinkIneedit.333
Interviewer: Itwasjustsomethingunnecessary.334Subject: Yes.335Interviewer: So did you seek word‐of‐mouth recommendations336
fromyourfriends?337Subject: No.Honestly,Idon’thavethatmanyfriendsthathave338
an MBA. I only have one at that time, so the only339personIhadtoaskwasmyfriend,buthehadanMBA340from[theUniversityof]NorthCarolina.Hegavemea341lotoftipsonhowtogetadmittedtoschools.Yeah,but342intermsoftypesofschools,notreally.Hedidn’treally343givemeanyinput.344
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Interviewer: Yeah(stumblingoverwords).Theadmissionsprocess,345howdifficultwasit?Wasiteasyforyoutonavigate?346
Subject: Yeah, it was pretty easy. Different schools have347differentcriteriabuttheylistthemveryclearly.Things348like number of essays [applicants] have to make,349GMATscore,averageGMATscore,thosekindsofstats.350
Interviewer: WouldyousayUSF’swebsite isprettyclearandeasy351tonavigate?352
Subject: Ifratingoutoffive,Iwouldsaythreeandahalfstars.353Interviewer: SothatwouldbeaC+/B‐?354Subject: Yeah.355Interviewer: Okay. Sowhat are your career aspirations long‐term356
and short‐term? The next three years, what do you357wanttodo?358
Subject: Innextthreeyears,whatIamplanningtodoisIwant359tostreamlineeverythinginmycompany.Makeitmore360organized, very clear. Everything more consistent.361Basicallylaythefoundationtomakeitstrongersothat362lateron–Iamhopingthat,either–thisislong‐term–363that I either venture out into new markets for us364becausetheSingaporemarketisverysaturated.There365istoomanycompetition,laborlawsaregettingtighter366andtighter. It isverydifficult togrowoverthere.We367canmaintain,but it isverydifficult togrow.So Ican,368byhavingastrongfoundationandastrongbrand,and,369of course, good food, branch out into neighboring370countries.Indonesia,Malaysia,and,Idon’tknow,ifwe371couldgoall thewaytoAustralia thatwouldbegreat.372But that’s too far ahead. SoMalaysia, Indonesia, and373then we branch out from there. The labor is pretty374cheap, the food is pretty cheap, and it is easier todo375business over there. So I hope to be able to do all of376thatinthenexttenyears.377
Interviewer: This isyour family’s restaurantor is ityourpersonal378restaurant?379
Subject: Itisourfamilyrestaurant.380Interviewer: Butyou’llbetakingon,itsoundslikealeadershiprole.381Subject: Yes,itisaleadershiprole.EverytimeItalktomymom382
she is complaining, “I’m tired” and “when are you383goingtocomeback?”384
Interviewer: (laughing)385Subject: Yeah,complaining.Andtheyareactuallygettingready386
toretire.Theyarelike,youknow,thethingsthatthey387are doing is sort of like they are in retirementmode388right now. So I have to go back as soon as possible.389That’swhyIkeepemphasizingthelengthoftime.This390
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small[amount]oftimethatIhaveandIhavetofinish391thisbythistime.392
Interviewer: Good.Wellhowlongdoyouthinkitwilltaketoseea393monetarygainasaresultof the investmentyouhave394madeintheMBAintermsofbothmonetaryandtime395investment.396
Subject: Maybethreetofiveyears.397Interviewer: Wasfinancing–youreallyhaven’tmentionedfinance398
atall.Soyoureallyweren’tconcernedwithexpense?399Subject: No.400Interviewer: Noconcernwithexpense?401Subject: No,well, not reallybecause it is all beingpaid for by402
myfamily,thatiswhy.403Interviewer: Okay.Soyouweren’t…IthinkUMisconsiderablymore404
thanUSF.405Subject: Itis.IthinkUMislikemyfinalchoice.Myfirstchoice406
wasactuallySMU,SingaporeManagementUniversity.407MysecondchoicewasUF.MythirdchoicewasUSF.408
Interviewer: WhyUFoverUSF?409Subject: Theyarerankedhigheruniversity.410Interviewer: Rankingsmatter?411Subject: Yeah. It givesme this thinking that the people that I412
amgoingtomeetandbemeetingisbetterquality.413Interviewer: So ithelpsmeasurethequalityof theprogramorthe414
qualityofthepeopleintheprogram?415Subject: Thequalityof theprogramand thequalityofpeople.416
Because,honestly, Iwasnotvery impressedbyUSF’s417orientation.418
Interviewer: Uh‐huh.419Subject: WhenIfoundoutthatduringtheorientationtheyhad420
to educate the people there on how to dress as a421businessperson,howtobehavelikeabusinessperson,422I didn’t realize that they had to educate people that423way.BecausethepeoplethatIamgoingtobemixing424with should knowall of that, you know? That’swhy425theycomeintothebusinessprogram. Thesekindsof426things are things that are common sense for people427whoarealreadyworking.[Iwasthinking]“Youmean428that have to educate people?” It gives me a bad429impression.Like,Iamthinking,“ohmygoshmypeers430don’tknowthis?!”431
Interviewer: (laughing)okay.432Subject. ThenIamlike,ugh.433Interviewer: Well, let me ask you (stumbling over words). For434
instance,wehaveawomanwhoownsaballetstudio435who was enrolled in the MBA program. She’s never436
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doneanybusinessworkatall.Intermsofprofessional437dressshe’sindanceattireallday.Andthenwehavea438womanwhorunsachainofbeautysalons,andshe is439in theprogram. So there arepeoplewho I think that440[thelesson]wastargetedtoward,butforpeoplewitha441background in business or an undergrad in business442like you said, howwould you balance that? So that443someone with a background in theatre or444anthropologyhasthesamebackground?445
Subject: Still talking about the orientation, right? Why I was446concernedwas that Idid see somepeoplewearing t‐447shirts and, like, Bermudas. And it was clearly stated448business casual. And the thing about business is that449(unintelligible) you can get something like this and450whenitwasclearlyindicatedbusinesscasual,whatdo451theydo.452
Interviewer: Itmeansslackandanicegolfshirt.453Subject: Yeah. Still a polo tee and slacks is better than454
Bermudas and t‐shirts and slippers. That’s not455businesscasual.456
Interviewer: No,that’scasual.457Subject: Yeah,sothatconcernedmealot.Iwouldassumethat458
a lotofpeoplethat Iwill interactwiththeyshouldat459least know all of this. Or they are not doing good460business.461
Interviewer: Goodpoint.Okay, Iwas justcurious. I think that that462maybeallofthequestionsthatIhave.463
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InterviewDate: January8,2013InterviewLocation: USFCollegeofBusiness,TampaInterviewSubject: Woody,27yearoldmale,Incoming#4InterviewDuration: 18minutesWoodyisasingleCaucasianmalewhoisjustbeginningtheMBAprogramatthe University of South Florida. He had just bought his books and wasattendinghisfirstclassesonthesamedayastheinterview.WoodyrecentlychangedjobsandmovedtotheSarasotaareatopursueanewcareerinthefast‐casualrestaurantindustry.Interviewer: I have twenty questions, largely related to graduate1
school,butfirst,wheredidyouattendschoolforyour2undergrad?3
Subject: IwenttotheUniversityofCentralFlorida.4Interviewer: Okay.Andhowlongagodidyougraduate?5Subject: Thatwouldbefouryearsago.6Interviewer: Sothatwouldbe2009?Or’08withtheyearchange?7Subject: ’08,inDecember.8Interviewer: Andwhatdidyoustudy?9Subject: Economics.10Interviewer: Where is their economics? Is it inbusinessor in the11
artsoverthere?12Subject: They’reinbusiness.13Interviewer: AtUSF,it’sinbothplaces.Kindofconfusing.14Subject: Right.15Interviewer: Didyouworkwhilegoingtoschool?Haveyouworked16
sinceyougraduated?17Subject: Yes.Andyes.18Interviewer: Okay.Caretoelaborate?19Subject: Inschool,Iwasaserverduringschoolandinsummer20
I worked on fishing boats in Massachusetts. After I21graduated, I got a job with Richard’s Foodporium, a22chain of health food stores on the west coast of23Florida.Grewthat from11storesto16andthen just24decided that there wasn’t going to be enough25opportunitythere.Iwasalreadythegeneralmanager.26And I needed,wantedmore. So here I am, to getmy27MBA.28
Interviewer: Sodoyoustillworkforthem?29Subject: Idonot.Iworkasaconsultantforarestaurantgroup30
calledEatHere.31Interviewer: Ihavenotheardofthat.32Subject: It’s – have you heard of the Beach Bistro on Anna33
MariaIsland?34Interviewer: Ah‐huh.35
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Subject: The same owner who owns Beach Bistro. We’re36startinganewchainofrestaurants.37
Interviewer: Didn’ttheyjustremodeltheBeachBistro?38Subject: Yes.39Interviewer: Iwent in therewhile itwas under construction. Just40
want tomake sure it’s the one that I am thinking of.41Yeah, I’vebeen there.Okay, sohow longagodidyou42firststartthinkingaboutgettinganMBA?43
Subject: Um,Ithoughtaboutitcomingoutofmyundergradbut44Ireallywantedtoentertheworkforcefirst.Ihadsome45great opportunities, three different opportunities46leavingcollege.47
Interviewer: In2008?48Subject: In2008.SoIdidn’tthinkaboutittoohard(chuckles).49Interviewer: Given the recession at that time and you had three50
offers,yeah.51Subject: Yeah. And over, um, over the four years, itwasn’t in52
the first three [because that is]where I thought, “Oh,53thiscompanyisgoingtotakemewhereIwanttobe.”54Until the last year, things weren’t moving55progressivelywhereIwantedtogo.56
Interviewer: Okay.57Subject: SoI,um,aboutayearandahalfnowI’vebeenthinking58
aboutit.59Interviewer: Okay.Andwasthereaparticularincidentthatledyou60
tothinkaboutpursuingadegree?61Subject: (thoughtfulpause)Umm…62Interviewer: Well,yousaidthecompanywasn’twhereyouthought63
itwasgoingtobe?64Subject: Well, I tried to start my own company after leaving65
Richard’s,um,anditjust–itdidn’treallyworkout.So66Istartedlookingforjobsandthingsofthatnature.And67whenItalkedtoafewheadhuntersforthepositionsI68wanted, they, you know, they said “you should start69thinking about getting an MBA, it would really help70you.”AndthenIconsultedwithfriendsandfamilyand71justdecided,yeah.It’stherightthingtodo.AndIcan72affordnottohaveacareerforayearandahalf;getit73doneandgofromthere.74
Interviewer: Okay. And what did you think the long‐term benefit75wouldbeofhavinganMBA?76
Subject: Workplacemarketability. Youknow,being able tobe77inlargercompanies,Fortune500companies.My–I’ve78always liked smaller companies and working for a79chain with 16 stores grossing $18 million was very80good for me. I mean, I managed around 130 people.81
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ButIdounderstandthattherearemoreopportunities82in larger firms and bigger organizations. Having my83uncle, who was president of IBM Asia, president of84IBM South America, on and on and on, and a lot of85otherfamilythatworkinlargeFortune500companies86asdirectorsandsuch,itjustseemedlike,well,Icando87that,too.Becauseit’sjustnoteverydaythatyouwalk88into being a general manager of a small business. It89doesn’t–thoseopportunitiesjustaren’ttherelikeyou90couldgetinabigcompany,youcouldclimbyourway91up.92
Interviewer: Okay. And did you think about any short‐term93benefits?94
Subject: Well, when I left Richard’s and started my own95company – tried to startmy own company – I had a96purpose.Iwasgoingtothis.AndthenIwaslike,“Nah,97thisisn’tright.”SoIthoughtaboutstartingtheMBAin98the spring.And I just started travelling for like three99months,andenjoyingmyself.Sotheshort‐termbenefit100would be to stop “butterflying” around the world101(interviewer laughsas subjectmakesbutterflymotions102withhands).Togetbacktohavingapurposeinlife.103
Interviewer: Okay.Abutterfly…104Subject: Yeah.105Interviewer: And what – did you think there would be any106
headaches?107Subject: (pause)Um,youknow,Ilookatmyundergrad–atthe108
timeIthoughtitwasdifficult.Ithoughtaneconomics109degreewas difficult to achieve. And thenwhat Iwas110abletoachieveinfouryearsintheworkplace,working111sometimes 80 – 100 hours a week, um, I’m not112concernedwiththeworkload.Um,Iknowtherewillbe113a need to study and a need to be focused and114committed,butI’mnotoverlyconcerned.115
Interviewer: Okay.And are you, um, looking at any sort of tuition116reimbursement? Scholarships or anything? Are you117payingforthisoutofyourownpocket?118
Subject: (pause)Um,Iamgoingtoseekfinancialaid.Hopefully119mostlypayforitoutofmyownpocket.Dependingon120howmuchIcan–thisnewrestaurantgroupthatIam121working for is relatively new and the job’s new – I122haveonlybeenthereforalittlelessthanamonth,soI123amnotsurewherethat isgoingtopanoutorwhenI124can open new stores for them or whatever. Um,125hopefully it will work out and I will have a decent126
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wageandI’llbeabletopayforitonmyown.That’smy127plan.128
Interviewer: Iamwritinganotetomyself toremindmethatafter129thisinterviewthatIwanttotellyousomething.Okay,130so how long ago did you think about it before you131actuallybegantoresearchprograms?Soyou’vebeen132toyingwith this ideaback inyourundergradbutyou133weren’tresearchingprograms.134
Subject: No.Notatall. IwouldstudyfortheGMATbyhelping135friendswhoweretakingtheGMAT.Iamprettygoodat136mathandIcouldhelpthemwiththingsfortheGMAT.137So I’m like, “oh, I can take this test.” And I was138thinking about just taking it. But I never did. I never139really thought about it that hard because I really did140wanttobeintheworkplace.Iworked.Youknow,the141twoyearspriortograduatingisthetimeIspenttoget142thosethreejobslinedupandtofinallymakeadecision143whereIwasgoingtogo.144
Interviewer: Okay.Sohowlong–sodid–soaboutayearandahalf145ago is when you said you seriously started to think146about it, so then how long agowas it that you really147startedtoresearchtheprogram?148
Subject: Okay. So it had to be a couple of weeks before the149deadline is when I started looking in the state of150Florida.IreallywantedtocometoUSF.IlovewhereI151liveinSarasotaandIwantedtofindaprogramwhere152IcouldliveinSarasota.Atleastforthenextyearanda153half. I know that after getting an MBA my154opportunities may be elsewhere but while I am in155school I would like to live where I live now. So two156weeks before and then they let me take my GMAT157becauseIwasleavingthecountry–Iamaconsultant158foracompanythatrentscruiseships–soIwasouton159a cruise for twoweeks and I told them I don’t know160howmuch Iamgoing tobeable to study, so Iwould161liketotakelikeaweekwhenIgethomeandstudyfor162theGMATand then take it, so theygavemeuntil the16315thofwhatevermonththatwas,October,November.164November15.165
Interviewer: Okay, then so September‐ish is when you began to166lookatit?167
Subject: Yeah.168Interviewer: Okay,sodidyouthinkaboutitasdecidingontheMBA169
andthenlookingauniversity,orchoosingauniversity170and then choosing between an MBA or an MS in171Entrepreneurship,andthenthedegrees?172
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Subject: IwantedanMBA.173Interviewer: Okay. So the program first? And what other174
universitiesdidyouconsider?175Subject: Well, with quick research learning that all the176
deadlineswerecomingup,notmanyschoolsaccepted177MBA students in the spring. Itwas here and [Florida178AtlanticUniversity]thatacceptedpeopleinthespring.179UCFdidn’t.UFdidn’t.180
Interviewer: SoyouconsideredUCF,andUFandFAUbutbecause181theothersdeadlinesdidn’tworkforyou,youknocked182themout[ofconsideration]?183
Subject: Right.184Interviewer: Wereyoulookinganywhereelse?185Subject: Nope.186Interviewer: BasicallyjustthelargerschoolsinthestateofFlorida?187Subject: Right.188Interviewer: Howdidyougoaboutseekinginfoontheprograms?189Subject: Icalled.Ispoketooneoftheladiesdownstairs,Karen.190Interviewer: Ah‐huh.191Subject: Alittlebitofresearchonline.They[USF’sMBAoffice]192
were familiarwith thecompanies that Ihaveworked193forinthepastandwereexcitedtogetmyrésuméand194myapplication. I figuredall Ihavetodo isgetahalf‐195waydecenttestscoreontheGMAT.196
Interviewer: AndyoudidnottaketheGMATfirst,youtookitafter197youhadapplied.198
Subject: Yes.199Interviewer: Sowhenyoubegan to research theprograms,what I200
reallywanttoknowiswhatfactorswereimportantto201you.Iamhearingyousaylocation,deadline,whatelse202didyoulookat?203
Subject: Um, (pause) obviously I didn’t want like an online,204unaccreditedMBAprogram,which,there’slikeadime‐205a‐dozen of those. I wanted a legitimate school. And206thentherewaslocation.Imean,Iliveonthebeachin207SiestaKeyandIkindofwanttostaythereaslongasI208can.209
Interviewer: Sowouldyousayoutofallof these, locationwasthe210mostimportant?211
Subject: Yeah.212Interviewer: Okay.Once–oh,youalreadyansweredthatone.Never213
mind.Didyouattendthein‐personinfosessionbefore214youapplied?215
Subject: No.216Interviewer: Didyouseekword‐of‐mouthreviewsfromfriends?217Subject: No.218
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Interviewer: DidyouaskcoworkersaboutUSF’sMBA?219Subject: No.220Interviewer: So I guessyouhavealreadyanswered thisone,what221
factors were important to you as you chose the222university–notjusttheprogram,buttheuniversity.I223guess you’ve already mentioned those again, the224locationbeingprimary.225
Subject: Yes.226Interviewer: What was the one thing that wasmost important to227
youallalong?228Subject: (longpause)229Interviewer: Reputation of the university? The education, the230
location?231Subject: Certainly theeducation is important.Um, Mainlymy232
goalistobemoremarketableintheyearahead.233Interviewer: Sothepersonaldevelopment,themarketability.234Subject: Right.235Interviewer: Andso–you’veactuallyalreadykindofansweredthis236
one,too–whatareyourcareeraspirations,short‐and237long‐term?238
Subject: Um,short‐term, I’menjoying therestaurantbusiness.239Being in retail for four years, I wasn’t fond of retail240grocery. I enjoy therestaurantbusiness. Idowant to241ownmyownrestaurant.Chain.Orafew.Um(pause).242That could be short‐ and long‐term. Short‐term, this243meeting the owner of the Beach Bistro and getting244involvedintheserestaurantswaskindofablessingin245disguise. Things may go well from here, but it’s still246reallytooearlytotell.247
Interviewer: And then long‐term, earlier you were talking about248getting into a for‐profit, Fortune 500 [firm] kind of249movinguptheladder.Isthatstillsomething?250
Subject: That’snotagoal.251Interviewer: Okay.252Subject: That’s not a goal. That’s a, maybe a necessity to get253
where I need to go or it’s something that helps me254build a résumé for the future.Uh, if I, if I could stick255myself in another companywith 150 employees and256decent sales, I’d be fine. But if I can’t, I could go out,257throughmy contacts, andmy networking ability and258findajobatalargercorporation.259
Interviewer: And how long do you believe itwill be before itwill260take for you to see a return on your investment of261eithertimeormoneywhenitcomestotheMBA.How262longwillittakeforyoutosay,“Thiswasworthit?”263
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Subject: IthinkrightafterIgraduate.Ithinkoneyearandfour264months.265
Interviewer: (puzzledchuckle)Okay.266Subject: Imean,obviouslyitisgoingtobeabusyyearandfour267
monthsbut,youknow,myplan–asIgraduatedwith268my undergrad was –to have a job when I graduate.269AndIhadthatlinedup.IamsureIamgoingtohavean270ideawheremyfutureisgoingtogobeforeIgraduate271and go travel again. That [the traveling] was only a272blipthisyearthatafterfouryearsofalot,alot,alotof273work,Idecidedtobuzzoutandtakeoff.274
Interviewer: Andifyoucandoit,yayforyou!275Subject: Yeah.276Interviewer: Okay. Um, I didn’t hear you mention cost of the277
programordurationoftheprogramatall.Werethese278notprimaryfactorsforyou?279
Subject: No.I’dliketogetitdoneasshortaspossible.280Interviewer: But it wasn’t what made you choose USF over281
anywhereelse.282Subject: I (pause) I had a cousin that just graduated with a283
master’s in accounting at University of Tampa. And I284thought–Ithoughtmaybethatwouldbe–I lookeda285littlebitatUniversityofTampa–butshereallywasn’t286very happy with her degree program from there. I287basically thought it was overpriced for what it was.288Notalotofconnections.Notalotofresourcesfroma289smaller university. She thoughtmaybe shemade the290wrong decision, that she should’ve come here since291shelivedinTampa.Um,sowhenshekindofsaidthat,292I went, “okay, it’s a lot of money, obviously, for a293privateuniversity.”Youknow,themoneyis,forwhat294itisgoingto,youknow,givemefortherestofmylife,295iskindofadrop in thebucket. It’s–no, I can’t think296aboutthemoney.297
Interviewer: Okay,soyouareawareofit[cost]butitisn’tadriving298forceinchoosingauniversity?299
Subject: (shakingheadnoemphatically)No.300Interviewer: Samewithduration?301Subject: No(meaninginagreement,aswithabove).302Interviewer: You mentioned networking opportunities was303
somethingyouconsidered. Itwasn’taprimaryfactor,304butitwasimportanttoyou,orno?305
Subject: Yeah.Absolutely.306Interviewer: Ithinkthat iseverythingIhave.Andittooklessthan307
halfanhour!308Subject: Fairenough.309
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Interviewer: Anything you want to add? Have you been to310orientation?311
Subject: Yeah,orientationwasfun,sure(sarcasticgrin).312Interviewer: (laughing)youhaditlastSaturday?313Subject: No,itwasbeforeChristmas.314Interviewer: Oh,Saturdaytheyhadoneforthestragglers.315
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InterviewDate: January8,2013InterviewLocation: USFCollegeofBusiness,TampaInterviewSubject: Angie,32yearoldfemale,Incoming#5InterviewDuration: 16minutesAngie is an Asian female who is just beginning the MBA program at theUniversityof SouthFlorida. Shewasattendingher first classon the samedayas the interview.She is amarriedmotherwith several yearsofworkexperiencebutshehasnotrecentlyworked(shehasstayedathomeforfiveyearstoraiseherson).SheisinvolvedwithalocalorganizationforIndianfamilies as she is from India (and still has most of her extended familythere). She is classified as an international student at USF but she is aresidentofTampa.Interviewer: SoyouarelookingatanMBA?1Subject: Yes.2Interviewer: Andhaveyouappliedandbeenaccepted?3Subject: Yes.4Interviewer: Have you started classes already? You started this5week?6Subject: Yes.7Interviewer: Andwheredidyougoforyourundergraduatedegree?8Subject: IdiditinIndia.9Interviewer: Okay.Whatwasthenameoftheschool?10Subject: It’sMahatmaGhandiUniversity.11Interviewer: Andwhatdidyoustudy?12Subject: Istudiedengineering.Abachelor'sinengineering.13Interviewer: Howlongagowasthat?14Subject: Itwasin2002.15Interviewer: Andwhatdidyoudoafterthat?Didyouwork?16Subject: Iwasasoftwareengineerforaboutfiveyears.17Interviewer: InIndia,orhere?18Subject: In India. Then I worked for the client over here for19
aboutsixmonths.20Interviewer: Okay.Andsoyouhave fiveyearsofworkexperience21
totalordidyouworkwhilegoingtoschool.22Subject: No,notwhilegoingtostudies.Afterstudies,Iworked23
forfiveyears.24Interviewer: Andhowlongagodidyoustartthinkingaboutgetting25
anMBA?26Subject: FromthetimeIfinishedengineering(chuckles).27Interviewer: Wasthereaparticularincident?Whatledyoutosay,“I28
thinkIwanttodothis?”29Subject: I can’t say there was a particular incident, but after30
shifting totheU.S., I tookabreak frommycareer for31
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aboutfiveyears.Now,Iamfindingitkindofdifficultto32findajob.Sothatwasit.33
Interviewer: Soyouworkedforfiveyearsandyouhavebeenofffor34fiveyears?35
Subject: Yes.36Interviewer: Didyouhavekidsorwereyouraisingafamily?37Subject: Yes,thatisit.38Interviewer: Thatmeansyoumusthaveoneinthatfive,six,seven39
yearoldrange?40Subject: Yes,he’sfournow.IneverworkedafterImarried.41Interviewer: The four and five and six year old age range are just42
myabsolutefavoriteages.43Subject: (laughingandnoddinginagreement)Yeah.44Interviewer: They are such interesting little people then. And, of45
course,theyaredonewithdiapers.(Laughing).46Subject: Yes,theyare!That’sthebestpart!47Interviewer: Okay.48Interviewer: So, what made you decide to come to the United49
States?50Subject: To the United States? Because my husband was51
basicallyworkinghere.52Interviewer: WhatmadeyouthinkaboutUSFforamaster’sdegree?53Subject: BecausetheMBAisprettygood.It’sratedhighatUSF.54
That’s one reason. And second reason, obviously,55becauseIcan’tstayawayfrommyfamilyrightnow.So56my only real option is USF because the other57universities [that I would consider] are far. And the58third is, like if I go to other private universities, the59fees/price,that’samajordifference.60
Interviewer: Oh?61Subject: Yeah.62Interviewer: Okay, so,well– I’mgoing to jumpahead.Whatother63
universitiesdidyouconsider?WasUSFreallytheonly64oneyouconsidered?65
Subject: No, I considered Southern Uni – Florida Southern66University (likely meant Florida Southern College).67UniversityofCentralFlorida,too,inOrlando,yeah.68
Interviewer: Uh‐huh. IwenttoFloridaSouthernformyundergrad69myfirsttwoyears.70
Subject: It’sanicecollege,right?71Interviewer: Itwas.Itwasjustexpensivebecauseitisprivate.72Subject: (laughing)yeah.73Interviewer: Okay, sowhenyou thought about theMBA,whatdid74
youthinkthelong‐termbenefitwouldbe?75Subject: To startmyownbusiness.Becausemyhusband is in76
business field. So I want to do something, to start77
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somethingofmyown, too.So if Ihave, so toget into78that, so I have to a hold [know in] full how to run a79business.80
Interviewer: Okay. And do you think there are any short‐term81benefitsthatcomewithgettinganMBA?82
Subject: Short‐term? Like after the studies, or during the83studies?84
Interviewer: Maybeduringorimmediatelyafter…85Subject: Immediatelyafter,ofcourse,ajob,becausethat’sone86
thingthatIneed.Andsecondthing,it’slike;rightnow87Iamnotdoingnothingatallsoit’slikeefficientuseof,88effectiveuseoftime.89
Interviewer: Okay.Anddoyouthinktherewillbeanyheadachesor90hasslesinvolvedwithgettinganMBA?91
Subject: (laughing)yes.92Interviewer: (alsolaughing)Ofcourse!93Subject: Yes,yes,ofcourse.94Interviewer: Whatmightthosebe?95Subject: Becausemy family iskindofdifficult tomanage.The96
kid –and the timing, you know – it’s not regular97daytimestudiesthatwearedoingmostoftheclasses98arenight time. It’s like the family tomanage.Kindof99difficult. We don’t have any family here. All of our100familyisinIndia.MyfamilyisinIndia.Soitiskindof101goingtobedifficulttomanagethekid,thetimingsfor102him.103
Interviewer: Okay,thejuggling?104Subject: Yeah.105Interviewer: Okay,sohowlongdidyouactuallythinkaboutgetting106
anMBAbeforeyoustartedresearchingprograms?107Subject: Aboutsixmonths. I started looking for theprograms,108
maybe,inJune.109Interviewer: So, did you look at the programs first, and then the110
university, or did you thinkUSF and then decide the111program,decidewhichprogramtopursue?112
Subject: Idecidedfirsttheprogram.113Interviewer: So you had decided on the MBA over the M.S.114
program?115Subject: No, I applied for an MS, too. An MS in electrical116
engineering.So,Iwaslikeeithergetamaster’sdegree117inengin–becauseIalreadydidengineering,electrical118engineering,so(unintelligible). Iwantedtoshift from119software engineering field, basically. So thatwas one120ofthemainthingsforme.ButthenIappliedfor[anMS121in] electrical engineering then I looked at the job122scenarioinTampa.AndIcametoknowthatthereare123
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not many companies which are doing electric124engineering or engineerings works, and, you know,125other than the lower rangeworks youdon’t get into,126there are not verymany very big companies here. If127yougetintoengineeringagainyougetendupbeingin128softwareandIdidn’twanttodothat,so…129
Interviewer: Okay,Sohowdidyougoaboutseekinginformationon130theprogramsandtheuniversities?131
Subject: I contacted them first. Um, and I have many friends132who have done an MBA from here. Many people. I133knowabout fouror fiveof them.Sobasicallymostof134my contactshavebeen through them. Like, Iwent to135themtoask,like,howthisishowitworksout;mostof136theinfoIgotisthroughthem.137
Interviewer: Okay.Anddidyouvisitthewebsitesandsoon?138Subject: Yes.139Interviewer: (stumblingoverwords) Did you go to an information140
session?141Subject: No,noinformationsession.142Interviewer: Okay. And you don’t work, so you didn’t ask co‐143
workers.Umm,whendidyoutaketheGMAT?Wasit144beforeyouevengotstartedonexploringtheprograms145orafteryouhaddecidedwhereyouwanttogo?146
Subject: After what I decided. After I contacted here, at the147graduatestudies.AfterI inquiredwiththemwhatthe148–youknowIdidGREactually Ididn’tdoGMAT.So I149didGREandIasked, I inquiredwiththemhowmuch150thescoreshouldbe,andafterthat.151
Interviewer: Okay. So, by the time you have took the test, if152someone was to try to persuade you to go to a153differentuniversity,by the timeyou’ve takenthe test154youhavealreadydecidedwhereyouaregoing?155
Subject: Yes.156Interviewer: And, sowhen lookingat the reasons that you’ve said157
youwerethinkinganMBA.I’veheardyousaythatyou158werelookingattheratingsoftheschoolorreputation159(subject is making affirmative ah‐huh sounds during160this portion), location, cost, changing your industry,161and finding a job (subject laughs yes!) and possibly162owningyourownbusiness.163
Subject: Yes.164Interviewer: Which one of those would you say is the most165
importanttoyou?166Subject: Right now, most important would be my immediate167
goal,whichistogetajob.168
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Interviewer: Okay,andthenafterthat?Whatwould–asyouwere169thinkingaboutthedecisionwhethertodothisornot,170whatwasmaybethesecondmostimportantthing?171
Subject: To go higher in the ladder. Because I was already a172senior software engineer. So I want to go into173management,soengineeringwasnotanoptionforme.174
Interviewer: Okay,great(briefpause).And,oops,Ialreadygotthat175one (referencing a question on the form). I jumped176aheadsoIamhavingtotakealookandsee…actually,177you’ve already answered that one, too. The ratings178reallymatteredtoyou,yousaid.179
Subject: Yes,yestheydid.180Interviewer: But you investigated those ratings largely through181
wordofmouth?182Subject: Yes,andalsothesite,thewebsite.AndIdidcontacta183
numberofuniversitiesjustto,youknow,collectwhat184they offer and I did search on all those business185journals,businessmagazines,andallthosesitestosee,186like,youknow…187
Interviewer: Soyouwenttosee,likeBusinessWeek’srankings?188Subject: Ah‐huh.Yes.189Interviewer: AndU.S.Newsrankingsandallthatkindofstuff?190Subject: Yes.191Interviewer: And,soyourcareeraspirations,short‐term,aretoget192
ajob?193Subject: Yes.194Interviewer: Andajobthatishigherthanyouwere?IsthatwhatI195
amhearingyousay?196Subject: Yes,andalsoashiftinthefieldfromengineering.Iam197
basicallygoingtoselectanelectivelikehealthcare.So198a shift in the field from,youknow, software industry199tohealthcareprovision,basically.200
Interviewer: And long‐term, what do you want to do? Five, ten201yearsfromnow?202
Subject: Iwanttoownmyownbusiness.203Interviewer: Youwanttoownyourown?204Subject: Yes.205Interviewer: Anddoyouhaveanyideawhatkind?206Subject: (laughing)Ialreadyhaveestablishedeverything.Like207
textile industry. Something like taking some good208brandsfromhereandaswehavebigexportsinIndia209andhere, something from...Normallywhatpeopledo210is take from India and invest it here, right now I am211thinking like India is a good market, a developing212market, so I am thinking like good brands fromhere213and,youknow,doingsomethingthere.214
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Interviewer: Cool.Soinretail,ormoreonwholesaleside?215Subject: Retail.216Interviewer: Indiaisanemergingmarket,that’sforsure.217Subject: Yeah.218Interviewer: Perfect.Sohowlongdoyouthinkitwillbe,itwilltake219
you, how (stumblingoverwords). Back up. How long220doyoubelieve itwill take for you to see a returnon221your [MBA] investment, both in terms of time and222money?Howlongwillittakeforyoutosay,“Thiswas223worthit”?224
Subject: Um,Iwouldsaysixmonths.225Interviewer: Really?226Subject: AboutsixmonthstooneyearIshouldbe…Iwillknow227
likemoretied, like, it’shardtosay(unintelligible).As228soonaswefinishthestudieswe’llknow,like,whatjob229we’llgetwhendoinganMBAfromhere.IfIdogood,if230Idomyhomeworkgood, thenyeah, I thinkIcan line231upagoodjob.232
Interviewer: Great. So thatwould be one of the biggestways you233wouldmeasureyoursuccess,isthatyouhaveajob?234
Subject: A job in the desired field. You know, in the desired235area.236
Interviewer: Well,allalongwhatwas theone thing thatwasmost237important to you as you decidedwhich university to238attend?239
Subject: Family.BecauseIdon’thaveanyoptiontoleavethem.240If I go, you know, I couldn’t consider any other241university.EvenifIgetacallfromHarvard,Ican’tgo.242It’snotthatIwillgetthat,it’sjustthatevenif…243
Interviewer: Right.244Subject: Idon’thaveanoptiontoleave,becausemysonistoo245
young. I can’t just leave.Myhusband iskindofbusy246withhiswork.Andwedon’thaveanyfamilyhere.SoI247justcan’tleavehereandgo.248
Interviewer: AndIheardyou[say]costwasimportanttoyou,butit249wasn’toneoftheprimaryfactors.250
Subject: Yes.251Interviewer: Are you depending on any sort of scholarship or252
tuitionreimbursementoranythinglikethat?253Subject: WithmycurrentinternationalstudentstatusIamnot254
eligible to apply for any financial aid. But255scholarships,Iamplanningtoapplyforoneortwoof256them,yes.257
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InterviewDate: January23,2013InterviewLocation: USFCollegeofBusinessInterviewSubject: Chase,37yearoldmale,Incoming#6InterviewDuration: 19minutesChaseisamarriedCaucasianmalewithonechild(whoissixyearsold).Heworksfull timeintheinsuranceindustryandhe is inhisfirstsemesterofMBAclasses.Interviewer: So,we’llstart firstwiththereallyhardones. Where1
didyouattendschool foryourundergraduatedegree2andwhatdidyoustudy?3
Subject: IwenttotheUniversityofSouthFloridaSt.Petersburg4campus.Iwasanaccountingmajor.5
Interviewer: Howlongagodidyougraduate?6Subject: ’07.’06,actually,December’06.7Interviewer: Anddidyouworkwhilegoingtoschool?8Subject: Idid. Idid. Iworkedpart‐time.Not in the field,but I9
didwork.10Interviewer: Haveyouworkedinthefieldsinceyougraduated?11Subject: Ihave.12Interviewer: Howmanyyearsandwhatdoyoudo?13Subject: Aboutsixyears.I’manaccountant.14Interviewer: Whatfirmdoyouworkfor?15Subject: So,rightnowIworkforacompanycalledCunningham16
Lindsay.They,um,weareintheinsuranceindustry,so17whatwe do is loss adjustment on a global scale.We18operate in about 44 countries. I’m not sure how19familiaryouarewithlossadjusting,but…20
Interviewer: Not very. But I am assuming it is pretty self‐21explanatory. Adjusting the balance sheets for loss22(chuckling).23
Subject: So in the insurance industry you have underwriters.24Andyouhaveahouse, right? Youhavehomeowners25insurancewhatever, so, um, generally somebody like26State Farm or, you know, Travelers, somebody like27that.So let’ssayyourkitchencatchesonfireandyou28callStateFarmandtheysendsomeoneoutto lookat29your kitchen. That person that comes out is a loss30adjuster.Soit’snotalways,butoftentimes,itisathird‐31party that’s hired by the underwriters. So the32insurance, the actual insurance company, who is33basically holding all the risk, they are underwriting34your policy, right? So theywould take a loss on the35damage to your kitchen. The third party – it’s not36always a third party, but oftentimes is – this loss37
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adjuster comes in. They actually make their money38when the transaction happens. So it’s an inverse39relationship from a revenue standpoint. And, you40know,when there is a hurricane that comes through41oranythinglikethat,theunderwriter,ortheinsurance42company, takeshuge lossesbut that’swhenwemake43money.It’sputting,basically,puttingpeoplewhohave,44you know, gone through the cataclysmic events, you45know,backontheirfeet.46
Interviewer: Okay.Andyou’renot,you’renotalossadjuster;you’re47anaccountant,right?48
Subject: I’m, yeah, I am in the finance and accounting49department.50
Interviewer: Okay. So, how long ago did you start – first start –51thinkingaboutgettinganMBA?52
Subject: Um.Itwasprobablyalwaysonmyradar.AssoonasI53wenttocollegeforanaccountant.Myfirstgoalwasto54getmyCPA license.So thatwas first.That,um, Iwas55licensed in Januaryof2011. So, aftermyundergrad I56had to do additional coursework to satisfy the57educationalrequirementsfortheCPA.SoIgotthatout58of theway and then I took abreakbecause I started59my family and stuff. It was always, it was always, I60alwaysknewthatIwouldgobackandgetmyMBA.61
Interviewer: So do you have a MAcc [Masters of Accountancy]62degree?63
Subject: Idon’t.Ijustdidadditionalcoursework.64Interviewer: Tosatisfytherequire–65Subject: Ihaveenoughcredits,to,um;Ididn’tneedenoughto,66
you know, warrant getting a master’s degree at the67time. So I just did three or four classes. That’s all I68neededtositfortheCPA[exam].69
Interviewer: So, at thispoint,whyareyou thinkingaboutanMBA70versusaMAcc?71
Subject: Because I would like to be a controller. There’s two,72there’s two reasons, basically. So, one, my current73career trajectory; I have my eyes on being the74controllerofanorganizationatsomepoint,sotogetto75that point, you know, if I am sitting in a room76interviewingforthesamepositionwithsomeoneelse77whohasanMBA,thenchancesareImightloseout,all78otherthingsbeingequal.Okay?79
Interviewer: Right.Okay.So,wasthereaparticularincidentthatled80youtothinkmoreaboutitmorerecently?81
Subject: (pause)82Interviewer: Kindof,whatsparkedwhereyouarenow?83
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Subject: It’s just a good point inmy career. So, um, so about84threeyearsago I– letmebackupa littlebit.WhenI85gotmyundergraduatedegree Iwent towork forOSI86Restaurant Partners. I was there for about three87years. Um, at that point, I moved on to where I am88now, Cunningham Lindsay. So as soon as I hit, you89know, hit the ground at Cunningham Lindsay, it was90non‐stopgo.Soitislotsofchange,lotsof–91
Interviewer: Howmanyyearsthere?92Subject: Threeandhalf,almostfour.Constantchange,beenreal93
busy.Lotsofexperienceandeverything,soIwantedto94get my MBA but I hadn’t had time. And now, things95have slowed down to a point to where it is just a96naturalpointinmycareertodothis.97
Interviewer: Andyouareinyourfirstsemesterofclasses,right?98Subject: Yes.99Interviewer: SowhenyoustartedthinkingabouttheMBA,whatdid100
youthinkthelong‐termbenefitwouldbe?101Subject: Soa long‐termbenefit,obviously,positionsme in the102
workplace, right, for a higher levelmanagement role103asacontroller.Ontheotherhand, Ialsowould,what104reallyattractsmeaboutthe,um,theprogramhere, is105theentrepreneurshipprogram.So,if,youknow,every106onceinawhileIhaveanidea–“that’sagreatidea,you107know, I don’t knowwhat to dowith it” – you know,108andso it’skindof, Iwant, Iwanttohavethatkindof109foundational knowledge or whatever so that I can110branchoutandhave,youknow,haveasidebusiness111ordevelopit intosomethingmore if thatopportunity112comesalong.113
Interviewer: And did you think there might be any short‐term114benefits?115
Subject: Um, not really. I mean, short‐term meaning what?116One,six,twelvemonths?117
Interviewer: Onetothreeyears?118Subject: Um, I am a senior corporate accountant right now. I119
haveastaffof threereportingtome.Thenext logical120step in my career trajectory would be accounting121manager,sothiswould,thiswouldhelpwiththat.122
Interviewer: Okay.Andwhat about anyheadaches? Do you think123there will be any headaches associated with this124degree?125
Subject: Just hard work. I don’t know if I would call it a126headache or not. Possibly because of time and other127resources.128
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Interviewer: Yep,you’lluseallofthoseresources.Sohowlongdid129youthinkaboutgettingthedegreebeforeyouactually130begantoresearchprograms?131
Subject: (pause) Uh, well, like I said, when I was in my132undergrad,IknewthateventuallyIwasgoingtogetan133MBA.Soprobablyin,um,maybearoundthebeginning134of this last year is when I started sensing that, you135know,itisprobablyagoodtimetostartlooking,andI136started investigating several different programs. So137probablyaboutayearago,Iguess.138
Interviewer: Okay. So, for you, it sounds like you had already139decidedonthedegreeprogrambeforeyoudecidedon140theuniversity.141
Subject: Yes.142Interviewer: Andwhat,um,well,beforeIgettothatone–didyou143
take the GMAT before exploring programs, after144exploring programs, once you knewwhere youwere145going?146
Subject: Um,after.147Interviewer: Afteryouknewwhereyouweregoing?148Subject: Yeah,prettymuch.149Interviewer: Okay.So,whatotheruniversitiesdidyouconsider?150Subject: Um, there was Auburn, Penn State, University of151
Florida–primarilybecauseof theironlineprograms.152Um, I liked them for their name recognition.And the153fact that Icoulddo themonline.Ultimately, Idecided154againstit.Ididn’tlookatanyotherschoolsinthearea,155though. I don’t, I really don’t consider University of156TampaandUSFonthesamelevel.That’sjustpersonal157opinion.158
Interviewer: Okay.Sohowdidyougoaboutseekinginformationon159theprograms?160
Subject: Online.161Interviewer: Didyougotoanyinfosessions?162Subject: No, I found everything I needed online at USF’s163
websites.164Interviewer: Did you seek any word‐of‐mouth reputation,165
reputational kind of reviews from friends? Co‐166workers?167
Subject: No.Not really. I have a friendwhowent through the168MBA program here and he had good things to say169about it. You know, having gotten my undergrad at170USF,Iamcomfortablewiththequality.171
Interviewer: Andwhat about co‐workersorbossesor anyone like172that?Didyouaskanyofthem?173
Subject: Fortheiropinion?Onwheretogo?No.174
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Interviewer: What factorswere important to you as you began to175research the programs? For instance, were you176looking at program content? Or were there other177factors?178
Subject: A couple of different things. First of all, the program179content. The entrepreneurship program is kind of180unique. That was a big plus in my mind. The cost181wasn’t, itreallywasn’tthatmuchofadecidingfactor.182Thecost.Thenetworkofpeoplewasmore important183tome.ThatwasultimatelywhyIdecidednottogetan184onlinedegree fromFloridaorAuburn,PennState, or185something like that, because, yeah, it has name186recognition,butreallywhatyoupay for inamaster’s187program is the people that you meet. Yeah, at least,188that’swhereIwouldputmyvalue.TheonlywayIwas189goingto,youknow,takeadvantageofthatwastogoto190alocaluniversity.191
Interviewer: Okay. What – how – let me go back here. Once you192decided on the degree – you already told me the193universities you considered – was there anything194about those universities that was really a factor for195you? Youmentioned reputation or name.Was there196anythingelse?Wassize,faculty,anythingelse?197
Subject: No, literally, it was for the name. Therewas nothing198better– fromwhat Ihave found– therewasnothing199better about those programs. You know, when I200comparedthemtoUSF’sMBAprogram.201
Interviewer: ButyouwouldnotputUSFandPennStateandAuburn202and the University of Florida all in the same league?203Orwouldyou?204
Subject: Idon’tknowwhynot.205Interviewer: Okay.206Subject: Theonly, theonlydifference is thenamerecognition,207
really.Right?Becauseeverybodyalloverthecountry208knowsPenn State and theUniversity of Florida. But209not, you know, not everybody knows USF. But that’s210okay. Youknow,workingincentralFloridabasically211everyone knows where USF is and, eventually, if I212leave,ifIaminBostonorChicago,or,youknow,some213other big city or whatever, what’s going to matter214more?Firstofall,theyaregoingtowanttoknowthat215it isareputablecollege,thatit’sanaccreditedcollege216so it is obviously a reputable university. But more,217moreimportantthanthatismyworkperformance.My218work history. The last several years. Way more219
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important inanykindofhiringdecisionthanwhereI220wenttoschool.221
Interviewer: Alright.You’reright.So,ofallthethingsthatyouhave222mentioned–Iamgoingtolistawholebunchofthem223here–thenetworkofpeople,youknow,thecaliberof224people in the classroom; career trajectory and your225position in the workplace; the entrepreneurship226option;onlineoptionsversusface‐to‐face;thenameor227reputation of the university; program content; and228cost.Allofthese, itsoundslike,werefactorsthatyou229wereconsidering.230
Subject: Yes.231Interviewer: WhatwastheONEmostimportantoutofallofthem?232Subject: Itwasthenetworkofpeople.233Interviewer: Okay. Jumping here…are you on any sort of tuition234
assistanceprogram,employertuitionassistance?235Subject: Yeah,Iam.236Interviewer: Okay. Because I am pleasantly surprised that cost is237
not–thathasnotbeennumberoneforeverybody. It238hasn’tbeen.239
Subject: No,notreally(unintelligible)but,um,it’shardforme240tosay itwasthenetworkofpeoplebecauseIhaven’t241foundanentrepreneurshiptrackatanyotherschools.242So that was very attractive to me. That’s a close243second, if not first. It’s hard. If it’s not one it is the244other.245
Interviewer: Make sure you get in Dr. Fountain’s class for246something.247
Subject: Dr.Fountain?248Interviewer: He’s the guy in charge of all of the entrepreneurship249
programs.250Subject: I have Professor Lux formynext class that starts on251
the[February]4th.252Interviewer: So,um,IjumpedaroundsoIamlookingbacktoseeifI253
missed any questions. You didn’t go to any info254sessionsforanyuniversities?255
Subject: No, I didn’t. Yeah, I got some information from the256UniversityofFloridaviamailbutthatwasall.257
Interviewer: So what was – my question is what are your career258aspirationsshort‐termandlong‐term.Long‐term,you259have really already told me. You told me to be260controllerofacompany.261
Subject: Right.262Interviewer: Whatareyourshort‐termcareergoals?263Subject: Short‐term career goalswould bemaking accounting264
manager.So,yeah, I’d liketomanagemanagers.Even265
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now,Ihaveastaffandinsomeorganizationsitwould266be called an accounting manager anyway. Um, but267what I reallywant is that next step in, you know, in268beingableto,um,manageorleadothermanagers.269
Interviewer: How longdoyoubelieve itwill take for you to see a270monetarygainasaresultofearningthisdegree.271
Subject: Well, youknow, it’shard. It’shard toquantify, right?272Because Iwouldn’t know if I get a promotion unless273theytellme,“it isbecauseoftheMBAdegree,” thenI274would not know. Okay, so, I anticipate getting a275promotionwithin the next year. So, Iwon’t havemy276degreebythen(chuckles).SoIanticipatethat‐‐277
Interviewer: Would a degree open doors at work for you for a278promotion?279
Subject: Ofcourseitwould.In,um,twoorthreeyears.280Interviewer: Letmeaskthisadifferentwaythen.Howlongdoyou281
believe it will take for you to say this degree was282worthit?283
Subject: Um,Iwouldsaythreetofiveyears.284Interviewer: You were a very fast interview! You hit all of my285
questions. Do you have anything you want to add?286AnythingIdidn’taskyou,kindofasyouthoughtabout287theMBA?288
Subject: Um, can you, can you kind of tellme againwhat the289interviewisfor?290
Interviewer: Um, my – I am going for the master’s degree in291strategic communications and so my research292questionis“whatfactorsdoprospectiveMBAstudents293considerwhendecidingwhetheror not to go for the294degree and then, once they havemade that decision,295whichuniversitytoattend.296
Subject: Sure.297Interviewer: And the reason I want to know this is so that I can298
writeeffectivemessages.299Subject: Sure.300Interviewer: Thatdothat.For instance, thepast five,sixadsthatI301
haveputoutaboutourMBAprogramhaveall talked302about the quality of our faculty. And how they are303awesome.And that is almostneverbeenevenon the304list ofwhat students say. So I am lauding thewrong305thing.Ineedtotalkaboutourreputationmore.Ineed306totalkaboutmoreofthepeopleintheclassroom.This307[project] is going to help me better target our308audience.So–theonlywaytoknowwhatpeopleare309thinkingaboutwhen theyare just startinganMBA is310toaskthem.311
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Subject: Yeah, that’s interesting. I remember coming across,312um,I forgettheactualranking,buttherankingofthe313schoolonanadonanational,publicschoolbasis.And314theMBAprogramitself.Ithinkitisranked,soitwas,it315was, you know, well ranked. In the top 50 of316somethinglike317
Interviewer: Yeah,Ithinkwearenumber34orsomethinglikethat.318So, Florida has got us beat but, um, Florida is also319twiceasoldasweare.320
Subject: It isalwaysabout the footballprograms.Hasnothing321todowithacademicsoranything.322
Interviewer: (laughing).323 # # #
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InterviewDate: January31,2013InterviewLocation: USFCollegeofBusinessInterviewSubject: Fred,34yearoldmale,Incoming#7InterviewDuration: 20minutesFredisasingleCaucasianmalewithnochildren.Heisworksfulltimeinthenon‐profitindustryandheisinhisfirstofficialsemesterofMBAclasses(hetook a few classes the semester prior but only recently was formallyaccepted into theprogram,whichexplainshowhewason the listof firstsemesterstudents).Priortotheinterview,henoticedthattheinterviewerhadaplaque fromTampaConnection inheroffice; itwasdiscoveredthatbothofthemhadbeenthroughaleadershipdevelopmentprogramandhadacquaintancesincommon.Interviewer: So,theeasyquestionsareatthebeginning.Wheredid1
yougotoschoolforyourundergraddegree?2Subject: USF.3Interviewer: Okay.Andhowlongagodidyougraduate?4Subject: I graduated in, it’s actually, technically I think it is5
2003but Icompletedmygraduationrequirements in62001.7
Interviewer: Okay.Andwhatdidyoustudyasanundergrad?8Subject: Communication.9Interviewer: Notmasscomm,justcommunication?10Subject: Correct.11Interviewer: Didyouworkwhileyouwenttoschool?12Subject: Yeah,Idid.13Interviewer: Inyourfieldor–14Subject: No.15Interviewer: Iwasawaitress,so–16Subject: Iwasthesamething,prettymuch.17Interviewer: Haveyouworkedsinceyougraduated?18Subject: Yep.19Interviewer: Whatdoyoudo?Whatkindofjobshaveyoudone?20Subject: My career has primarily been involved with – it21
started with consulting for non‐profits and then got22intoadsales.AndIwasinadsalesforprobablyeight,23nineyears.24
Interviewer: Whatkindofsales?TV,radio?25Subject: Itwasallsortsofbusiness.Print,online,searchengine26
marketingthings,television.ForbroadcasttelevisionI27worked for Newschannel 8 and the Tampa Tribune28here.Soprettymuchallmedia.29
(Interviewinterruptedbycellphonecall)30Subject: Doyouneedtogetthat?31(Intervieweranswersthecallbriefly)32
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Interviewer: Okay,soyouworkedforWFLAanddidadsalesandall33of that. Is that what you do now? What do you do34now?35
Subject: No, I left there in December of last year. Started36workingforanadagencybasedoutofNewYorkand37went overseas, opened their first international office38inDubai and then left there in Juneof this year.And39thenstartedschoolinAugust.Fulltime.40
Interviewer: Was there a particular incident that led you think41aboutgettinganMBA?42
Subject: Um, good question. Um, actually my experience in43Dubai was – I thought about an MBA for years,44actually.ButIjustkindofstayedawayfromitbecause45it is toughtodowhenyouareworking full‐time.The46opportunitycostofstoppingmakingmoneyistoughto47swallow. But, um, it waswhile I was in Dubai, I just48learned that there is a lot of stuff that I don’t know49about inbusiness.And therearea lotof things that I50wanted to know. And coming back and not being51employedmadeitagood,aneasytransitionformeto52cometoschoolfull‐time.53
Interviewer: Okay. How long ago was it that you first started54thinkingaboutit? Wasitwhen–yousaidJune–you55stoppedworkingforthatadagency?56
Subject: Um, I mean, yes and no. I initially started thinking57about it immediately after I was done with my first58twoyearsofworkafterIgraduated.SoIthoughtabout59it,butI justdidn’tconsiderit foranothereightyears.60Doesthatmakesense?61
Interviewer: Yeah.Andyousaidlargelybecauseoftheopportunity62cost,isthatcorrect?63
Subject: Yep.64Interviewer: Wasthe–whatdidyouthinkthelong‐termandshort‐65
termbenefitsofgettinganMBAwouldbe?66Subject: Um, the short‐term benefits would be (long pause)67
probably what everyone else would say. It’s a68competitive advantage over peoplewhodon’t have a69master’s degree of some sort. And there are still a70large amount of those people out there. So any71competitive advantage is going to get you the initial72interviewandhopefullywillhelp.Sothat’sshort‐term,73but I also think that would be long‐term. Um, (long74pause)probablyanothershort‐termbenefitisthatitis75kindoflikepushingthe“resetbuttonontheNintendo”76on life a littlebit.Youknow, I’m34, I amnot22, I’m77not27,I’m34andit’srarethatsomeonewhohashad78
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acareerfor10yearscanstopwhattheyaredoingand79gobacktoschool.80
Interviewer: Okay.81Subject: So, that’s nice and it’s, um, it is considered still82
reputable to the businessworld to go back to school83full‐time. It’s not as if I’m couch‐surfing and playing84videogamesall–youknowwhatImean?85
Interviewer: M‐hmm.86Subject: Sobyhavingthatgapinmyrésumé,itmayactuallybe87
ahelpinsteadofahindrance,inmyopinion.Onlytime88willtell.89
Interviewer: So, kind of looking at that reset button as doing it90while gaining a tool that is going to enhance your91résumé,gettingsomething?92
Subject: Yeah,andalso, I guesswhen I say–whatyousaid is93accurate–butitismoreofaresetbuttononlife.Iget94to,kindof,recalibratemycareer.95
Interviewer: Oh,okay.96Subject: It’stoughtodothatmidstream.97Interviewer: Right. And, actually, of the people I have talked to,98
quite a few people have used this as an opportunity99change careers or redirect or fine‐tune their careers.100Whataboutthelong‐termbenefits?101
Subject: Um, Iwould say the last stuff that I talked about are102more long‐term as well. But, um, (pause) long‐term103benefits, I would say confidence. Confidence and104decision‐making skills. Being grounded in [a] sound105understandingofbusinessfundamentals.106
Interviewer: Okay.107Subject: Ofcourse,that’sthehope,youknow.ButIamalready108
seeingit.109Interviewer: Areyou?110Subject: Iamalreadyseeingit,yeah.111Interviewer: Andyouareinyourfirstsemesterofclasses?112Subject: Second.113Interviewer: Oh,Ithoughtyouwereinyourfirst.114Subject: Istartedin…oh,okay,I–thisisthefirstsemesterthatI115
amtakingclasseswhereIhaveactuallybeenanMBA116student. I took themasanon‐degreeseekingstudent117lastyearbecauseIsaid,“Iamgoingtogetaccepted,I118don’t, Imean, theymight saynobut Idon’t care; I’m119stillgoingtogo.” BecauseIamgoingtogetmyMBA,120so–121
Interviewer: Oh,okay.And,um,sohowlongdidyouthinkaboutit122beforeyoubeganresearchingMBAprograms?123
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Subject: How long did I think about it? I thought about it124(pause)–125
Interviewer: Imean,seriously.Iamnottalkingaboutthetwoyears126afteryougraduated.127
Subject: I’vegotya. I thoughtabout itprettystrongly, Iwould128say,foraboutsixmonthsbeforeIstartedstudyingfor129theGMAT.130
Interviewer: Anddidyou think–oh,wait, letmebackpedal fora131minute–speakingoftheGMAT,didyoutakeitbefore132youhaddecidedwheretogoorafter?133
Subject: Oh,beforeIdecidedwheretogo?134Interviewer: Mhmm. Where were you in your decision‐making135
whenyoutookthetest?136Subject: Ihadmadethedecisiontogobacktoschool.Ihadnot137
madethedecisiononwhichschooltogoto.138Interviewer: Okay. And then, this actually leads into the next139
question. Did you decide on the program before you140decidedontheuniversity? Like,didyoudecideMBA141and then looked at options, or did you decide “I am142goingtogotoUSF”andthenlookedattheoptionsthat143youhadhere?144
Subject: Iwasprobably95percentsurethatIwantedtheMBA.145BeforeIdecidedtheschooloranywhere.146
Interviewer: Whatotheruniversitiesdidyoulookat?147Subject: Um,Harvard,UniversityofFlorida,UT.148Interviewer: YoumeanTampa,notTexasorTennessee?149Subject: Tennessee,yes.150Interviewer: Tennessee?151Subject: (chuckles)No,no,no!Yes,Tampa.152Interviewer: (chuckles)Okay.153Subject: When you say UT I think Tennessee, because that is154
whereIamfrom,(unintelligible).155Interviewer: AndIsaidTexas!Okay.Sothatwasit?156Subject: Yeah.157Interviewer: Alright.Howdidyougoaboutseekinginformationon158
theseprograms?159Subject: Mostlyitwastalkingtofriendswhohadgonethere.I160
didgo toan informationsessionatUT.Didn’tpursue161UFandmyGMATscorewasnowhereneargettinginto162Harvard.163
Interviewer: DidyougotoaninfosessionatUSF?164Subject: Yes.165Interviewer: Doyourecallthoseinfosessions?Couldyoutellmea166
littlebitaboutthem?Howwerethey?167Subject: Yeah,um,Irememberitbeingprettyfriendly.Small.168Interviewer: AtUToratUSF?169
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Subject: Whichareyouaskingabout?170Interviewer: Well,actually,both.171Subject: Okay.172Interviewer: Solet’stalkaboutUTfirst.173Subject: Okay, backup then, because Iwas talking aboutUSF174
earlier.175Interviewer: Okay.176Subject: At UT’s, there were probably 20‐25 people there.177
Three different presenters. I want to say it lasted178maybetwohours.179
Interviewer: Twohours?180Subject: Yeah. I mean this was more than a year ago, so181
probably a little fuzzy but somewhere around there.182Doesthatsoundlongorshort?183
Interviewer: Idon’treallyknow.I,I’veneverwenttoone,so–184Subject: Oh,okay.185Interviewer: Idon’tknow,but, tome, Iamthinkingthat isa lotof186
time.187Subject: Itmay,itmayhavebeen,yeah,itmighthavebeenabit188
shorter than that. And that’s really all I remember189fromit.Theyhadaquestionandanswer.Talkedalittle190bitabouttheiraccreditationandstuff.191
Interviewer: AndwhatdoyourememberaboutUSF’s? Otherthan192friendlyandsmall.193
Subject: Yeah, it was a smaller group. Smaller group, larger194room.Goodquestionandanswers. Itwasgenerallya195positiveexperience.196
Interviewer: DoyouknowwhyyouchoseUSFoverUT?197Subject: Cost. (longpause)Andmygeneral feeling that itwas198
morechallengingtobeintheMBAprogramhere.They199seemed to be more flexible with the GMAT there. I200mean,IknowthereisflexibilitywiththeGMAThere–201Idefinitelydidn’tblowitaway.202
Interviewer: So,thatflexibilityyouwant,butareyousayingitlends203itselftoreputation?204
Subject: Probably.205Interviewer: Okay.Soisitwhoisintheclassroomwithyou?206Subject: Yeah.IguessIwouldlookat itasaprogramthathas207
highercriteria,hashigheracceptancestandards,yeah,208typically is more of a little bit better school. Now,209whether there is a correlation there, I really don’t210knowwhether there is any truth there. Idon’tknow,211but–212
Interviewer: That’syourperception?213Subject: Yeah?214
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Interviewer: The harder it is to get into; it must be a better215program.216
Subject: Yep.217Interviewer: Okay.Letmeback‐uphere.Iwentoffonatangentfor218
a little bit. You said you found reviews from friends,219co‐workers – did you ask co‐workers about220institutions or were you working when you were221seriouslythinkingaboutit?222
Subject: Um, Ididaska co‐worker.Andshewas theonewho223encouraged me to go to UT. Actually, from Tampa224Connection,Ihadafriendwhowenthere.225
Interviewer: Well, what factors were you looking at when you226began to research the program? Obviously, you227lookedat,youmentioned,admissionscriteria.228
Subject: M‐hmm.229Interviewer: Whatelsewereyoulookingat?230Subject: (longpause)231Interviewer: Yousaidcost?232Subject: Yeah.Cost.Um(longpause)Ithink, itwas, itwasjust233
people’sperceptionof theprogram. It really, tome it234wasn’t, the decision wasn’t where am I going to go.235The decisionwas if I am going to go back to getmy236MBA.Thatwasthebigdecision.AndifIamnotgetting237into, you know, a Top 50 school, based onU.S.News238and World Reports, I don’t necessarily care what239schoolIgoto.Itwas–andifIlookatschoolsrelatively240the same as far as their perception in the business241world,Iwanttogototheonethatiseasiestandmost242convenient for me and get myMBA. If going for the243MBAisnotagooddecisionthenIamjustnotgoingto244doitall.245
Interviewer: Okay.246Subject: Sotheschoolwasn’tasimportant.247Interviewer: Great.That’swhat I am trying to figureoutwith this248
thesis.249Subject: Right.250Interviewer: Um,so,asyouwentthroughthewholeprocess,some251
ofthethingsthatIhaveheardyoumentionasfactors252you considered were admissions criteria, cost, some253people’s perception or reputation of it, the rankings,254the opportunity to, um, kind of create a competitive255advantageforyou,thechancetoenhanceyourrésumé,256possiblychangecareers,orconfidence.What,outofall257of those things, was probably the primary driver for258you,themostimportantfactor?259
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Subject: (verylongpause)Letmethinkaboutthis.It’sprobably,260it’sacloserace,butitisprobablyfirsttoadvancemy261career.And then second in linewouldbe just,um, to262give me confidence. Confidence in, you know, my263businessacumen.It’sreallyclose.264
Interviewer: Great. Um, what are your long‐term and short‐term265career aspirations now that you have this degree or266areworkingtowardthisdegree?267
Subject: Um, since I have the advertising background268marketingisagoodfit.AndsoIthinkanoptionwould269be a marketing director or marketing VP for any270brand, thatwould be good, a good at leastmid‐term271careerambition,anear‐termcareerambition.Beyond272that, maybe leveraging that position into other273managerialpositions.HealthcareisanotherareathatI274am looking to go into, healthcare administration. I275haven’t really gotten into the classes yet but I am276surroundedbyfriendsemployedintheindustry.277
Interviewer: A marketing background and healthcare278administrationwouldbeanicecomplement.279
Subject: Yeah.280Interviewer: How long do you think it will take for you to see a281
monetarygainasaresultofearningthisdegree?282Subject: Um, I amcertainly– letme tell youwhat I thinkand283
thenwhatIamhoping.284Interviewer: Okay.285Subject: Um,Ithinkthat,withinayearofgraduating,Iwillbe286
above the level where I was prior. I think that is287feasible.288
Interviewer: Are on any sort of tuition assistance or tuition289reimbursement? You’re paying full ‐‐ rate, I guess. I290amnotsurewhatyou’dcallit.291
Subject: Yeah,Iampayingoutofpocket.292Interviewer: So how longwill it take – because you areobviously293
going to have some expenses you’ve got to recoup –294howlongwillittake–orwhatwillittake–foryouto295say,“thiswasworthit”?296
Subject: That’s a goodquestion. (longpause) Imean, the easy297way to look at it is do a pay‐back period calculation298andfigurewhatthedifferenceinsalaryisgoingtobe299anddividethatby,dividethatintotheinvestment,soI300don’thavethosenumbersinfrontofme.AndIamnot301surethatiswhatyouarelookingfor.Butthat’saneasy302wayto–303
Interviewer: Well, some people say, “forme, it isworth itwhen I304havepaidoffthestudentloansandIammakingmore305
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thanIdidbefore.”Otherpeoplehavesaid,“I’llsayitis306worthitwhenIchangefields.”Otherpeoplehavesaid,307“I’llsayitisworthitthedayIwalkacrossthestage.”308
Subject: Yeah.309Interviewer: What would it take for you to be satisfied that you310
madeagoodchoiceingoingtodothis?311Subject: Okay. I can answer that pretty easily then. I think312
making, um, making the money that I was making313beforewithinayearinanindustrythatIwanttobein.314
Interviewer: Okay.315Subject: So,Idon’twanttobenecessarily–Idon’tnecessarily316
needtoseeamonetaryimmediatereturnbutIwantto317live at the same – early on – at the same level that I318was before but to be doing something that I am319enjoying.320
Interviewer: Gotcha.321Subject: YouknowwhatImean?322Interviewer: M‐hmm.I likethe ideaofwhatyousaid,kindofare‐323
set button; you get to change careers before you are324entrenched into a career and stuck in a job that you325don’tenjoy.326
Subject: M‐hmm.327Interviewer: Okay, so I think that is all I have. Let me look here328
becauseIdidskipawholebunch.329Subject: Okay.330Interviewer: Ithinkthatisit.Great.Thankyou!331Subject: Hopethatithelpedyou.332
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InterviewDate: February4,2013InterviewLocation: USFCollegeofBusinessInterviewSubject: Mike,31yearoldmale,Incoming#8InterviewDuration: 19minutesMikeisamarriedCaucasianmalewithonechild,athree‐year‐olddaughter.HeworksfulltimeasamarketingmanageratAAAAutomobileClubandisin his first fewweeks of classes in theMBA program. Hewas scheduledseveraltimesforanin‐personinterviewbuthadtorescheduleduetotravelconstraints.Thereforehisinterviewwasconductedviatelephone.Interviewer: So,theeasyquestionsareatthebeginning.Wheredid1
yougo to school foryourundergraddegreeandhow2longagodidyougraduate?3
Subject: IstartedatDrexelUniversity,backin‘99.4Interviewer: Okay5Subject: AndthenItransferreddowntoUSFundergradin’01.6Interviewer: Okay.7Subject: Andthengraduatedin’08.8Interviewer: Okay.Whatdidyoustudy?9Subject: Marketing.10Interviewer: Outofcuriosity,whydidyoutransfer? Drexel’sgota11
prettygoodname.12Subject: Yeah, it was, um, interesting. Parents were living in13
Baltimore so itwas aquick train ridebackand forth14fromPhiladelphia.Um,thenin2000theymoveddown15toFlorida. Istayedupthereanotheryear.And(sigh)16with the Drexel system, you go to school for six17months and you intern for six months. When the18economycamedowninthe2000‐2001timeframe,the19internships dried up. So the benefit of the school is,20you know, losing value. Itwas cheaper to go in‐state21[tuition]downinFloridaandmyfamilywasthere.SoI22madethemove.23
Interviewer: Okay.Didyouworkwhilegoingtoschool?24Subject: Idid.25Interviewer: In your field or was it more waiting tables, kind of26
payingthebillskindofwork?27Subject: Started bartending for the first couple of years and28
then moved over to my family’s business. And they29wereinthewholesaleindustry.30
Interviewer: Okay.31Subject: I started there driving trucks, warehouse manager,32
those sorts of work and then, about a year before I33graduated, I moved into a sales and marketing34managementrole.35
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Interviewer: Soitwasrelatedtoyourdegree.36Subject: Itwas.37Interviewer: Isthatwhatyoudonow? Whathaveyoubeendoing38
sinceyougraduated?39Subject: IamcurrentlyamarketingmanageroveratAAA.40Interviewer: Okay.41Subject: Ifocusonproductmarketing.42Interviewer: Alright. So when did you first start thinking about43
gettinganMBA?44Subject: Um,rightwhenIgraduatedwithmyundergrad.45Interviewer: Soyouthoughtabout for fouryears? Oryouthought46
aboutitandthendecidedagainstit?Or–kindof,why47thegap?48
Subject: Um, I thought about it, and then was waiting for49timing. I got married in ’07. You know, my parents’50business,weendedupgoingoutofbusiness in201051and,obviously,youknow,allthrough’09wewereon52thebrinkofsurviving.53
Interviewer: M‐hmm.54Subject: Sothetimingwasn’trightthen.AndIwasworking70‐55
80hoursaweekatthatpoint.56Interviewer: Okay.57Subject: And thenmywifegotpregnant.So,aboutayearago,58
mywifeandIsatdownandreallyhadaconversation59asfaras“doesthisreallymakesense?”andhowdothe60financesalign,becauseIdidn’twanttotakeoutaloan61forit.So,thestarsallalignedandthatiswhenIstarted62theapplicationprocess.63
Interviewer: So would it be fair to say that you had been toying64with the idea since graduation but really only a year65agodidyoustartseriouslythinkingaboutit?66
Subject: Thatwouldbecorrect.67Interviewer: Okay.Wasthereaparticularincidentthatledyouand68
yourwifetositdownandhavethatconversation?69Subject: Ummm….70Interviewer: Orareason?71Subject: No. I was doing a lot of, I guess, informal learning.72
ReadingeverybookIcouldgetmyhandson.Probably73went through about 30 of them over the course of a74year and a half. All business and marketing related.75Um,andthenthatwaskindof thecatalystas I found76myself more and more interested in it. And then77looking at the landscape and wanting to be78competitive in the career, youknow, itwaskindof a79culmination.And then, then finances started to align.80Sowesatdownprobably,maybe,Julyof2012andhad,81
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youknow,startedhavingtheconversationofhowdo82wemakethiswork.83
Interviewer: Okay.Andwhatdidyouthinkthelong‐termbenefitof84gettinganMBAwouldbe?85
Subject: Ithinkit ismaybetwo‐fold.One, itgivesyouabunch86ofdifferent facetsthatyoucango intosoyouarenot87going to be niched into amarketing role. You have a88general business background and a high business89acumen,soifyouneededtogointoafinanceroleorif90youneededtogointoanoperationsroleyouhavethat91backgroundandgivesyoualotofflexibility.92
Interviewer: Okay.93Subject: I think the other piece is that it, maybe, gives you94
opportunitiesthatyouwouldn’thavewithoutit.95Interviewer: Okay.96Subject: And so different job opportunities, a faster career97
progression,moreor less. So thosewere the twobig98thingsthatIthoughtIcouldtakeoutofit.99
Interviewer: Sokindsofopenssomedoors foryouthatareclosed100otherwise?101
Subject: Correct.102Interviewer: Okay. So do you think there are any short‐term103
benefitstogettinganMBA?104Subject: Ithinkyou,ah–atleastinmyfirstmonthofclasses–I105
havegotten somegood takeaways from it.Um, that I106canapplyanditmakesmeabetterworker.Makesme107more effective. So I think the short‐termbenefits are108whatyoucanapply toyour current field.Um, Idon’t109think there is any financial gainoutof it, rightoutof110thegate,butIthink,youknow,theinformationthatI111have gotten so far has been very applicable which I112havebeenabletotransferintomycurrentrole.113
Interviewer: Great.Whataboutanyheadaches?Wereyouworried114aboutanyheadachesthatmightbeinvolvedingetting115anMBA?116
Subject: (chuckles) yeah, yeah. There’s, uh, the work‐life117balance. Yougotathreeyearold,yougotamarriage118you like,yougotahouse,yougota full‐time job,you119know,50hoursaweekorso,um,yeah,youtackonto120that8‐10hoursofclasses,10‐15hoursofhomework,121um,soyeah,thetime‐stressisalittlebitofaheadache.122
Interviewer: Okay.123Subject: As far as the pain point. It’s um, I ampretty familiar124
with the information. I wasn’t stressed about being125overwhelmed with the concepts. It was just the126
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workload and getting my – getting back into the127routineofbeinginschool.128
Interviewer: Okay,yeah,because itwouldhavebeenthreeor four129yearssinceyouhaddonethat.130
Subject: Correct.131Interviewer: Andwhenyouwere inschoolpreviouslyyouweren’t132
marriedandweren’tafather.133Subject: Right(chuckles).134Interviewer: (chuckling)Um, so how long ago – how longdid you135
think about it before you began researching the136programs?137
Subject: I first started researching, you know, informally, in138that March 2012 timeframe. And, like I said, I have139been toyingwith it ever since. I was, in ’07‐’08, that140wasthenextmovethatIwantedtomake.Um,started141lookingatdifferentprograms,weighingthecost,going142out to U.S. News andWorld Report. I work with a143couple ofMBAs so I had some coffeewith them and144asked them what they thought about it. You know,145whatthepay‐offwasanddotheythinkitwasworthit.146SoIkindofhadthoseinformaldiscussionsinresearch147rightaroundthatMarch‐Apriltimeframe.148
Interviewer: Mm‐hmm.Then,didyouthinkof–wereyou–letme149back up. It sounds like youwere already sold on the150ideaoftheMBA,soitwasn’tgraduateschoolandthen151choosing the degree; itwas choosing the degree and152thenfiguringoutwhereyouweregoingtogetit?153
Subject: Correct.154Interviewer: Okay. Did you take the GMAT before you started155
exploring the programs or after you had already156decided,“IwanttogotoUSF?”157
Subject: I took itafter Ididmy initialanalysisand,youknow,158weighedthecost‐benefitstuff,IsaidUSF.USFwasthe159onlyschoolthatIappliedto.160
Interviewer: Okay.161Subject: SoItooktheGMAT,um,endofSeptember.162Interviewer: Okay.163Subject: AndthatkindofsolidifiedmyacceptanceintoUSF.My164
GPA in undergrad wasn’t as strong as I would have165likedittobe.166
Interviewer: Mm‐hmm.167Subject: ButtheGMATbasically,identi–solidifiedthat.Itoyed168
with [University of Tampa] andUniversity of Florida169but thecostdidn’t–thecostoutweighedthebenefits170onthatprogram,onthoseprograms.171
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Interviewer: ButUSFwastheonlyonewhereyouactuallyputinan172application?173
Subject: Correct.174Interviewer: So, when you were looking and doing this informal175
andthena littlebitmore formal informationseeking,176howdidyougoaboutfindingthatinfo?177
Subject: IbasicallyGoogled.178Interviewer: Okay(laughing).179Subject: I, you know, checked outForbes and, you know, Inc.,180
anda coupleof those littlepiecesof informationand181publications out there. And after I had four or five182different conversations with otherMBA, people with183theirMBA.184
Interviewer: Andwhen,whenyouwerelookingatthose,whatkind185of factors were you considering as you had those186conversations or as you looked at those magazines?187What were you, what kind of information were you188tryingtofindout?189
Subject: I was trying to look at, you know, basically,190informationtofillthecost‐benefitanalysis.Um,soifI191am out‐of‐pocket, you know, so many thousands of192dollars, and I amputting inall thiswork,what is the193net payout of it all? So I was kind of looking at a194rankingversusatuitioncost.195
Interviewer: Okay.196Subject: Once I decided that I was going to go get one, and I197
thinkUF is in that$46k‐$52krange,youknow,UT is198kindofinthatsamerange,USF–atleastthepart‐time199MBAprogramwhichIwasinterestedin–youknow,I200amgoingtogetoutthedoorwithprobably$15grand201out‐of‐pocket.202
Interviewer: Okay.Andwould you considerUSF tobeon, um, the203samelevelasUTandatUF?204
Subject: Ithinkitisprobablyalittlebetterthantheprogramat205UT. Um, I think UF might have a better name206recognition.207
Interviewer: Okay.208Subject: ButIdon’tthinkthattherecognitionthatUFbringsis209
worth$20grand.Or$30grand.210Interviewer: Gotcha.211Subject: So, you know, it’s a “you pay for what you get”212
circumstanceandIthinkgettingmyundergradatUSF213playedalotintoit.214
Interviewer: Right.215
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Subject: I mean, the quality of professors that I had in my216undergrad marketing, my upper‐level undergrad217marketingbusinessclasses218
Interviewer: Right.219Subject: They kind of playing into, too. And proximity. You220
know, I live inRiverview, sohikingup toGainesville,221you know, once or twice in a month, wasn’t very222feasible.223
Interviewer: Great. So, um, the factors that I am hearing you224mentionalongthewayare,um,thefinancialcostofit,225thelearningopportunitiesthatitwouldprovide,kind226ofcareeropportunitiesitwouldopenupforyou,your227work‐lifebalance,rankingsversustuition,kindofthe228ROI or cost‐benefit, as you put it, the program’s229reputation, and, actually, the geographic, physical230locationareallthingsthatyouconsidered.231
Subject: Yes.232Interviewer: Out of all these things,whatwas themost important233
thingtoyou?234Subject: Um,probablythebalancebetween,um,reputationand235
thequalityoftheprogramversusthecostoftuition.236Interviewer: Okay.237Subject: So whatever that, that ratio I did in my head, or238
analysisthatonethatoutweighed.Soitwasadecision239of, “do I go get one from USF or do I not get – you240know,Itoyedwithonlinealittlebitandthat,itdidn’t241seemlikeyougotvalueoutof it,so Ierasedthatone242prettyquickly.243
Interviewer: Now, a number of people have made that similar244statement.Whatisitabout–whatismissingforyouto245saythatonlinedoesn’thavequitethesamevalue?246
Subject: Ithinkitisacombinationofthings.One,Ilearnbetter247in a classroom. So that setting, you’re going back to248gain as much knowledge as possible, so I wanted to249makesurethatIwasputtingmyselfinapositiontoget250that knowledge as effectively as possible. And then I251don’tthinktheonlineprogramshavethecredibilityor252the reputation that an actual brick‐and‐mortar253institutiondoes.254
Interviewer: Okay.255Subject: Andtheotherpiece is thecollaboration. Imean,with256
yourprofessors,havingthosekindofdiscussionsthat257you get in the classroom setting and the networking258opportunitieswiththeotherstudents.259
Interviewer: Sothoseareallthingsthat,inasense,arefactorsthat260youdefinitelyconsideredalongtheway?261
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Subject: Correct.262Interviewer: Okay. Um, when you were, um – once you decided,263
“yes,Iamgoingtogoforit”‐‐didyou–yousaidyou264onlyapplied toUSF;youconsideredUTandUF–did265yougotoanyinformationsessions?266
Subject: JusttheUSFinfosession.267Interviewer: Okay.268Subject: Once I researched tuitions and, um, the programs, I269
mean,IwaskindofthensetuponUSFbeingtheonly270option.271
Interviewer: Okay.Whatdidyou–Iknowithasbeenalittlewhile–272but,whatwereyourthoughtsonthatinfosession?273
Subject: Um,Ithoughtitwasprettyinformative.274Interviewer: Okay.275Subject: Um, you know, it gave you the basic gist of the276
programandlaideverythingoutfromthecurriculato277what you would be learning to what you would be278paying,whichiswhatIwastryingtogetoutofit.279
Interviewer: Okay,soitansweredallofyourbasicquestions?280Subject: Correct.281Interviewer: Alright. And, um, did you seek any word‐of‐mouth282
reviews from friends or ask co‐workers about283particularinstitutions?284
Subject: Uh, yeah, I had a, uh, a friendwho graduatedwith a285USFMBA,um,soItalkedtoheralittlebit.AndthenI286hadsomeonewhotalked–whowenttotheUniversity287ofMiamiExecutiveMBAprogram–andItriedtokind288of get the differences between the two. And that289playedalittlebitofafactor,butnotasmuch.290
Interviewer: Alright.So,whatwastheonething–IthinkIalready291knowtheanswertothis–theonethingthatwasmost292important consideration to you all along as you293decided,one,togoforthedegreeandthen,two,where294togetitfrom?295
Subject: Um, Iguess thevalueof theprogram.Um,and that’s,296you know, the cost outweighing the benefits you get297outofit.298
Interviewer: Welllet’stalkaboutthat.Whatis,um,theROI?What299isitgoingtotakeforyoutosaythiswasworthit?300
Subject: (sigh)Well,ifyoudostraightdollarsandcents,Ihave301tomake$15,000moredollarsthanIwouldwithoutit302over the courseof a30‐, 35‐year career. So, itwould303seemlikearelativelyanobrainerforthat.Andthenit304was sitting down with my wife and saying what we305could afford, um, because I didn’twant to take out a306
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loanandbestuckwith,youknow,withthatfor10,15,30720years.308
Interviewer: Right.Sohowlongdoyouthinkitwilltakebeforeyou309seeamonetarygainasaresultofthisdegree?310
Subject: Um,probably– Idon’tknow if it comesdownto just311the degree as being the primary factor as to how it312changes your income and your career progression. I313have worked with several MBAs [who] didn’t know314their–arockfrom,youknow,theydidn’tknowtheir315elbowfromwhateveritis.316
Interviewer: (laughing)317Subject: Theyarejustclueless.Um,verybooksmartbutdidn’t318
havethebusinessexecutionorthedisciplinethatyou319wouldexpectoutofthem.320
Interviewer: Okay.321Subject: So I think it is a combination of the person and the322
knowledge. Like I said, I think the MBA gives you323opportunitiesbutitisuptothepersontodothework324and,youknow,makethemostofthoseopportunities.325
Interviewer: Okay.Sowhatwillittakeforyoutosaythiswasworth326it in termsof the–notonly thecost‐benefitanalysis,327butthetimethatyouspendindoingit.Whatwouldit328take for you to be talking with your wife and say,329“yeah,IamreallygladIdidthis.”330
Subject: If Igota jobthatrequiredanMBAthatpaidmea lot331morethanwhatIammakingnow.332
Interviewer: Okay.333Subject: That Iwouldn’t be qualified forwithout the,without334
thethreeletters.335Interviewer: Okay. Last two questions here. What are your, um,336
short‐termcareeraspirations?337Subject: Um,bythenexttwotothreeyearsIwanttogetintoa338
management role of some sort. Right now I am an339individualcontributor.SoIwouldliketogetintosome340kindofleadershiproleinthenexttwotothreeyears.341
Interviewer: Okay.Andlong‐term?342Subject: Long‐term,Iwanttobeintheexecutivesuite.343Interviewer: Okay.Inthesameindustrythatyouareinnoworina344
differentindustry.345Subject: Iwant toget intoa–probablymoreof a categoryof346
brand management. As opposed to a marketing347communications role. So I would like to stay where,348kind of the industry I am in, productmarketing. But349probablymoveover into aCPGor a retail kindof an350industryasopposedtoaserviceindustry.351
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Interviewer: Anditsoundslikemoreinthestrategyareainsteadof352thetacticalimplementationarea.353
Subject: Correct.354Interviewer: Okay. Great. Is there anything you’d like to add?355
AnythingIforgotabout?356Subject: No,Ithinktheinterviewcovereditprettywell. 357
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InterviewDate: December1,2012InterviewLocation: Barnes&Noble,SouthTampaInterviewSubject: Jorge,25yearoldmale,Prospect#1InterviewDuration: 48minutesJorgeisaHispanicmalewhoisconsideringanMBAprogrambuthasnotyetapplied to a particular university. He has worked for two years sinceearning an undergraduate degree in accounting from the University ofTampa. He was accompanied by his girlfriend, Gertrude, a current USFstudent who thought he might need occasional assistance with theinterviewsinceEnglishisnothisfirstlanguage(heisanativeofHonduras).Shortly after introductions and some opening banter, however, it wasapparentshewasnotneeded.Shedidnotremainpresentforthemajorityoftheinterview;shereturnedneartheconclusion.Interviewer: Wheredidyouattendschool for yourundergraduate1degree?2Subject: IwenttotheUniversityofTampa.IgraduatedinMay32010.4Interviewer: Whatdidyoustudy?5Subject: Istudiedaccounting.6Interviewer: And what did you do with that degree? Are you7workingnow?8Subject: So far, I’ve only . . . me and my father opened an9
automobile repair shop and I do the bookkeeping10there.I’mtryingtofindajobwithafirm...I’mgoing11tostartlookinginJanuary,actually.12
Interviewer: Whatdoyouwanttodo?13Subject: Totellyouthetruth,I’mnotsure.14Interviewer: Do you want to work for a Big Four firm or do you15
wanttoworkforasmallershop?16Subject: Yep, Big Four, but I don’t know if I’m going to do17
auditing or tax accounting or financial statement18accounting;Idon’tknow.19
Interviewer: Yeah.Soyoucurrentlyhaveworkexperience…20Subject: Yes.21Interviewer: How long have you worked at the repair shop with22yourdad?23Subject: Twoyears.24Interviewer: Didyouworkbeforethat?25Subject: No.26Interviewer: Soyes,youworknow.Doyoulikeit?27Subject: Yes(unconvincingtone).28Interviewer: Doyou?It’ssodifferentfromwhatIdo…29Subject: It’snotbad.It’sjust...whenitisslow,it’sdepressing30
beingatworkandnothavingpeoplecomeinthedoor.31
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But when it is busy, I like it. I like to be on top of32things,youknow,constantlydoingsomething.33
Interviewer: So,GertrudesaysyouarethinkingaboutanMBAand34arechoosingbetweenUSFandUT?Howlongagodid35youstartthinkingabouttheMBAdegree?36
Subject: Well,sinceIgraduateditwasanoption,butI...well,I37startedworkingwithmydadandIkeptputting itoff38andputtingitoff...youknow...Ithinkitistime.Two39yearshavegonebysinceIgraduated,so...40
Interviewer: Out of curiosity, why are you looking at an MBA41insteadofaMAcc[Master’sofAccountancy]?42
Subject: The master’s in accounting, well . . . ‘cause I asked43teachersaroundandthey’re like, ifyouwantto focus44solelyonaccounting,doaccounting,dothemaster’sin45accounting, but theMBAwill give you amore broad46perspectiveonbusinessandIfeellikethat’swhatI...47well, in the end, I’ll havemy own business, or that’s48whatIhope...IfigureifIamgoingtodoamaster’sin49accounting I am just going to stick to accountingmy50wholelifeandIdon’tknowifthatiswhatIreallywant51...52
Interviewer: Okay. So,was thereaparticular incidentor incidents53that led you consider anMBA? Whatmade you say,54“nowisthetime?”55
Subject: Justbecause,well,theultimategoalforanaccountant56istogetaCPAandinordertogetaCPA,youhaveto57have certain credits beyond your undergrad, so …58prettymuchtheonlyreasonI’mgoingtodoamaster’s59istogetaCPA.60
Interviewer: Okay. So that is one of the long‐termbenefits; itwill61open up the door for the CPA.What other long‐term62benefitsmighttherebe?63
Subject: Forthemaster’s?Well...[longpause]...beingbetter64prepared,Isuppose...betterpreparedfor...(subject65shrugs).66
Interviewer: Butyouwanttoopenyourownbusinessoneday?67Subject: Yes,butitcouldevenbeaCPAfirm,youknow,asmall68
CPAfirm.69Interviewer: Doyouthinktheremightbesomeshort‐termbenefits70
oftheMBA?71Subject: What do youmean, short‐term benefits? Like, what72
doesthatmean?73Interviewer: Well, I don’t want to ask a leading question, but74
obviouslythis, theCPAisa littlebit furtherdownthe75road(subjectagrees),soalittlecloser,inthenextyear76
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ortwo,whatbenefitsmightyoureceivebygettingthe77MBA?78
Subject: [pause] I don’t know, maybe I will learn something79that I have never applied to . . . tomy life . . . at the80moment.81
Interviewer: Okay.Doyouthinktherewillbeanyheadaches?82Subject: Oh,definitely.Yes.Accountingisnot.that.fun.It’sfun,83
butit’sverydetailed.84Interviewer: (laughing)What kind of headaches do you thinkwill85
comewiththeMBA?86Subject: The hassle of . . . not being in school for two years,87
working and going back to school, and having to88readjustmylife,youknow?89
Interviewer: Alright, so… how long did you think about an MBA90beforelookingatUSForUT?91
Subject: Really, since before my graduation, all of my92accounting professors pretty much suggested that if93you’regoingtograduate,getanundergraduatedegree94in accounting, youmight aswell go for yourMBA so95youcanbeaCPA.Allofthemreallysuggestedit.96
Interviewer: So, atUT theyareobviouslypushing foryou toget a97grad degree . . . (subjectnodshead inagreement) but98theyareimplyingthattheMBAismorevaluablethan99theMAcc?100
Subject: No,no,no,no.They,myaccountingprofessorssuggest101yougettheMAcc.Ithinkitiscalledthe...it’snoteven102calledtheMAcc,it’scalledthemaster’s...MSA,that’s103what it is called there. But yeah, they highly suggest104thatforaftergraduation.105
Interviewer: So, areUSF andUT the only two schools that you’ve106thoughtabout?107
Subject: Yeah. I like Tampa, so that’s the reason why, the108location.109
Interviewer: Therearea fairnumberofMBAprograms inTampa,110haveyoueverevenlookedattheotherones?111
Subject: Notreally.112Interviewer: Doyouhaveanyideawhy?113Subject: No, I just, well, to tell you the truth when I got into114
college,Ionlyappliedtotwoschools.115Interviewer: Thoseschools...?116Subject: UTandElonUniversity.IgotintoUT.Ididn’tgetinto117
Elon.118Interviewer: Okay, so, it sounds to me like I already know the119
answer to this, but did you think about the program120first and then the university, or the university first,121andthentheprogram?122
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Subject: Honestly, I’vealwayslikedUT,so . . . I thoughtabout,123myfirstchoicewasUT,andthen...124
Interviewer: But you thought about, “I’m going for the degree125beforeyoudecidedwhereyouwantedtogoinsteadof126“IwanttogobacktogradschoolatUT?”127
Subject: Yes.128Interviewer: HaveyoutakentheGMAT?129Subject: Yes(uncomfortablepause).130Interviewer: Andyoudidobviouslybeforeexploringprograms?131Subject: Yes.132Interviewer: Somepeoplewaituntilafterthey’vedecidedtogotake133
it.Didyoutakeitrightaftercollege?134Subject: No,Iwaitedlikeayear(uncomfortablepause)...135Interviewer: Soyouhadnotmadeadecisionyetorwheretogoyet?136Subject: No, well, after graduation, I was an illegal resident137
(subject shrugsand laughs). But now I am . . . I was138undergoinganimmigrationprocessthatdidn’t letme139work,soitwaslikesixmonthsaftergraduationthatI140couldn’tdoanything.Myeducationvisaexpired...141
Guest: He couldn’t get hired but if he left the country he142couldn’tgetbackin.143
Subject: Yea,so,butnowIhavemygreencard...144Interviewer: Okay.So,howdidyouseekinformationontheseMBA145
programs? Did you go to the website, did you seek146brochures,didyoucall?147
Subject: IactuallywenttothegraduateadmissionsofficeatUT148and I spoke with them about it. They gave me a149brochure. Then Gertrude toldme about USF. I knew150aboutitbecauseIwasinBetaAlphaPsi,butGertrude151toldmeitwasabetterprogram.152
Guest: Well, our Beta Alpha Psi program has won national153honorssomethinglike37yearsarow?154
Interviewer: What factorswere important to you as you began to155researchprograms?For instance,whatmadeyousay156youwouldevenlookatUSFandUT.157
Subject: To tell you the truth I don’t knowmuch about their158program,IjustknowtogetmyCPAIneedtodothis.I159don’tevenknowwhattheprogramhasinit.160
Interviewer: Okay.Soyouwerenotlookingatthingslikethecaliber161offacultyorwheretheclasseswereheld,offeredday162ornight...163
Subject: No,no,no,no.Ididn’t.Idon’tevenknowwhatcourses164are in theprogram. I justknow that I’ve got to get it165done.166
Interviewer: It’sarequirement,ahurdleyouhavetojumpinorder167toget...168
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Subject: Yes.Exactly.169Interviewer: So that leads me back to my earlier question, why170
would you not consider a St. Leo [University] or171anotherprogram,a[Universityof]Phoenix?172
Subject: I guess the name of the school and the,what do you173callit?174
Interviewer: Thereputation?175Guest: The reputation? This is one of those words that176
doesn’ttranslatewell.177Subject: Yeah,thereputation.178Interviewer: So you really don’t have any factors to rank, just179
reputation?180Subject: Yes.181Interviewer: Didaccreditationmatter?182Subject: (subjectgivesquizzicallooktoguest)Accreditation?183Guest: Accreditation,likeSACS,IAC,AACSB,thequalitysignal.184Subject: Oh, no, that really didn’t matter. I didn’t even know185
aboutthis.186Interviewer: Okay. Once you decided to go for the degree, what187
universities did you consider . . . you’ve already told188me that . . . how did you find out about USF once189Gertrude told you about it? Did she bring home a190brochure,didyougoonline?191
Subject: No, honestly, I still don’t know. I still haven’t seen192anythingaboutUSF.193
Interviewer: (laughing)youneedtotakehomeabrochuretogiveto194him!195
Subject: Yeah,youdo!196Guest: Yousawthecommercials.197Subject: Yeah,Idid(unintelligiblebetweensubjectandguest).198Interviewer: Sodidyouattendanyin‐personinfosessions?199Subject: IdidatUT.Iwenttograduatedegreeseekingstudent200
infosession.201Interviewer: NotjustfortheMBA?202Subject: No, forallprograms.They letyouknowaboutwhere203
theypayforyouandallthat...what’sthatcalled?204Guest: Anassistantship?205Subject: Yes,that’sit.Assistantships,thereyougo.206Interviewer: Didyougetanyinfoonline.207Subject: Yeah,IreadsomeontheUTwebsite.208Interviewer: Did you seek word‐of‐mouth info? Did you ever talk209
with co‐workers about it? Well, I guess your co‐210workersituationisalittlebitdifferentifitisyouand211yourdad.212
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Subject: Yeah, they’re all much older than me, mechanics.213They’renotreallymuchintoschool.Theyare looking214forcertificationsinautorepair.215
Interviewer: So,whatareyougoingtoconsiderwhenmakingyour216decisionbetweenUSFandUT?Whatisgoingtosway217youonewayortheother?218
Subject: Totellyouthetruth. . .[pause].Ijustdon’tthinkitis219thatimportanttome.Itdoesn’treallymatter.Theone220that takesme in, you know. Because I’ve been toUT221already,Iwouldprefertogothere.222
Guest: Isthatbecauseyou’refamiliarwithit.223Subject: That’s it, I am familiarwith it. I am familiarwith the224
faculty, I am sure some ofmy old teachers teach the225graduate courses aswell. It is a smaller school. I like226small.227
Interviewer: Iftheybothacceptedyou,whatwouldyouconsider?228Subject: Probablytheonewiththebetteraccountingprogram.229Interviewer: Andhowwouldyoudeterminewhichonehasabetter230
accountingprogram?231Subject: Well,Iguessreputation,one,andthencourseloadand232
how...howtheyschedulecourses.233Interviewer: Are you talking about the flexibility in the order of234
classes,orhowthecoursesarescheduled intermsof235duration,howlongittakesyoutogetthroughit?236
Subject: Howlongittakestogetthroughit. I figureit isgoing237totaketwoorthreeyears.238
Interviewer: Youcandoitin18monthsifyoutakefullcourseloads239and...240
Subject: Well,ifIamplanningonworking,Iprobablycan’t.241Interviewer: Okay,well,that’sallmyquestions.242Subject: Anythingelse?243Interviewer: No,anythingyouwanttotellme?Whendoyouthink244
you’llmakeadecision?245Subject: Iamhoping,well,Ihavebeenputtingitoffforayear246
ortwonowbutIamhopingnextAugust.Icanpassmy247GMAT. I took it twice, actually, and I didn’t do good.248But I didn’t really take the time to studymuch for it249(unintelligible).AndItooktheGRE.250
Interviewer: Englishisnotyourfirstlanguage,correct?251Subject: No,it’snot(unintelligible).252Interviewer: IfyouknewyoucouldstartbeforeyougottheGMAT253
scoreyouwanted,wouldyouhavestartedalready?254Subject: Oh,yeah.Itriedtowaiveit.IwenttoUTandtriedto255
waiveit,buttheywouldn’tletme.256Interviewer: IfUSFoffered,wouldyoustartclassesinJanuary?257
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Subject: Yeah,butdon’t theywaive it foraperiodoftimeand258thenyoustillhavetotakeit?259
Interviewer: Well, there is a new certificate program where you260come in and you get started on your core courses261beforeyoutakeit;atsomepointyoustillhavetotake262it, but you can get started. If you knew about that263wouldyouhavestartedalready?264
Subject: (unintelligible)265Interviewer: So, if you didn’t have to take the GMAT, you would266
havestartedalready?267Subject: Ohyes,definitely.268Interviewer: Andyouareunawareofthecertificateoption?269Subject: Yes.270Interviewer: Sothatwasmyfollow‐upquestion:yousaidyouhave271
beenputtingitoffandputtingitoff,why?272Subject: BecauseofmyGMATscores,and the fact that Iwork273
and don’t have time to study. I have a full‐time job274Monday through Saturday. And I took a GRE course,275butitwastwomonthsbeforethetest,andinbetween,276Iwasfocusedonworkanddidn’tkeeppracticing.277
Interviewer: So,tosummarize,ityoudidn’thavetotakethetest,or278had that hurdle to jump through, you would have279alreadystarted.Andtheonlyreasonyouarethinking280abouttheadvanceddegreeisbecauseitisrequiredto281advancetotaketheCPAexam?282
Subject: Right.283Interview: Thankyousomuch!284 # # #
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InterviewDate: December6,2012InterviewLocation: USFCollegeofBusiness,TampaInterviewSubject: JoAnn,25yearoldfemale,Prospect#2InterviewDuration: 22minutesJoAnn isaCaucasian femalewho isconsideringanMBAprogramandhasappliedtoUSFandisconsideringseveralotheruniversities.Shehasnotyetdecidedwhere shewill pursue thedegree. Shehasworked for two yearssince earning an undergraduate degree in international studies from theUniversity of South Florida. When contacting JoAnn to schedule theinterview,itwasdiscoveredthattheinterviewerusedtoworkwithJoAnn’smother at a prior job (about seven years prior); there was some initialbanteraboutthatcoincidencepriortotheinterview.Interviewer: How are you doing? I understand you have been1
studyingfortheGMAT?2Subject: Yes,Itakeitintwoweeks.3Interviewer: Haveyoubeenstudying?4Subject: Yeah,Iamjustreadyforittobeover(laughs).5Interviewer: Where did you attend to earn your undergrad6
[degree]?IthinkyouwentheretoUSF,didn’tyou?I7rememberyourmombeingrealproudthatyouwere8admittedtotheHonorsCollege...whichissomething9tobeproudof... 10
Subject: (subjectlaughs)Yes, Iwenthere, to theUniversity of11SouthFlorida.12
Interviewer: Andwhatdidyoustudy?13Subject: Istudiedinternationalstudies.14Interviewer: What is the difference between international studies15
andinternationalbusiness?16Subject: It’smorefocusedonthesocialscienceaspectsoftrade,17
and,likeinternationalrelationships.Itismorefocused18on the theory of international relationships as19opposedtothebusinesssideofit.Itismorelike.. .I20called it, like, the softer side, softer version of it21because it wasn’t as much hard facts, it was more22social sciences. It’s closer to political science [than23business].24
Interviewer: Okay.Andwhendidyougraduate?25Subject: Igraduatedin2009.26Interviewer: That’sright;youtoldmeyounowwork.Wheredoyou27work?28Subject: NewJerusalemChristianAcademy.It’slikeaschoolin29Seffner.30Interviewer: Howlonghaveyouworkedthere?31Subject: Twoyears.32
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Interviewer: Whatdoyoudo?33Subject: Iamateacher(saidwithabitofresignation)34Interviewer: Didyouexpecttobeateacher?35Subject No . . . (said wistfully; subject and interviewer both36laugh)37Interviewer: Whatmadeyouchooseteaching?38Subject: IguesswhenIwasfinishingmymajor,Iwaslookingat39
someoftheoptions,and,becauseIgraduatedin200940andthatwastheslumpoftheeconomy;itwasa[time41when]alotofpeopleweren’tgettingjobsandIthinkI42wasabitfearfulthatIwasn’tgoingtofinda job.And43so I did an AmeriCorps program,whichwas focused44oneducation.And,Iwasmoreinterestedintheservice45partof it.Atthetime, Iwasn’tmakinga lotofmoney46butitwasmoreliketheexperiencekindofthing.Butit47wasfocusedoneducation,whichIdidn’tknowbefore48I participated in it. But then once Iwas there, I like,49“youknow,thisisreallycool,Iammakingadifference50forkids,”kindofthing.Ithought,“whatifwentbackto51for teaching?” And I actually started grad school for52teaching. And I got into it [the graduate program in53education], and then Iwas like, uh,maybenot. (both54subjectandinterviewerlaugh).55
Interviewer: Okay.56Subject: Soitwasjustkindoflikeaflowofevents.Myfirstjob57
out of college kind of led me to being interested in58education.59
Interviewer: Okay, but you deciding that a master’s degree in60education was not what you wanted for you. What61madeyouthinkthat?62
Subject: Thatwasn’tright?63Interviewer: Yes.64Subject: I think . . . I started themaster’s programand then I65
started teaching. So I think the actual experience of66teachingledmeawayfromfinishing,tothinking,“this67isnotwhatIwanttodo.”68
Interviewer: And,so(unintelligible)howlongagodidyoufirststart69thinkingabouttheMBAdegree?70
Subject: Well,reallynot2‐3monthsago.71Interviewer: And was there a particular incident that led you to72
start thinking about it, or a particular reason you73startedthinkingaboutthedegree?74
Subject: Iwouldn’tsayaparticularincident,butthereasonwas75just knowing my strengths and knowing that they76were not being brought out in the classroom, and77knowing, basically, that I wanted to switch careers,78
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and knowing that without getting formal training it79would be difficult to get into a new position; and,80knowingmypersonality,IliketobepreparedandsoI81figuredthatthisisthebeststepinordertobridgethe82gap,basically.83
Interviewer: And so . . . what did you think about the long‐term84benefits, I mean, you’ve already told me a bit about85thatnow,that,oneisthatitwillprepareyouforyour86career (subject nods and sounds in agreement), but87what long‐term . . . how do you think long‐term this88willhelpyou?89
Subject: (slightpause)Ithink...Iamlookingatlong‐term,not90necess‐ . . . just being able toworkmyway up . . .91because, justbecause,well, teaching it like, this isthe92beginning and this is the end (subjects uses hand93motionstoindicateastalledcareerpath).Iliketomove94up. I think the MBA does that. I mean, I think the95bachelor’s degree does that as well, but . . . well, I96haven’tseenthatwork,yet,andsoIamreallystuckin97aplacewhereIcan’tmoveup.Sothat’swhy.98
Interviewer: So, really, if I were to summarize – these are my99words,notyours–butyousawitasanopportunityfor100acareertrajectory?101
Subject: Yes.Yes.102Interviewer: Okay.Anddid you think therewouldbe some short‐103
termbenefits?104Subject: Uh‐huh. That I wouldn’t have to teach (said in light‐105
heartedmannerwithalaugh).106Interviewer: (laughswithsubject)Areyouthinkingthatyouwould107
beafull‐timestudent,orpart‐time?108Subject: Yes, probably full‐time. I think the short‐term109
opportunities are just the benefits would just be the110benefits that I mean, that being in a college111atmosphere provide. I mean, just networking with112professorsandotherstudents,orjobopportunities,or113internships.114
Interviewer: Anyheadachesyouthinkthataregoingtocomealong115withthis?116
Subject: (longpause) I mean . . . I think . . . I don’t want to117under‐,well,Idon’twanttoequateanundergraduate118degree to a graduate degree, but I think that the119workload will probably be more than what I was120accustomedto,soIamgoingtohavetoreadjustfrom121beingaworkingprofessionaltobeingontheschedule122ofbeingastudentagain.123
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Interviewer: Okay.Sohowlongdidyouthinkaboutit–itbeingto124go for the degree or not – before you began125researchingprograms?126
Subject: Maybe,like,threehours.No,Imean,likemaybeaday.127Interviewer: (laughs)128Subject: Iamafastworker.Ilike...129Interviewer: DidyouthinkaboutMBAfirst,andthenthink,“Okay,130
where am I going to get it?” Or did you think, “I’m131goingbacktooneoftheseuniversitiesandthis is the132degreeIamgoingtogetthere?”133
Subject: (shortpause)IwasdefinitelythinkingMBA.AndIwas134thinking about the options I would have in terms of135where to go. And USFwas definitely the first school136thatpoppedintomyhead,becauseIhavegonehere,I137liveclosetohere.Butthereareotherschools,too,that138Ihaveresearchedandlookedonlineat.139
Interviewer: Whatotherschoolsareyoulookingat?140Subject: UNF[UniversityofNorthFlorida]inJacksonvilleandI141
havealsothoughtaboutFSU[FloridaStateUniversity]142and UF [University of Florida], just because they’re143equal toUSF.UNF is, youknow, kindof the fall back144position.145
Interviewer/Subject: (sidebar chatter about interviewer’s daughter’s146considerationofUNFforundergraduatedegree).147
Interviewer: Soyou thoughtabout theprogramfirst,and then the148university.AndyouhavenotyettakentheGMAT?149
Subject: No.150Interviewer: (unintelligible) So, when it came time to look at151
universities,howdidyougoaboutfindinginformation152abouttheprogramsthatyouwanted?153
Subject: The Internet was definitely my first avenue for154research, but then I signed up for the information155sessionhere,becauseitwasadvertisedonthewebsite.156So I signed up for that and really those are the two157avenuesthatIhavebeenexploring.158
Interviewer: Haveyougonetoanyotherinfosessions?159Subject: No.160Interviewer: AndhowwasUSF’sinfosession?161Subject: Itwasinformative,but,tobehonest,Ikindoffeltlike162
ifIreadthewebsiteIreallydidn’tneedtogo.Ididn’t163reallygainmoreinformation.ButIwasgladIwent.164
Interviewer: Okay. Sowhat factorswere important to you as you165begantolookattheprograms?166
Subject: (looksatinterviewerquestioningly)167Interviewer: Idon’twant togiveyou . . . Idon’twantto leadyour168
answers.Where there certain things that you said, “I169
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wanttolookatthis,Iwanttolookatthis...whatwas170importanttoyou?171
Subject: Justincomparingschools,Iwouldfirstlookatcourse172selection, like times, because I wanted to know if it173wasgearedtowardbeingafull‐timestudentorgeared174toward theworkingprofessional getting theMBA. So175that was the first thing I looked at. I also looked at176(longpause) . . . I also looked at . . . you know how177there isalways like thissectionon thewebsiteabout178peoplewhohavegraduatedfromthisprogramorthis179isthemarketthattheywentintoupongraduation;the180percentage of people who got jobs. The stats that181showwhattheendresultthattherehasbeenforother182graduates.183
Interviewer: So the testimonials, they ring true to you on the184website?Theydon’t...185
Subject: Yes(nodstoindicatetestimonialsringtrue).186Interviewer: Wereyoulookingatprogramcontent,Imean,didyou187
lookdownasfaras“IaminterestedinXandtheyhave188alotofcoursesinX;”didyoulookat,“I’dhavetotake189thesespecificcourses?”190
Subject: Iwaslookingmoreat...well,generallyallofthecore191coursesare thesame, so Iwas lookingat thespecific192concentrations that the schools offer, and just seeing193what courses were required for that, or how you194could,like,forexample,USFhastheMBAinSportand195Entertainment Management program as a separate196program,whereas,atUNF,it’saconcentration.I’man197athleticdirector atmy school, so thatwasoneof the198thingsthatcaughtmyattentionwasthat,hereIwould199havetodoitasaseparateprogramandthereIwould200havetodoitasaconcentration.Andso,IguessIwas201looking at how each program was structured and202whereitscontentfell,ifthatmakessense.203
Interviewer: Itdoes.SowhatIheardyousaywasthatyoulookedat204courseselectionandtimes,youlookedattestimonials205and kind of percentages of grads, and you looked at206kindofthecoreversusspecializations.207
Subject: Uh‐huh(subjectnodsheadinagreement).208Interviewer: Ifyouhadtorankthoseasfaraswhichonewasmost209
important toyouasyouwere lookingat them,which210onewasmostimportant?211
Subject: I think the most important was the statistics of212employment.213
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Interviewer: Okay. And, once you decided to go for the degree,214which universities did you consider? You told me215UNF,FSU,UF.DidyoulookatUT?216
Subject: No,Ididn’t.217Interviewer: How did you find out information about the specific218
universities? You told me basically on the web,219seekinginformationonline.Didyouseekanyword‐of‐220mouthreviewsfromfriends?221
Subject: No. I really don’t knowmany peoplewho have gone222for their MBA or really have a business degree. I223mean, I have all educationmajors aroundme and all224that,soIreallydidn’t.225
Interviewer: So it is the reputation of the university that you226considered more than the reputation of USF’s MBA227program?228
Subject: Yes.229Interviewer: Andwerethereanyotherfactorsthatwereimportant230
toyou thathelpedyoudetermine–well, youhaven’t231determined yet – which institution you are going to232attend?233
Subject: Well, I do know what will help me decide is the234scholarship availability and financial aid just because235gradschoolismoreexpensive,so,youknow,thereare236assistantships and scholarships available at different237universities;that’ssomethingthatisveryimportantto238me.239
Interviewer: Anddidyouseealotofinformationonthoseonline?240Subject: ForUSF,no,but I think that is justbecause there . . .241
whenIwenttotheinfosessionthatwasclearedupa242little bit more but it wasn’t advertised because it243wasn’t, there really isn’t that much scholarship244[money] available. Most of it is more specified to245specificpeopleanditismoreonaninvitationbasis,so246it’snotreallylikeyoucanapplyforthat.Butonother247[competing university] websites I found information248thattheyhavemoregeneralscholarships.249
Interviewer: Whatwas the one thing, as you looked at all of this,250thatyouthoughtthatwasmostimportant?251
Subject: Fordecidingwhichprogramorfordeciding...252Interviewer: Whichprogram.253Subject: I feel like still that the statistical evidence that says,254
“60 percent of our graduates get a job” versus “90255percentofourgraduatesgetajoborworkinthefield256oftheirpreference”ismostimportant.257
Interviewer: Sobasicallyevidenceofsuccess?258Subject: Right.259
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Interviewer: Alright,soonceyouobtainthedegree,whatareyour260short‐termcareeraspirations?261
Subject: Short‐term,solikeupongraduation?262Interviewer: Yes.263Subject: Rulenumberonewouldbetobeemployed(laughs).264Interviewer: (laughs)Goodone.265Subject: But I think . . . (longpause) I thinkbeingwell trained266
forthejobthatIamgoingtoenterinto,soIguess,just267feelingequipped,feelingreadytoenterintowhatever268position I do acquire, which after two years of grad269schoolthat’swhatIwouldobtain.270
Interviewer: Butyoudon’thaveitnarroweddownto,“afterschoolI271wanttoworkinhealthcare,ortobeamarketer,orto272be...“273
Subject: No. I am lookingmore at international business and274finance, just because I was an international studies275major and finance is just really interesting to me.276ThosearethetwoareasIwouldsayIwashopingtobe277working in, but I amnot, you know, “this is the only278areaIseemyselfin.”279
Interviewer: Okay.Whataboutlong‐termcareergoals?280Subject: I would hope that [not just] lateral moves up the281
corporate ladder. I don’t have a goal of owning my282ownbusinessoranything,but Idohaveagoal to . . .283(frustratedpause)tocontributetoacompanyinaway284that would benefit it, whether it was finance or285internationalbusiness.Notjuststayingstatusquo,you286know?That’sonethingthatfrustratesme.AndIthink287that is part of the reason why I am going back to288school,or,rather,hopefullygoingbacktoschool.289
Interviewer: Okay.290Subject: So,really,thesearemoregeneralgoalsbutmainoneis291
to help build up the company that I end upworking292for.293
Interviewer: How long do you think it will take for you to see a294monetarygain, kindof a returnon the investmentof295theMBA?296
Subject: Well, I thinkthis iskindofsubjective,becauseIama297teacher (both interviewer and subject laugh) but I298wouldsayimmediately.Myfirstjobwould...Iexpect299to make more money than I do now. That alone300wouldmaketheinvestmentintheeducationworthit.301
Interviewer: Well, that didn’t take anywhere near as long as I302thoughtitwould.Doyouhaveanythoughtsorideasto303sharewithme?AnyfeedbackonUSFasyoulookedat304
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it, information that you maybe saw as missing, or305[whereyou]said,“Ireallylikedthis?”306
Subject: TheonlythingthatIwouldsayisthattheinformation307session, it was (pause) . . . it was very . . . general, I308guess.ItwasjustwhatIreadandwhatIresearched.I309mean, I really liked the fact that theyoffered the live310infosessionbut,um,IwentbecauseIwasthinkingthis311would be better. But other than that, I really don’t312think...IguessbecausesinceIamnotintheprogram313yet,Iamjustgoingonestepatatime,soIreallydon’t314have . . . Ihaven’tmetwithanadvisoryet,so Ireally315don’thave . . .asaprospectivestudent,Idon’tfeelas316prepared.Once Igetallmystuff in,mypaperwork [I317mighthavemoretosay].318
Interviewer: And how has that been? The application, the actual319chores of applying, getting your transcript in. Has it320beeneasy?321
Subject: Yes,it’sbeenveryeasy.322Interviewer: Okay.Thankyou323 # # #
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InterviewDate: December6,2012InterviewLocation: StarbucksonHillsboroughAvenue,TampaInterviewSubject: Cassie,26yearoldfemale,Prospect#3InterviewDuration: 20minutesCassie isaCaucasian femalewho is consideringanMBAprogrambuthasnot yet made the commitment to begin (though she has made acommitmenttopursuethedegreeatsomepoint).Shehasnotyetdecidedwhere she will pursue the degree. She has worked for four years sinceearning an undergraduate degree in event management and hospitalityfrom the University of Florida. When contacting Cassie to schedule theinterview, it was discovered that the interviewer and the subject have amutual friend who recently asked the subject to contact the interviewerabout a potential sponsorship for an Emerge event with the TampaChamber of Commerce. There was some initial banter about thatcoincidenceprior to the interview.Therewasalsosomebanterabout thedegreeprogramtheinterviewerisfinishing.Subject: So,areyougoingfortheMBA?1Interviewer: No(laughing) I thinkIshouldhavegonefortheMBA2
butIamgoingfortheMSinStrategicCommunications.3BecauseIwasafraidofall thefinancecourses[inthe4MBAprogram].5
Subject: That’swhatmybiggest fear is (laughing).But Iknow6that iswhy I need to go back. Because I need that, I7needthatexperience.8
Interviewer: That’s exactlywhere I am. Iwent for theMS inMass9Communications (sidebar conversation with10interviewer’s son, who was seated nearby during the11interview). So Iwent for that degree instead. If I had12gone for theMBA, Iwouldn’tbedoing this thesis.An13MBAdoesn’trequireathesis.14
Subject: Yeah. I didn’t think so. That’s okay; you’ll have your15degreesoon!16
Interviewer: So the purpose of my thesis is really just to talk to17peopleaboutwhattheyarethinkingaboutwhenthey18are considering the MBA. People are at different19stages.Somehavedecidedtodoit,somehavedecided20not to do it, some have decided to do it and are21startinginJanuary.Sowhereareyouinthatprocess?22
Subject: IwouldliketostartmyMBAinthefallnextyear.SoI23have been to info sessions for USF. I am also24considering the University of Tampa. And I am also25considering [the University of] Florida. I went to26Floridaformyundergrad,so...27
Interviewer: Okay,sowhendidyougraduatethere?28
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Subject: Igraduatedfrommyundergradin2008,August2008.29Ideally, I would love to go back there just because I30went there and amadiehardGator, but, at the same31time,thetraveling;itwouldreallybewhatisgoingto32holdmeback, I think. I’d rather– I liveandwork in33SouthTampa.Iworkformyfamily’scompany,soIam34just really, really connected to the South Tampa35community.Iwouldprefernottobetraveling.It’snot36necessarily every weekend, the program that I am37looking at; it’s only one weekend a month up there.38But that’s still, you know, a lot of driving plus hotel39expenses,whichIwouldnothavetoworryaboutwith40USForUT.41
Interviewer: AndUSFhastheweekendprogram,too.42Subject: Right.43Interviewer: SowhatdidyoustudyatUF?44Subject: Hospitalitymanagement.45Interviewer: I didn’t know they had a hospitality management46
programthere.47Subject: They do. It is in the College of Health and Human48
Performance. It falls under the hospitality, tourism,49operations umbrella. It’s actually becoming quite50popular, believe it or not. The University of Central51Florida has a great hospitality and tourism program,52too,so…53
Interviewer: Yeah.Soobviouslyyouworknow;Iheardyousayfor54yourfamily’scompany,um…55
Subject: Ido.56Interviewer: Isthattheonlyjobyouhavehadsinceyougraduated?57Subject: Actually,yes.Mydadownsatitleinsurancecompany.58
When I graduated in ’08, it was 2008 and it was a59terribletimetograduate[duetotheeconomy].Itwas60a terrible time to get into event planning. So,61fortunately,Istartedtoworkforthatcompany.Itwas62notwhatIwantedtodonorwasitwhatIintendedto63do.Butitactuallyturnedouttobeablessing.Andnow64Iamreallygettinginvolvedinthecompanyandthat’s65why I am gettingmyMBA. I plan to take it over one66dayandIneedtheexperience,so…67
Interviewer: Oh,okay.Wow.Sohowlonghaveyouworkedforyour68family’scompanynow,Iguessfouryears?69
Subject: Honestly,sinceweopenedin2006,onandoffduring70break and whatnot while in college, but, full‐time,712009.72
Interviewer: So how long ago did you first start thinking about73gettinganMBA?74
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Subject: Iwouldsayprobablyaboutsixmonthsago.75Interviewer: Andwastheresomethingthatpromptedyoutothink76
about itorsomethingthatmadeyousay,“Nowisthe77time?”78
Subject: Um,wellnowisthetime,Ithink,becauseIamyoung79enough.Iam26.AndIknowbeforeIgettoo–gettoo80faraheadinthecompany–thatIreallydo[need]like81youweresaying,thefinancialaspectofthings.Ireally82doneedtogetthatexperience.Idointendtotakeover83the company. I kindof have a five‐yearplan.Mydad84won’t necessarily be out in five years, but, as I start85movingupIknowthere’sonlysomuchthatIcanlearn86fromhimand learn in theoffice, that– I shouldhave87gottenabusinessdegreeatFloridabut,um,so,Ithink88that is the strongest reason that I am going back. I89know I am going to need that, that education, that90experiencethatIhaven’tgottenpreviously,so…91
Interviewer: Okay, and so, for you, you said you– the question is92“what do you think the long‐term benefitwould be,”93foryou.Itsoundslikeyouhaveaplan.94
Subject: Yes,fortheknowledgeandfortheexperience.Iwould95saywithin the next five to ten years. Five years for96gettingmylicensefortitleinsurance,whichisactually97goingtohappenwithinthenextsixmonths,really.Um,98Iwould saywithin thenext three years, starting and99completing my MBA. And just kind of working100different roles throughout the company. Really101learningtheinsandoutsofeverythingthatrelatesto102title insurance and the financial industry aswell. So,103um, within the next ten years (unintelligible with104cameramovement)withintheten‐yearframe,pushmy105dadoutandIcantakeoverandfeelcomfortable.For106merightnow,IreallyamfearfulthatIdonothavethat107knowledgeand thatexperience.And I’dhate tobe in108thatpositionwhereIamlike“Idon’tknowwhatIam109doing.” Youknow,andtohavepeoplenotbeableto110rely onme because I don’t have that experience or I111don’tknowwhatIamdoing;Idon’t likenotknowing112whatIamtalkingabout,so…113
Interviewer: Okay. Do you think that there are going to be some114short‐termbenefitstogettinganMBA?115
Subject: Um, just thenetworking. Building relationshipswith116other people, I think, in the cohort and in the117community, which I think would eventually be long‐118termaswell,also.119
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Interviewer: Have you thought about what Tampa’s networking120opportunities would provide for you versus121Gainesville’s?122
Subject: (pause)Um…123Interviewer: Gainesville obviously has some – I don’t know who124
yourcustomersare ina title insurancecompany.Are125theymostlyTampapeople?126
Subject: We are able to close transactions nationwide but127obviously the majority of our deals are in Florida,128morelocally,inHillsborough,Pasco,Pinellascounties.129SoI think, locally, Iamreallyvery involvedwith,as I130wastellingyou,withtheChamber[ofCommerce]and131a lot of different groups andorganizations inTampa,132so I think that would just help strengthen those133relationships andmy involvement in the community.134As far as [the University of] Florida is concerned, I135don’t know if there’s – I think there might be more136benefit going to school somewhere locally. Florida’s137got a great network and a great alumni network as138well,but I think that Iwouldmeetmore localpeople139herethanIwouldgoingtoGainesville.140
Interviewer: Okay. So do you think there are going to be any141headachesinvolvedwithgettinganMBA?142
Subject: Ha!Financially!Financeandaccounting.Anythingto143do with math and finance. Yeah, that would be a144headache(chuckling).145
Interviewer: Ohyeah.146Subject: Studying for theGREand theGMATalone isgoing to147
beaheadache!148Interviewer: Well, thatactually– Iamgoing to jumpaheadhere–149
thatisonequestion:haveyoutakenthetestyet?150Subject: No. Ihavenot. Iactually,well, Iactuallydidtakethe151
GREjusttokindoftryitout,probablybackin2007or152’08. I couldn’t even tell you how I did. I don’t153remember.Ithinkitwasprobablyprettybadaswell.154Because I just didn’t study for it. Um, but no, I have155nottakenityet.156
Interviewer: Scoresarevalidforfiveyears.157Subject: Yeah,Idon’tthinkIwanttousethosescores.158Interviewer: Thetimeisprobablyprettycloseanyway.159Subject: Yeah.160Interviewer: Okay, so obviously you started thinking about the161
program and you toldme three schools that you are162lookingat,163
Subject: Ah‐huh.164
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Interviewer: HowlongafteryoustartedthinkingaboutanMBAdid165yougoonlineorgoseekinfoorvisit?166
Subject: Prettyquickly,actually.Iwouldsay–whatarewenow167–IwouldsaysummertimeiswhenI thoughtIreally168needtogetseriousaboutthis.Ihadtalkedtomydad169with a couple of other people, a couple of other170mentorsofmine.AndthenIjuststartedtosignupfor171theinfosessions.IwenttoFlorida’sinfosession,thenI172wenttoUSF’sinfosession.AndthenUT.SoIhavegone173toallofthemandfeellikeIhavealloftheinformation.174Truthfully, now it is just starting to apply.And, like I175said,studyingandtakingtheexams.176
Interviewer: Okay.And,I’mgoingtojumpahead.177Subject: Sure.178Interviewer: I want to talk about info sessions. What were your179
impressions of USF’s info session versus Florida and180someoftheothers?181
Subject: Um, let’s see. I am trying to remember. USF’swas, I182think,atthehoteloveronCypress. Ithinktheywere183havingsometechnicalissuesthatnight.Whichreally–184it wasn’t a big deal, but, um, the women that did it185wereknowledgeable. Ihada coupleofquestionsand186they were able to answer them. I liked it because I187alreadyknowwhattheMBAprogramshouldlooklike,188um,Ijusthaveafewspecificquestionsandtheygotus189inandoutofthereprettyquickly.Florida’swasgood.190It was very, very detailed. Very planned out...Which191wasnice, but, Iwas like, okay.UT’s, truthfully,was a192little long‐winded. They talked about a whole lot of193optionsandIjustwantedtohearabouttheMBA.And194thatwasit.TheMBAforworkingprofessionals,that’s195whatIwastherefor.Andtheytalkedabouttenother196degreesthatnightthatIdidn’tcareabout.Sothatwas197alittlebitlengthy.198
Interviewer: Sowoulditbebetteriftheyjustmentionedtheseare199thedegreesthatwehave?200
Subject: Right, exactly. And have specific info sessions for201those. I didn’t want to sit through everybody else’s202session! (laughing). I wanted to hear about mine,203which is selfish, I guess. But if youare talkingabout204that many different degrees, you should probably205break it up, not do it all in one shot. Um, but I think206they [USF} said, “Is anybody here for the Executive207MBA program?” And nobody was, and they said,208“Okay, we won’t even talk about that then!” They209
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moved on instead ofwasting everybody’s time, so, it210wasgood.IgotwhatIneeded.211
Interviewer: And,sohowdidyougoaboutseekinginformationon212theprograms?Obviouslyyouwenttoinfosessions.213
Subject: Iwentonline.Iwentonlineaswell.Um,my–Iknow214quite a few people that have gotten their MBA at215FloridasoIspoketoacoupleofthem.Mybestfriend216actually works in the admissions department at the217University of Tampa and she is starting her MBA so218shehasbeenabletogivemealotofinformation.And219as far as USF, it just is the other, you know, big220universityinthearea,soIjustwentonline.221
Interviewer: Andyousaidyoualso talkedabout it a littlebitwith222somementorsinyourlife?223
Subject: Ah‐huh.224Interviewer: Sowhatfactorswereimportanttoyouasyoubeganto225
research these programs? What is it that you were226saying, “ooh, that’s good for that one,” or, “that’s not227goodforthatone?”228
Subject: Right. Okay, I want to say obviously the location.229That’s probably going to be pretty important in the230long run. I completely ruled out doing any kind of231internet program. I really don’t want tomiss out on232anyofthatface‐to‐faceexperiencewiththeprofessors233ortheotherpeopleinthecohort.That’simportantto234me and fromwhat I have heard, people really enjoy235that.SoIdon’twanttomissoutonthat.Idon’twantto236miss that opportunity. I know a couple of the237programs talked about the opportunity to study238abroad, too. I don’t know if Iwill have themeans or239eventhetimetobeabletodothatbutjusthavingthe240option,Ithink,isimportant.Ah,Iamtryingtothinkof241thedifferentprogramsanddifferentinfosessions.But242Iknowthatnoneofthemreallytalkedabout,thoughI243knowall threeof themdo, thatyoucanpicksomeof244these different electives to choose from as well. So245you’vegotyourmaincoursesthatyouhavetotakebut246thenyoucankindofmixandmatchto…247
Interviewer: Tocustomizeit.248Subject: Exactly, to customize it and tailor it to what your249
needs are. Which is important. Because there are250certainly classes that I am going to love to take and251thenthereareclassesthatIknowIshouldtake. SoI252willbelike,ugh….253
Interviewer: (laughing)254
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Subject: TheseallsoundsogreatbutIreallyneedtotakethese!255So…I think cost. Cost is, obviously, the big factor. I256don’t think there is toomuch of a variance between257the three universities but I haven’t sat down and258compared them dollar to dollar yet. So, I figure I am259goingtobepayingalotofmoneyregardlessofwhereI260go(chuckling).261
Interviewer: Doyouhavetuitionassistancethroughthecompany?262Imean,it’sfamily,so…263
Subject: Iwill,Iwill,Iwillhaveassistance,yeah.Fortunately.264Interviewer: Um,sooutofallofthesethatyoumentioned…yousaid265
location,face‐to‐facetime,travelabroadopportunities266whetheryoutakeadvantageofthemornot,theability267to tailor or customize, and cost. Which is the single268mostimportanttoyou?269
Subject: (long pause) probably location but USF and UT are270bothhere.Iguesslocation.271
Interviewer: So what – wait, I already asked you that – actually,272you’vealreadyansweredthatone,too–um...273
Subject: Well, I know thatall threeof thoseareaccreditedby274thewhat’sit,theAA…275
Interviewer: AACSB.276Subject: AACSB, so it didn’t really seem like one was really,277
um….278Interviewer: Soaccreditationmatteredtoyoubut…279Subject: Itmattered.280Interviewer: Butyoujustwantedtoknowithadit.281Subject: Right.Exactly.282Interviewer: Did you look at schools such as [the University of}283
Phoenixorsomeofthemlikethat?Whynot?284Subject: Um, I wanted a university. A strong university. I285
thought Phoenix was an online program as well. I286couldbewrong.AndIdidn’twant,ifthatisthecaseI287didnotwantanonlineprogram.288
Interviewer: Ithinktheyareahybrid.289Subject: Oh,um,well….290Interviewer: Buttheyarenotaccredited.291Subject: Right.Truthfully, Ihadsomebody, Ihadamentortell292
me you need to go to Duke or somewhere like that.293AndIthought,IamnotgettingadegreebecauseIam294in a corporate settingwhere I amgoing to need that295degreetomoveupthe ladderand impresssomebody296with what, you know, with what school the diploma297has on it. I need this because I need the experience.298AndIdon’twanttogetitfromaWebsteroraPhoenix299orsomethinglikethat.ButIwasfinewithconsidering300
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Florida and the two local universities around here301becauseIknowthattheyaregreatschools. Theyare302great organizations. So I didn’t worry about that303qualification, theprofessors or the academics at all. I304knew itwas going tobe strong at any of those three305universities.306
Interviewer: Becauseofreputation?307Subject: Absolutely.308Interviewer: Um, What are your career aspirations. You already309
toldme,long‐term,it’stotakeoverthecompany.And310short‐term,whatareyoulookingtodo?311
Subject: Um, short‐term, I think I, like I was saying earlier, I312reallydowanttokindofbolstermyconfidencealittle313bit, as far as my knowledge of different aspects of314running a business and operating a business and315financialsareconcerned.Um,again,itisimportantto316me to build those relationships with people that I317knowwillultimately,youknow,wecangivebusiness318backandforthtoeachother.Ithinkthat’sgreatandI319have heard a lot of success stories from peoplewho320have come out of those programs and stay in touch321andstillstayintouchwithpeopleintheircohort.Um,322short‐term,Ijustneedtogetthatdegree.Ineedtoget323thatknowledge.Ineedthatexperience.SoIknowitis324goingtobealotofworkandIprobablywon’tseethe325lightofdayforthenexttwo,twoandahalfyears,butI326amsureitwillbeworthit.327
Interviewer: If I can do itwith a 13‐ year‐old and an 18‐year‐old328who is juststartingher freshmanyearofcollege,you329candoit.330
Subject: (laughing)That’sgood.That’sgoodtoknow.331Interviewer: How longdoyou think itwill take to seeamonetary332
return,amonetarygainasa resultofbothyour time333investmentandyourfinancialinvestment?334
Subject: (longpause)Hmmm…whenyousaymonetarygain, I335amnotina…Iamnotgoingtobetalkingaboutaraise.336
Interviewer: Some people – how long do you think it will take337beforeyouseesomesortofreturnonthisinvestment?338Because you are investing time and you’re investing339money.340
Subject: I would think that would be evident within the first341coupleofsemesters,honestly.Ithinkultimatelyafter342thewholeprogramIwouldhopetofeelwell‐rounded343enough. But I would imagine that starting in the344courses I would start to see the return. And talking345aboutthoserelationshipsandthepeoplethatyouare346
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goingtobemeeting,soIdon’tthinkitwillbetoolong347beforeyoustarttosee.348
Interviewer: Okay. I think, actually, that is all of my questions. I349know I skipped around a bit. Oh, wait, I did…here’s350one. Didyouthinkabout theprogramfirst,andthen351theuniversity,ortheuniversityorthentheprogram?352
Subject: Theuniversity.353Interviewer: Youthoughtoftheuniversitybeforetheprogram?354Subject: Oh, youmean theMBA as the program? Oh, yeah, I355
thoughtabouttheMBAprogramfirst.356Interviewer: Okay.AndyouhavenotyettakentheGMAT?357Subject: No.358Interviewer: Ithinkthat’severything.359Subject: Great.360Interviewer: Thanks361 # # #
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InterviewDate: January9,2013InterviewLocation: BurgerKingonFloridaAvenue,TampaInterviewSubject: Cory,44yearoldfemale,Prospect#4InterviewDuration: 19minutesCory isaCaucasianfemalewhoisconsideringanExecutiveMBAprogrambut has not yet made the commitment to the degree program or to auniversity.Sheisasinglemotherwhosegrownsonisnowasingleparent;sheisessentiallyraisinghergranddaughter.Shehasenjoyedalongcareerin the healthcare industry, working while pursuing an undergraduatedegree in business. After she earned her degree, she advanced at hercompany and eventually changed jobs to move up the ladder at anothercorporation. She was recently laid off by that company and will bereturningtothejobsheformerlyheld(amovesheperceivesasanecessity,butasastepbackward).Interviewer: Somytopiciswhatpeoplethinkaboutwhendeciding1
whetherornot togo foranMBAand thenwhat they2look at when considering universities. So I need3people who have alreadymade that decision. I need4people who are still thinking about it and I need5peoplewhoareinprocess.6
Subject: Okay.(BriefreviewofIRBpermissionform)7Interviewer: SoyouarethinkingaboutgettinganMBA.Wheredid8
yougetyourundergrad?9Subject: Ihavemybachelor’sdegree fromUSF, theUniversity10
ofSouthFlorida11Interviewer: Andwhatdidyoustudy?12Subject: Businessadministration.13Interviewer: Howlongagodidyougraduate?14Subject: IgraduatedDecember2006.15Interviewer: Sodidyou–whatdidyoustudyintermsofbusiness?16Subject: Managementandmarketing.17Interviewer: Didyouworkwhilegoingtoschool?18Subject: Yes, I’m – I have been a single parent so I worked19
whilegoingtoschool.20Interviewer: Whatdidyoudo?21Subject: I actuallywas an executive assistant to thepresident22
of St. Joseph’s Hospital and to the Board of Trustees23for11years.AndthatiswithBaycareHealthSystems.24And I went to school while working as an executive25assistantandbeingasinglemom.26
Interviewer: That’salotofstufftodo.Sowhathaveyoudonesince27yougotyourundergraduatedegree?28
Subject: WithmydegreeIwasabletomoveintoamanagement29position.Iwasactuallymanagerofdonorrelationsfor30
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Baycare Health System which is, again, St. Joseph’s31hospitals.Ihandledallofourmajordonorsandboard32membersthatgivetothehospital.33
Interviewer: So basically in development. So is that what you do34now?35
Subject: No.Imovedintotraininginourbillingandinsurance36departments,soIbasicallywenttoourbusinessoffice37forBaycare,which,again, isSt. Joe’sand11hospitals38total in their system. Business office does all of the39billingandtheinsurancepieceforall11hospitals.So,40Ilearned…41
Interviewer: That’squiteatransitionfromdevelopment.42Subject: Yeah, I learned the systems, the IT system. I trained43
registrars who came in through the system, 50044registrars across Baycare. I did training on our IT45applications and on‐the‐job training and audits, that46kindofthing.47
Interviewer: Sowasthereaparticularreasonyoustartedthinking48about getting an MBA? How long ago did you first49startthinkingaboutit?50
Subject: I started thinking about getting my MBA once I51realized that you cannot move into a director‐level52positionwithinBaycarewithoutanMBA.53
Interviewer: Okay.54Subject: Not all hospital systems are, and not all businesses55
require anMBA for a director level, um, butBaycare56does.57
Interviewer: And so how long ago was it that you first started58thinkingaboutit?Twoyearsago,fiveyearsago?59
Subject: It’s been about 2‐3 years. But I am paying student60loans, like everyone else so I kind of put it off for a61little bit. I then got – another health system, Iasis62Healthcare, which is Town ‘N Country Hospital, they63actually inquired. They contactedme at Baycare and64recruited me into a director‐level position at their65hospital,whichonlyrequiredabachelor’sdegree.66
Interviewer: SoyouarenowatTown‘NCountry?67Subject: Um,Iwasjustlaidoff.68Interviewer: Oh,okay.69Subject: So,um,Ibecameadirectorofpatientregistrationand70
billingandinsuranceatTown‘NCountryHospitaland71wasthereforoneyearandwasthenlaidoff.72
Interviewer: SodoyouthinkyouwantgobacktoBaycare?73Subject: Yeah.Theyactually,IamsupposedtostartonMonday.74Interviewer: Congratulations.Whatareyougoingtobedoing?75
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Subject: I am going to be back in training and development76again.So,eventuallyIwillbepursuingmydegree–my77master’sdegree–becauseitismandatoryifyouwant78to move up in the system into like senior‐level79management.Butrightnow,Iamkindofputtingitoff80becauseoftheeconomyanduntilIambackworking.81
Interviewer: Okay,sowhatdoyouthinkisthelong‐termbenefitof82gettinganMBA?83
Subject: The long‐termbenefitof anMBAwouldallowyou to84moveintosenior‐levelmanagementpositions,suchas,85like a [chief operating officer] of the hospital, a vice86president of a company, that type of position. If you87lookonline,mostpositionsthataredirectorleveland88aboverequireanMBA.89
Interviewer: And did you think there would be any short‐term90benefit?91
Subject: (long pause) um, I have always gone to school part‐92time, so it has never been a short‐term of anything93(laughing). Ihavehad toworkwhilegoing toschool94so,no,nonethatIcanthinkofatthetime.95
Interviewer: Anddidyouthinktherewouldbeanyheadaches?96Subject: Yeah. Maybe the short‐term benefit would be, you97
know,yourheadfocusedonschoolandbeableto,you98know,containtheinformation,theeducationthatyou99havealreadylearnedbecauseIknowtheolderyouget100that you have a lapse inmemory (laughing). So that101wouldbemyshort‐termbenefit.102
Interviewer: So did you think there would be any headaches103involvedingoingbacktogettheMBA?104
Subject: Yeah, I think the biggest headache that I am finding105right now is the cost. It’s anywhere from $40,000‐10650,000ayeartogobacktoschoolforanMBAandalso,107um,thetimeawayfromwork.AtUSF,youhavetodo108everyotherFridayandoneSaturdayamonth.109
Interviewer: IfyouweretodotheExecutiveMBA.110Subject: So thatmeansyouremployerwouldhave toapprove111
youbeingoutofworkonaFridayacoupleoftimesa112month.113
Interviewer: No,onetimeamonth(unintelligible).114Subject: So it would basically be your probably paid time off115
daythatyouget.116Interviewer: So you are considering the Executive MBA not the117
traditionalMBA?118Subject: Right. Because I have management experience. And119
thatkindof letsyoutakethe fast‐track, theexecutive120program.121
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Interviewer: It’sanawesomeprogram.122Subject: Yeah. I did go to the open house and was seriously123
consideringit.ButIthinkIhavetogetmyGMATdone124and decide whether I am going to – want to invest125$40,000moreinstudentloans.BecauseI–that’salot126ofmoney.127
Interviewer: Yeah. It is.Sohow longdidyou thinkabout theMBA128beforeyouactuallybegantoresearchtheprograms?129
Subject: Ihavebeenthinkingaboutitforacoupleofyears,but130Ihavejuststartedresearchingitinthelastsixmonths.131
Interviewer: Did you look at the degree first, and then the132university? Or did you say, “I’m going to USF” and133then explored the MBA, Executive MBA, the MS in134Marketing,stufflikethat?135
Subject: Well, I knew I wanted to get a degree in business136administration.Mysecondoptionwouldbeamaster’s137inhealthcareadministration. But Iwas leaningmore138toward the business one because you can use it at139pretty much any type of industry, rather than just140healthcare.Um,whatwasthequestion?141
Interviewer: Well, you actually answered it. Were you looking at142MBA and then choosing the university or were you143looking at the university and then choosing the144degree?Youhadthedegreealreadyinmind.145
Subject: Right. And USF was actually my first choice, but my146otherreasonforbeingkindofhesitantisthatIwould147prefer online classes. So I looked at USF. I looked at148University of Florida in Gainesville. They do have an149onlineclassbutthere’slimitedseatingthattheyallow150inthat.IhavealsolookedatSouthUniversityandthe151UniversityofPhoenix.But Iamkindof leeryof those152universities. Because I am finding out here that even153likeanRN, if theyhaven’tgotten theirdegree froma154regionally accredited school then it’s not always155accepted. So I am looking for something that – those156twoschoolsare–157
Interviewer: I know they’re not AACSB accredited. I amnot sure158aboutregionalaccreditation.Idon’tthinktheyare,but159Idon’tknowthat. Sohowdidyou–wellyouhaven’t160takentheGMATyet,right?161
Subject: No.162Interviewer: How did you go about seeking information on the163
programs? You saidyouwent toUSF’s info session.164Didyougotootherinfosessions?Didyougoonline?165Didyoucall?166
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Subject: Well,Iwentonline.Um,Isignedupfortheopenhouse167that was about a month ago for the University of168TampaandforUSF.169
Interviewer: Okay.Soyouwenttotheirwebsitesaswell?170Subject: Right.171Interviewer: Whatwereyourthoughtsontheinfosessions?172Subject: Um,welltheoneatUSF,um,itgaveanoverviewofthe173
MBAprogramandthen itbrokeitdownintothetwo174different groups, whether you were looking at the175traditionalMBAor theExecutiveMBA. I think itwas176informational,butIthinkitwouldbebetteriftheyhad177someonewhocoulddoone‐on‐oneandsitdownwith178prospective students to see if – to see what the179concernsare.180
Interviewer: So if theyhave that, itwasnot clear to you from the181websitethatthatwasanoption?182
Subject: Well, I think itwouldprobably,well, I couldmakean183appointmentwithanadvisor,butwhatIamsayingis184that at the info session it would be good if they had185that available. I think that would have – because I186thinkI–that’syourtimethatyou’re–andIlivefar–187sojusttogettoUSFiskindofhard.188
Interviewer: Soattheinfosession?Okay.189Subject: Right.190Interviewer: Sothedegrees–rather,theuniversitiesthatyouhave191
considered have been USF, UT, South, and the192UniversityofPhoenix.Anyothers?193
Subject: I have had some universities call me, like Indiana194WesleyanandEckerdbuttheykindoffallinthesame195categoryofPhoenixwiththeaccreditationproblem.196
Interviewer: Okay. And did you seek any word‐of‐mouth reviews197fromfriends?Askanycoworkers?198
Subject: Well I did askmy bosswhether I should pursue the199master’s degree. My old boss, who now is again my200current boss – he’s a VP of financial services for201Baycare–hesuggestedthatInot[pursuethedegree]202at this time, because, with the economy and how203difficult it is to get into a job, adding the additional204$40,000‐$50,000 in student loans at my age, um, he205didn’t recommend it at this time. But with the job206market,ifitgetsbetterandwhenmorepositionsopen,207itisprobablysomethingthatIwouldthinkabout.208
Interviewer: Okay, so when looking at all of these things, I am209hearingthefactthat–well,actually, letmegoback.I210don’t want to go there yet. What factors were211important to you as you began to research the212
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programs? Were you looking at program content?213Were you looking at other factors? Well, obviously214you–Ihaveheardyousaycostandtime.215
Subject: Cost.Content.Time.Theaccreditation.BecauseIknow216that with employers it’s not always accepted, you217know,whetheritisregionallyorwhateveritis?218
Interviewer: AACSBisthebusinessschoolaccreditingbody.219Subject: Andmyage(laughing).220Interviewer: So of these, I’ve heard you say cost, the time away221
fromwork,theoptionforonline,theprogramcontent,222accreditation,yourage….whatwasthemostimportant223factortoyouasyouarelookingatwhetherornotyou224aregoingtodothis?225
Subject: Thecost.226Interviewer: AnddoesBaycareofferanysortof tuitionassistance,227
reimbursement?228Subject: Theydo,um,theydoforanundergraduatedegree.It’s229
minimalbutformaster’s,theydon’t.Ithinktheymay230beaddingthatintotheirprogram,butit’sminimal.It’s231like $1,500 a year. It’s something that is not very232helpful.233
Interviewer: (unintelligible) the one thing that has been most234importanttoyouallalong?235
Subject: Theabilitytomoveupthecareerladder.Andit’sbeen236a little bit difficult because I started late going to237school. And so where some students have just238graduated and they may be in a position similar to239mine,Iam44[yearsold],youknow,soitisalittlebit240difficultasfaras,um,thecareerladderpiece.241
Interviewer: Yeah,Iam48andIamalmostalwaystheoldestinthe242class. Every once in a while there is someone older243thanme,butnotoften.Soyoualready toldmeabout244yourcareeraspirations,howlongdoyouthinkitwill245take before you, um, make a decision to go forward246with this, in terms of both the time and themoney?247Howlongwillittakeforyoutosay,“Thisisworthit?”248
Subject: Well, I think the program lasts two years, so I think249there[would]probablybea$30,000‐$40,000ayear250increaseinmyincome,soprobably2‐3years.251
Interviewer: Okay.Anythingyouwanttoadd?252Subject: Ithinkitisimportantforstudentswhoareyoungtobe253
abletoworkandgettheworkexperienceatthesame254time as getting their master’s rather than going255straightintoamaster’sprogrambecause,withoutthe256experience, the master’s really doesn’t help you. All257employerswantworkexperience,eventhe–Ihavea258
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huge amount of experience at my age but they still259wantmore.SoIthinkamaster’sprogramisimportant260but I would recommend that students go ahead and261pursue their career ladder after their bachelor’s262degree, or even before. And then consider the MBA263oncetheygettheirfoot inthedoorwithanemployer264andtheyhavegainedtheexperience.265
Interviewer: Personally, I agree with you. That’s why USF266implemented a two‐year work requirement for the267traditionalMBAandfortheExecutiveMBAtheywant268sevenyearsworkexperience.269
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InterviewDate: January10,2013InterviewLocation: PremierParkingonFloridaAvenue,TampaInterviewSubject: Tina,32yearoldfemale,Prospect#5InterviewDuration: 15minutesTina is amarried Indian female, aworkingmotherwho is consideringanExecutive MBA program but has not yet made the commitment to thedegree program or to a university. She works full‐time in her family’sdowntown parking business, a move she made just a year or two ago,moving to Tampa after working in banking in Atlanta for a few years.Whensettinguptheinterview,shesaidshewasinterestedintheExecutiveMBAprogramatUSFbutshewasunsureifshewantedtogotoChina(aninternationalexperience isarequirementof theprogramandthe last fewyearsthegrouphastravelledtoChina).Shealsomentionedthatsheisonlyinterestedinweekendclasses.Interviewer: Well Ihave20questions foryou.Asmentioned, they1
are relatively painless. There is no earth‐shaking2information that I am going to get here, but, um, it’s3thinkingaboutgraduateschool,and,inparticular,the4MBA.5
Subject: Okay.6Interviewer: So have you started grad school? Have you applied?7
Whereareyou?8Subject: I been interested in USF and I was interested in the9
UniversityofTampa.AndIjustwentovertheretothe,10um,thingoverthere.11
Interviewer: AtUSF?OrUT?12Subject: Yeah,atUSF.AndIaminterestedintheExecutiveMBA13
program.14Interviewer: Okay, great. I don’t have anyone [to be interviewed]15
fromtheExecutiveMBAprogramyet.Yay!It’sagreat16program,too.Holycow.17
Subject: Iknow.It’swonderful.18Interviewer: So where did you attend school for your bachelor’s19
degree?20Subject: UniversityofFlorida.21Interviewer: Whatdidyoustudy?22Subject: Business.Management.23Interviewer: Andhowlongagodidyougraduate?24Subject: Igraduatedin2002.25Interviewer: Okay.Sodidyouworkwhilegoingtoschool?26Subject: No.27Interviewer: Andwhathaveyoudonesinceyougraduated?28Subject: Ihavebeendoingallmanagerialthings.29Interviewer: Hereatthiscompany?Oratothercompanies?30
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Subject: IwasatWellsFargoinAtlanta.AndthenIhavebeen31withmybrotherprettymucheversince.32
Interviewer: Sothisisafamilybusinesshere?33Subject: Yeah.34Interviewer: Okay.HowlongwereyouinAtlanta?35Subject: Acoupleofyears?36Interviewer: DoyoulikeTampabetter?37Subject: Well,nowIammarriedandhavetwokids.Yeah.38Interviewer: Howoldareyourkids?39Subject: Threeandsevenmonths.40Interviewer: Ahhh.Isn’tthatagreatage?Andagreatagetodothe41
MBAprogram.42Subject: Oh,yes.43Interviewer: Mineare18and13.44Subject: Really.45Interviewer: Itwouldhavebeenbetter todo thiswhen theywere46
little. They go to bed. They don’t need driving47anywhere.48
Subject: (laughs)Yeah.49Interviewer: Sowhatdoyoudohere?50Subject: Here,Iamapropertymanager.Somymainroleisto51
collect rent. And then there are other things. Like52todaywehadafireinspection.Stufflikethat.53
Interviewer: Okay.Sohowlongagodidyoufirstthinkaboutgetting54anMBA?55
Subject: ProbablywhenIfirstgraduatedfromcollege?56Interviewer: Whywasthat?57Subject: Becausealotofmyfriendswentintolawandtheydid58
itatUniversityofFlorida.ButImovedtoAtlanta.And59thenIcamehere.AndIactually,oneofmy–acouple60people I knowwent toUSF.One is Rupesh Shaw.He61was atWellcare. Andmy second cousin, his name is62Durpan.Hewasthere.63
Interviewer: Okay.SoyouhaveheardaboutUSF,alittlebitofword‐64of‐mouthfromfamily.65
Subject: Yes.Andmyuncle,Dr.KiranPatel.66Interviewer: Oh,Ihadnoideathatwasyouruncle.67Subject: Yes.68Interviewer: He’squitefamiliarwithUSF.69Subject: That’sthemainreason(chuckling).70Interviewer: Okay.Great.Sowasthereaparticularincidentthatled71
you to think about getting anMBA? Youmentioned72friends going to law school, was there something at73WellsFargo?74
Subject: IthinkIjustneedmoremoney.75Interviewer: Okay.76
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Subject: Yeah.77Interviewer: Andwhat did you think the long‐term benefitwould78
befromgettinganMBA?79Subject: Long‐term,reallymysalary.Andthat’sprettymuchit.80Interviewer: Anddidyouthinkaboutanyshort‐termbenefits?81Subject: Yes.Really,for,like,myresponsibilitiesatwork.82Interviewer: Howso?83Subject: Well,Ithinkitwouldhelpthecompanymore.Ifthere84
were somebody that had – if I got my MBA, the85companywouldbebetter.86
Interviewer: Anddidyouthinktherewouldbeanyheadaches?87Subject: Yes(laughing).Therearealwaysheadaches.88Interviewer: Whatkindofheadaches?89Subject: Well,justbalancingworklifeandfamilylife.90Interviewer: Okay. So have you actually – it sounds like you have91
donesomeresearchingofprograms.Howlongdidyou92actually think about it before you began researching93programs?Iamguessingtenyears.Nine,tenyears?94
Subject: (laughing) that’sa long time. Iknow. It’sbeenonmy95mind.You’reright.96
Interviewer: Buthowlonghaveyouseriouslybeenthinkingabout97it?98
Subject: Coupleofyears.99Interviewer: Andsohaveyoudecided–youhaven’tdecidedyet if100
youwant todo it, I suppose,butdidyou thinkabout101MBAfirst,andthenwherewouldIget it? Ordidyou102think,“IwantagraduatedegreeatUSF,whichonedoI103wanttogofor?”104
Subject: Well, now I am really thinking about public/private.105And I think theUniversityofTampa isprivate.And I106thinkthatIambetteroffdoingpublic,becauseIwent107to public school, so that iswhy I am thinking this is108better.Forme.109
Interviewer: But you have already decided on a degree? You are110notdecidingbetweenanMBA…111
Subject: Oh,yeah.112Interviewer: OranMSinManagementoranMSinMarketing…113Subject: No.114Interviewer: Okay, so program first. Okay. Have you taken the115
GMAT?116Subject: No.117Interviewer: So,howdidyougoabout seeking informationon the118
programs?119Subject: Just online. I like the brochure. I was reading the120
brochure.121Interviewer: Soyoudownloadedthebrochure?122
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Subject: Ah‐huh.123Interviewer: Didyoufindalltheinformationyouneededinit?124Subject: Yeah.125Interviewer: What kind of information, specifically, were you126
lookingfor?127Subject: Hours.128Interviewer: Hoursmeaningtimeofdayhours?129Subject: Classhours.130Interviewer: Hourstheywereofferedordurationoftheprogram?131Subject: Duration.132Interviewer: So, meaning, it’s going to take me two years, or133
becausetheclassesareofferedatnight?134Subject: Twoyears.135Interviewer: Okay. What other kind of information were you136
lookingfor?137Subject: Well,youknowIwentoverthere[totheinfosession]138
and theywere talking about going to China. Andmy139mainconcerniswhetherIwanttospend$40,000.You140know,isitworthit?But,Ireallydowanttodoit.141
Interviewer: Andwereyoulookingatprogramcontent?Youknow142thekindof classes thatyouweregoing to study? Or143were there other things that you were looking at?144Obviouslytheinternationaltrip.145
Subject: Well,yeah.Imean,financeisreallyimportant.146Interviewer: So,Iheardyoumentionanumberofthings.Onewas147
thereturnoninvestment.148Subject: Yes.149Interviewer: Onewas the international trip.Programcontent.The150
duration of the program. A public versus a private.151Howareyougoingtobalancethisinyourlife?Andis152thisgoingtohelpyoumakemoremoney.Outofallof153thosethings,whichwouldyousaywastheverymost154importanttoyouinmakingthisdecision?155
Subject: Hmmm.MostimportantdecisionIwanttomakewith156thisisifyouknow,ifIdogetthisjobthatIdomakea157better salary. That’s the main importance. So that,158thatit’sworthgoing.159
Interviewer: So,again,itgoesbacktothatreturnoninvestment.160Subject: Yes.Exactly.161Interviewer: Okay.Um,soonceyoudecided–orasyoudecide–on162
the degree, what universities did you consider? I163heardUSFandUT.Haveyoulookedatanyothers?164
Subject: No.165Interviewer: Andisthatallyouplantolookat?166Subject: Yeah.167Interviewer: Alright.Whatstuckoutaboutthesetwoforyou?168
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Subject: Well, USF, now, because it’s public, that’s why I am169considering that way. Plus, some of my friends have170takenit,too.Acoupleofmyfriends.171
Interviewer: IntheExecutiveprogramorthetraditional?172Subject: I think it is calledCOBA.And theyhave someclasses173
overhere,indowntown.Yeah.174Interviewer: Soon they may be offering a class or two at CAMLS175
(USF Health’s downtown facility). For MBA or176entrepreneurshipstudents,Ithink,oneortwoclasses177there.178
Subject: Wow.179Interviewer: NotfortheExecutiveMBA.180Subject: Uh‐huh.Inthere?181Interviewer: ButforthetraditionalMBAattheCollegeofBusiness.182Subject: Wow.That’sreallygood.183Interviewer: Iamnotsurewhenthat’sgoingtostart(unintelligible).184Subject: That’s really good.Because I have beenhere, they’ve185
builtthatwholething.186Interviewer: Um, okay, so you did attend the information session.187
Howwasit?188Subject: Good.Verygood.189Interviewer: Whydoyousaythat?190Subject: Well, I really like the fact that it’s new. It is nice, it’s191
reallynice;theyhavedone,like,somerenovationover192there.193
Interviewer: Youmeanthefacility.194Subject: Yeah.It’sverynice.195Interviewer: Okay.Andwhatelse?196Subject: Well, you know, just. It’s time. I think it is time. It’s197
time.198Interviewer: So,whenlookingatthefactorsthatwereimportantto199
you as you determined which institution you would200attend,you’vementionedlocation–beingTampa,not201downtown versus other. Location, the facility, was202thereanythingelse thatwas important toyouasyou203determinedtheuniversity?204
Subject: (uneasypause)205Interviewer: DidyouconsideraPhoenixoraSoutheasternor…206Subject: No.207Interviewer: Whynot.208Subject: Justbecausethat’snot–ifIcangetintoUSFIwouldbe209
happythere.210Interviewer: Didaccreditationmatter?211Subject: Yes.212Interviewer: Thewayyouwerenoddingyourhead…213Subject: (laughing)214
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Interviewer: …ledmetobelievethatyoudidn’tthinkmuchofthose.215OfthePhoenix.OrtheSouthUniv…216
Subject: No.217Interviewer: Becauseofaccreditation?218Subject: Yeah(chuckling).219Interviewer: Um, so, out of location, facility, accreditation, or220
reputation,whichwasmostimportanttoyou?221Subject: Iwouldgowithreputation.222Interviewer: Okay,sowhatareyourcareergoals? Short‐termand223
long‐term.224Subject: Iwanttobeabletofocusmoreonmyresponsibilities225
here.Andlong‐term,Iwanttobe,like,theCEO.226Interviewer: What kind of company? I mean, this company?227
Anothercompany?228Subject: I would really like to stay here. That’s why I am in229
limbo.BecauseIam–nowIamdoingwell.SoIneed230todecide,soIwanttogoonSa–Imean,Idon’tmind231goingonSaturdays,it’sjustallabout,well,investment.232Yeah.233
Interviewer: Well, that’s actually my last question here. It’s how234longdoyouthink itwill takebeforeyouseeareturn235onyourinvestmentintermsoftimeormoney? How236longdoyouthinkitwouldtake?237
Subject: Ithinkthreeyears.238Interviewer: Threeyearsbeforeyouthinkitwasworthit?239Subject: Yeah.240Interviewer: Andwhydoyousaythat?241Subject: Well,Ithinkbecausethefirstcoupleofyearsyouare242
still,youknow,inthatclassmode.Andthenyoustart243reallyusingallofthatwork.244
Interviewer: Sodoyoumeanthreeyearsaftergraduation,orthree245yearsincludingthetimeittakestodoit?246
Subject: Iwouldsayafter.247Interviewer: After.Okay.248Subject: Yeah.249Interviewer: Sowhendoyou thinkyoumight start? Because the250
Executive[MBA]onlystartsonceayear.251Subject: Yeah.252Interviewer: Soyouwouldhavetobetakingthattestprettysoon.253Subject: TheGMAT?254Interviewer: Ah‐huh. Because if it starts in August, I think the255
applicationsaredueinJune,maybeJuly.Soyou’llneed256totaketheGMATbeforeJune.257
Subject: BeforeJune?258Interviewer: Ithink.Iamnotinadmissions,butIthinkthatisit.259Subject: Yeah,thatsoundsright.260
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Interviewer: Admissions aren’t my responsibility at all, I’m just261lookingatthis,butknowingtheystart–theExecutive262MBAonlystartsinAugust.263
Subject: Yeah.264Interviewer: Great.Anythingelseyou’dliketoadd?265Subject: No.I justreallythinkUSFisreallythewaythingsare266
going.IhavejustdonealotofresearchandIthinkthat267isaverygoodschool.268
Interviewer: Good.269
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InterviewDate: January10,2013InterviewLocation: ViatelephoneInterviewSubject: Lenny,35yearoldmale,Prospect#6InterviewDuration: 24minutesLenny isamarriedmalewho isconsideringanMBAprogrambuthasnotyet made the commitment to the degree program or to a university. Hisethnicity/race andmarital statuswerenot revealedduring the interview,whichwasconductedviaphoneastheplannedSkypeinterviewwasunableto be conducted due to technical difficulties. Lenny indicated that he hadrecentlydecidedtotakeacourseviaUSF’scontinuingeducationprogram,one that allows him to “test the water” and take classes for a businesscertificateprogram,coursesthatcouldpotentiallybeappliedtowardMBAwork.Heworksfull‐timeinmanagementandintheITarenaforatelecomcompany.Interviewer: I just have twenty questions for you. It should take1
about twenty minutes or less, sometimes a little2longer. Starting herewith the hard one.Howold are3you?4
Subject: Oh, no, no, that’s not hard. I am 85 (interviewer5laughs).No,no,Iamjustkidding.Iam35.6
Interviewer: Okay.And,um,wheredidyouattendschool foryour7undergraduatedegree?8
Subject: In the Dominican Republic. That’s in the Caribbean.9Yes,IattendedthePontificoCatholicUniversity.10
Interviewer: Howlongagodidyougraduate?11Subject: What?12Interviewer: Howlongagodidyougraduate?13Subject: Oh,thatwastenyearsago.14Interviewer: Okay.Andwhatdidyoustudywhileyouwerethere?15Subject: I studied a Bachelor’s of Science in electrical16
engineering. Over there it is called telematics17engineering.Mymajorwasintelecommunications.18
Interviewer: Did you work while going to school? Or have you19workedsinceyougraduated?Orboth?20
Subject: Repeatthat,please?21Interviewer: Didyouworkwhilegoingtoschool?22Subject: Iworkedonlyforoneyear.23Interviewer: Okay.24Subject: One year and a half. Something around there. One25
year, oneyearandahalf.But then I quit the joband26wentfull‐time.27
Interviewer: Okay.Andwhathaveyoudoneas a career sinceyou28graduated?29
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Subject: Um, I would say a mix of telecom and [information30technology].31
Interviewer: Okay.32Subject: Iwork completely now in IT, butwithin the telecom33
company,still.34Interviewer: LikeaVerizonorsomethinglikethat?35Subject: Yes,correct.IworkinVerizon.36Interviewer: Oh,thatisyourcompany(laughing)?Iwasguessing.37Subject: Yes,yes.Ithoughtmaybeyousawitinasignature,in38
anemailsignatureorsomethinglikethat.39Interviewer: Okay.AndareyouaU.S.citizen?40Subject: Yes.IwasborninBrooklyn,NewYork.41Interviewer: Okay. What made you choose to go to school in the42
DominicanRepublic?43Subject: Oh,Ididn’thaveachoice.Mymomsentmeoverthere.44
Well, the thing is, my mom, she had a business, a45supermarket in the Dominican Republic and she46wanted to be present there for her business to47succeed.And,youknow,beingherson,youknow,I–48momtakesyouwherevershewants.49
Interviewer: Yep!50Subject: Sothat’swhyIendedupintheDominicanRepublic.I51
livedthereforabout,ah,almosttwentyyears.52Interviewer: Okay.Butyou’re,you–wheredoyouliverightnow?53Subject: Ilivehere,inTampa.54Interviewer: Okay. Alright. So, how long ago did you first start55
thinkingaboutgettinganMBA?56Subject: How long ago, um (longpause)…I would say…maybe57
uh, like somewhat like six or eightmonths ago.Nine58monthsago.Yeah.59
Interviewer: Okay. Was there something that happened, or a60particularincident,thatledyoutostarttothinkabout61theMBA?Orwasthereaparticularreasonyoubegan62tothinkaboutit?63
Subject: Yes.Iwantedtodiversify.Youknow,lookingatmyself64asbasicallyaproduct.Iaskedmyself,youknow,what65I have to offer, you know, if, let’s say, worst case66scenario,ifIamlaidoff.Orif,anotherscenario,maybe67I decide that, you know, I want to take another68directionorchange jobsorbesomewhatresilient.So69that I am not depending on just one skill set. And,70basicallymyjob,forthelastfiveyears,hasbeen–my71skill sets are verynarrowand focused in technology.72And,eventhoughthattechnologyisbroad,butIwant73tohave–todiversifymyselfandtohave–andtoalso74learn something or acquire skills that can help me75
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becomeindependent.SothatonedaymaybeI’llstart76myownbusinessormaybeoneday,youknow,make77somesavvybusinessdecisionsthatfinanciallyhelpout78myselfandmyfamily.79
Interviewer: And,what did you – you danced around this answer80already–butwhatdidyouthinkthelong‐termbenefit81ofgettinganMBA.82
Subject: Justtoclarify,beforeIanswerthatquestion,Iamnot,83in a strict sense, in the MBA program. I am in the84graduatebusiness foundationscertificatedegree.You85know, I,um,so Idon’tknowhowyougotme inyour86system that – it might appear that I am an MBA87studentbutIamnot.88
Interviewer: Right.89Subject: Ienrolledinthegraduatecertificate.90Interviewer: Right, yeah, I know that. Because I am looking for91
peoplewhoarenotyetMBAsbuthavethoughtabout92itaswellaspeoplewhoareinit.93
Subject: Oh, okay. Okay, I just wanted to clarify. You kept94referringto theMBAstudent,youknow, Idon’twant95togiveyou,youknow,thewrongimpression.96
Interviewer: Yeah.You’renotthereyet,youarethinkingaboutit.97Subject: Exactly,yeah. Iwanted to test thewatersandsee if I98
reallyenduplikingit.Butgoingbacktoyourquestion99–yourquestionwasagain,I’msorry.100
Interviewer: Whatdidyouthink the long‐termbenefitwouldbe if101youweretogofortheMBA?102
Subject: Oh,um,well,Ilookedatitfromapersonalperspective103of that I would acquire some business skills and104complementthetechnicalskills that Ihave. And let’s105sayifIdecidetostaywithincorporateAmericaatleast106I will have more mobility in the company. Going107upwardsinhighmanagementpositionsand/ormaybe108changing fields, going into more business, a more109business‐like job. But if I don’t decide to stay110(unintelligible)workinginthecompanythenatleastI111willhavethetoolstostartmyownbusiness.At least,112that’s what I hope to learn from the MBA and the113certificate.114
Interviewer: Okay. Did you think there would be any short‐term115benefits?116
Subject: Yes, I would start looking at things from, you know,117fromtheperspectiveofabusinessperson,youknow.118Notsostrictlyinthetechnicalsense.Andthatwasalso119one of the reasons that inherentlymademewant to120choose something that would complement my121
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technicalskills,inthiscase,business.BecauseIwasin122a situation–well, Ipartlywas ina situationwherea123then‐criticalsituationwasgoingoninoutageand–in124service outage – and, the – even though in my125departmentweknewwhatto fix inatechnicalsense,126tomakethingsworkagain, thedecisionwasmadeto127go ahead and do it by a business person, by an128executive.Sothatkindofgavemethesensethat,you129know, I am here, working, you know, fixing and130maintainingandguidingthenetworkbutattheendof131the day it boils down to an executive making the132decision,abusinesspersonwhodoesn’tknowexactly133howtofix itbuthe’stheonethatcallstheshots.SoI134am not really then basically anything. I am just a135monkey here. The one that does, you know, the one136thatpushesthebuttonthatneedstobepushed.CanI137push it? And he says yes or no. So I am not really138linkingittothis.139
Interviewer: Okay. So do you think there will be any headaches140involvedwithgettingagraduatebusinessdegree?141
Subject: Ohyes,I’msure.Yeah,yeah.142Interviewer: (laughing)143Subject: Any degree can be, you know, categorized as more144
easythananother. Itmighthave less,um,youknow,145less “stressful situation,” you know, and that I’ve146knownbecauseIhavesomefriendsthathavestudied147medicine,wenttomedicalschool.Theytellmestories148that they are in situations where they are trying to149come up with a diagnostic on saving lives. I know150that’s going to be more stressful than me fixing a151serviceforsomebodythatcan’twatchTV.Iknowthey152aren’tgoingtodieiftheycan’twatchCNNorMatlock.153
Interviewer: (chuckling)Theymightthinktheycan!154Subject: Yeah (chuckling). So there, it’s, you know – it’s not155
eitherlessormoreeasier.Allofthemcomewithsome156levelofdifficulty.157
Interviewer: Okay.So,you’vebeen–youstartedthinkingaboutthis158six or eightmonths ago, how long before you began159researchingprograms?160
Subject: Well,um,researchingprograms– Iwouldsay…(long161pause) as soon as I thought about it I started, you162know, researching programs. But I – it was – I163narroweddownmychoicesprettyfastformebecause164I didn’twant to do an online program,which there I165would have more of a broader spectrum of choices.166Here I just said, “Well, I would like to go to a167
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traditionalbrickandmortaruniversity,youknow,be168present there. So I narrowed it down to USF or UT .169That’sit.170
Interviewer: That’s it,noother? Okay.And,um,howdidyou find171outinformationaboutUSFandUTandtheirprograms.172
Subject: Online.Checkingtheirwebsites,andthen,um,Ihavea173few friends and I checked with them. Checked with174people who went through a UT MBA and then, um,175unfortunately,Ididn’tfindanybodywithanMBAfrom176USF,butIdidfindsomepeoplethatdidabachelor’sin177management information systems. You know, they178toldthattheydidalittlebitofbusinesscoursesthere,179sothat’showIkindof,um,narroweditdown.180
Interviewer: So before you started researching, you didn’t know181aboutthecertificateprogram,I’massuming.182
Subject: No,no,I,um,Iknewaboutthe,um,thatUSFhadsome183certificateprogramsbutIdidn’tknowspecificallythat184theyhadoneforbusiness.Yeah,I–atthattime,whenI185went in I was just wandering around the certificate186page–ImeanUSF’scertificatewebpage–andlooking187atanengineeringcertificatesinceIhaveabackground188inengineering.Mybachelor’swas inengineeringso I189was just looking around, seeing how difficult it was190andthen,that’swhenIbumpedintobusiness.191
Interviewer: Okay. And so, the things I have heard you say that192were important factors toyouasyouconsidered this193program were the opportunity to strengthen your194skillsetsandmakeyourselfmoremarketable,financial195benefitorjobsecurityforyourfamily,theopportunity196tochangefields,maybeevenbecomeanentrepreneur,197um, you wanted online classes. Out of all of these198things,whatwasthemostimportantthingforyou?199
Subject: Oh, just to correct something, I didn’t say I wanted200onlineclasses.201
Interviewer: Right,thatyouwantednoonlineclasses.202Subject: Exactly.Noonline.Yes.Andnowyourquestionis?203Interviewer: Outofallofthosethings,whatwastheonethingthat204
wasthemostimportantthingyouwerethinkingabout205duringallofthis?206
Subject: (longpause)Diversify.Youknow,diversitymyself.To207have,um,youknow,other skill sets thatwouldopen208otherdoors.209
Interviewer: Okay, and when you were looking at the particular210websites and pages to look at, what kind of211informationwereyoulookingfor?212
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Subject: Thecurriculum,likewhatcoursesIwouldhavetotake213and hopefully find some description of the courses.214And, um, and also information about the schedule,215potential schedule, you know, something that would216drawmeapicture,abigpictureofhowlifewouldbeif217Iwastodecidetogoforit.218
Interviewer: Okay.Okay.Hangon,I’mtryingtowritethisdown.So,219the–didyouattendUT’sinformationsession?220
Subject: No,no.Ididn’teven–Ikindof,um,discardedUTalso221becauseof–it isnotgoingtobeascloseasUSF,one.222Second,it’smoreexpensive.Third,Ium,um,Isawa–223I’mtryingtoremember.IfIremembercorrectly,Isaw224their curriculum and… I don’t know right now. I225rememberitwassomethingaboutthecurriculumthat226Ididn’tkindof likemuch.Um,youknowso(pause) I227don’thave–itkindofgavemethefeelingthat itwas228goingtobeanuphillbattletogetintotheirMBA.Yeah,229I don’t know. I kind of find that with USF, with the230graduatecertificateIgottheperception–IhopeIam231notwrongonceIgothroughwiththat–thatUSFwas232offeringapath,athoughtfulpath,togetyoutoobtain233an MBA. You know, by offering you a foundational234course for those that don’t have the business235backgroundorthebusinessdegree.236
Interviewer: Right.237Subject: I kind of thought that by having the business, the238
graduate business foundation it was more of like a239strategicwaytogetyoutoobtainanMBAifyoudecide240to go for it. I do see UT as more of like an uphill241journey.242
Interviewer: That’smyunderstandingofitaswell.Imean,Iamnot243involvedinthatbutthat is thewaythatIunderstand244it. Is that it is kind of the pathway, kind of once you245successfully do that, as long as you make certain246grades, thenyou–other than taking theGMAT– are247readytogoin.248
Subject: (unintelligible)249Interviewer: So then, how would you rate – oh, never mind, I250
alreadyaskedyouthatquestion. Sohowlongdoyou251think itwill take foryou to seeamonetarygainora252return on your investment when it comes to this253degree?254
Subject: (pause) Wow. That’s a hard one. That’s a hard255questionIamnotgoingtobeabletoanswer.Iamnot256surethere.257
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Interviewer: Whatwouldittakeforyoutobeabletosay,“Thiswas258worthit?”259
Subject: IfI,ifIseethat,um,let’ssay,ifitopensadoorfor,to260getintoajobthatIseethatneedssomebusinessskills.261Or if I findmyself ina situationatworkwhere those262businessskillsIsawthathelpmearriveatadecision263orhelp to resolvesomething.That’sall I can thinkof264rightnow.265
Interviewer: So you how long after you get your degree do you266thinkitwouldtakeforthattohappen?267
Subject: Iamsorry,whatdidyousay?268Interviewer: How long do – do you think that would happen269
immediately as you got your degree program, or270maybe after the degree? When do you think you271wouldbeabletoapplywhatyouhavelearned?272
Subject: Well,um,that’sadifficultquestion.Specifically inthe273job that Iamat rightnow, Idon’t foresee thatwould274happenany timesoon.Maybeafter Iamalmostdone275withthecertificatebutIdon’tseethathappeningwith276thejobthatIamatrightnow.277
Interviewer: Okay. I think that’s all the questions I have. Do you278haveanythingyouwanttoadd?279
Subject: No, no, that’s basically it, yeah. Well, now after we280finish this, I would like to ask you personally, um, a281couple of questions, but not related to the survey in282itself.283
Interviewer: Okay.284285
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1
InterviewDate: January23,2013InterviewLocation: USFCollegeofBusinessInterviewSubject: Dani,35yearoldfemale,Prospect#7InterviewDuration: 20+/‐minutesDani isasingleCaucasianfemalewhoisconsideringanMBAprogrambuthasnotyetmadethecommitmentto thedegreeprogramortoauniversity.She indicatedthat she had recently attended an information session for graduate businessprogramsbutthatisasfarasshehascarriedherinquiries.Duringthecourseoftheinterview, it was discovered that Dani currently holds a job that the interviewerpreviouslyheldformanyyearsinalocalnon‐profitagency.Therewasafairamountofbanterabout this coincidenceand themutualacquaintancesasa result.Duringthe interview the recorder malfunctioned, so only the latter portion of theconversation was captured. However, since this was noted before Dani left thepremises, the interviewer summarized the conversation based on her notes andDaniagreedthattheessenceoftheconversationhadbeencaptured.
Interviewer: Soyoudefinitelythoughtaboutprogramfirst?1Subject: Yeah,mm‐hmm.Yep,programfirst.2Interviewer: SohaveyoutakentheGMAT?3Subject: Notyet.No.OrtheGRE.4Interviewer: How did you go about seeking information on the5
programs?6Subject: Iwentonline. Idid lookonlinetoseewhatprograms7
youguyhave,etcetera.Thebasicinformation.8Interviewer: Whatkindofinformationwereyouseeking?9Subject: Um,basically,whatdoyouguysoffer,doyouhavean10
MBA, do you have just a regular MBA, do you have11EMBA? Imean,whatoptionsareavailable.Andthen,12ofcourse, thecosts involvedaswell.Which isahuge13questionmarkforeverybody.14
Interviewer: AndareyoulookingattheMBAortheExecutiveMBA,15oryouhaven’tdecided?16
Subject: That’swhat–Iguessthat’swhatI,Iamalittlebittorn17onrightnow,becauseIfeelliketheEMBAfitsintomy18schedulebutIdon’tknow,Ijustamstillalittletornon19thatone.20
Interviewer: Okay. Sowhat factorswere important to you as you21began to research theprograms? For instance,were22youlookingatprogramcontentorotherfactors?23
Subject: Um, Yeah, content. And as far as reputation, Imean,24obviously you want to go to a school that has a25reputation forhavingpeople thatare successful after26theyachievetheirMBA.Sothingslikethatwere–are27–importanttome.28
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Interviewer: Okay.So,asyou’vetalkedhere,I’veheardyoumention29career progression, learning business information or30lingo,kindoftheusefulnessofthedegree,face‐to‐face31contact,cost,programcontent,andreputation.Outof32allofthosethings,whichwouldyousaywasthemost33importantthingthatyou’veconsidered?34
Subject: Hmmm. Probably career progression tome is one of35thebigthings.36
Interviewer: Great.Was there anything else you considered that I37haven’tgivenyouachancetotellme?38
Subject: Hmmm.Idon’tthinkso. Ithinkthatprettymuchisa39goodsynopsisofeverything.40
Interviewer: Okay.Onceyoudecided–well,youhaven’tyetdecided41togoforthedegree...42
Subject: Right.43Interviewer: Whatuniversitiesareyouconsidering?You’vealready44
mentionedUSF,UT,maybeSt.Leo?45Subject: I haven’t looked into theirs, but I know theydooffer46
one,so...47Interviewer: Okay. How did you go about seeking information on48
thespecificuniversities?Youalreadysaidyouwentto49an information session. Did you seekword‐of‐mouth50reviewsfromfriends?51
Subject: Um… I haven’t done that yet. Actually, that is a good52optionso(laughing)thanksforthesuggestion!53
Interviewer: Didyouaskco‐workers,kindof,aboutinstitutions?54Subject: Idid,actually.Ididtalktooneofmyco‐workersthat55
didtheMBAhere,Ibelieve.AtUSF,so...56Interviewer: Okay.57Subject: Italkedwithheraboutthat.58Interviewer: Great.Andwhatfactorswereimportanttoyouasyou59
thinkaboutUSFvs.UT?Orwhatever.60Subject: I think that forme it’s justmaybe the, um, probably,61
like the reputation and just the experience overall.62Because, as I said, you know, I had the big school63experience. So I am kind of torn. Do I want to try64another “I’m inahuge institution”experienceordo I65wanttogoforsomethingsmallandprivate.66
Interviewer: And so, all along, what is the one thing that is most67important. What do you want to get out of this?68What’s – what’s, you mentioned the program69experience, but what’s most important to you all70along?71
Subject: I think still the career, I mean, as far as like, career72progression,yes,definitely.ReallyhowcanIapplyitto73
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myeveryday life, how can I be evenmore successful74withtheinformationthatIwillgetfromtheMBA?75
Interviewer: So, the next two questions you have already really76mentioned. What are your career aspirations, short‐77termandlong‐term?Long‐termIamhearingyousay78possiblytheE.D.(executivedirector)orCEOofanon‐79profit.80
Subject: Absolutely.81Interviewer: Soyoudefinitelywanttostayinnon‐profit?82Subject: Ithinkso,yeah.83Interviewer: Okay.Andwhataboutyourshort‐termcareergoals?84Subject: Short‐term?Um,pssh(laughingandpause).I’vebeen,85
like, thinking about the long‐term! I haven’t thought86that much about the short‐term! I guess for me it’s87just always a chance to grow, to learn. Imean, those88aremy everyday goals. You’ll learn something every89day. Try to growpersonally andprofessionally every90dayand,um,havefun,too.Youcan’tleaveoutthefun,91so…(laughing).92
Interviewer: So,howlongdoyouthinkitwilltakebeforeyouwould93be able to see amonetary gain as a result of earning94thisdegree?95
Subject: I don’t know. You know, I really don’t. That’s, um,96maybeoneofthequestionsIamstill,youknow,thatI97have a question mark on, because we kind of went98throughtheearningpotentialsbut,honestly, tome, it99didn’tseemlikethatmuchofa jump.Youknow,with100theMBA.Thatispartofthereason,like,thatIhaven’t,101youknow,goneforwardwiththeidea.102
Interviewer: So ifyouwere toget thedegreeandyoudidn’t seea103huge monetary jump, but it opened a door for you,104wouldthatthenmakeyousayit…105
Subject: Thatwould still, be impressive.Yeah, thatwould still106beworth it. Itwould. And again, you’ve still got the107personal growth and everything that you would108achieve. I mean, everybody – I do know people that109havegottentheirMBAandtheydosay,like,“Hey,itis110definitely, it changes your life.” You know, it is111something that, um, you are always happy that you112did.113
Interviewer: Perfect. Um, I want to go back and check and make114surethatwasrecording!115
Subject: (laughing)116Interviewer: BeforeIgoanddothat,doyouhaveanythingelseyou117
wanttoadd?118Subject: No,notreally.119
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Interviewer: Ididn’task,doyouhavekids?120Subject: No,Idon’t.121Interviewer: And you live in Tampa, right? For demographic122
purposes.123Subject: Yeah.124Interviewer: So, let’s check this recording device (discovers first125
portionofinterviewdidnotrecordproperly).Okay,so126the first eight questions that I asked you, um, you127attendedUSFforyourundergraduatedegree.128
Subject: Yes,Idid.129Interviewer: Yougraduatedin2001withadegreeinmicrobiology.130
Youwere planning to always go back to grad school131butyoudidn’tnecessarilyknowex–132
Subject: Exactlywhatdegree,yes.133Interviewer: Youarecurrentlynotusingyourdegree.134Subject: No.135Interviewer: You are working at Big Brothers Big Sisters; you do136
trainingandmatchactivities.137Subject: Yep.138Interviewer: YoufirstbeganthinkingabouttheMBAsixmonthsto139
ayearago,andtheparticularincidentthat ledyouto140seethatwasthatyoustartedtoseekindoflikeavoid141inthenon‐profitworldintermsofbusinessacumenor142knowledge.Andbecauseyoueventuallywouldliketo143bepromoted.144
Subject: Yeah.Exactly.145Interviewer: PossiblybecomeaCEO.146Subject: Yes.147Interviewer: The long‐term benefit for you would be the148
opportunitytobeinchargeofanagency,asaCEOor149an executive director. The short‐term goal for you150wouldbethatyouliketolearn.Andyouwanttogain151thatbusinessknowledge.152
Subject: Yes.153Interviewer: And,intermsofheadaches,you(bothinterviewerand154
subject laugh) acknowledge that,um, yeah, there is a155bitofwork.Um,thatyoumighthavenosociallife.And156that sometimes grad school can cause a strain on157relationships.158
Subject: Theyareallverytrue.159Interviewer: Isthatallaccurate?Igotit?160Subject: Thoseareallaccurate,yes.161Interviewer: Okay. And you’re 35 years old and your name is162
“Dani,”forthispurpose.163Subject: Yes.164
# # #
1
InterviewDate: January24,2013InterviewLocation: USFCollegeofBusinessInterviewSubject: John,34yearoldmale,Prospect#8InterviewDuration: 18minutesJohnisadivorcedCaucasianmalewithnochildren,buthehasagirlfriendwhohastwochildrenandisexpectinghischild.HeisconsideringanMBAprogram.Retiredfromthemilitary, JohnstillworksatMacDillAFB,doingsoasa civilianemployee(DepartmentofDefense)atSpecialOperationsCommand.
Interviewer: So,obviouslyyouhaveabachelor’sdegree.Wheredid1youattendschoolandwhendidyougraduate?2
Subject: USF,August2005.3Interviewer: Whatdidyoustudyhere?4Subject: InternationalRelations.Internationalstudies.5Interviewer: Sonotabusinessstudent?6Subject: No.7Interviewer: That’sinhumanities?Whatis...?8Subject: It’sintheCollegeofArtsandSciences.9Interviewer: Arts and Sciences? I had somebody else that I10
interviewed thathad thedegreeandbackground. So11what did you, when you were graduating, did you12thinkyouwouldbedoingwiththatdegree?13
Subject: Well, I already worked for the government. In the14intelligence community, so Iwasn’t – sometimes you15need that bachelor’s degree to check a block, so to16speak.AndIwasactivedutymilitarywhenIwashere.17AndIgraduated,soIwasstationedatMacDill.Soyou18canseethat itkindof linedup just tocomehereand19take theeveningandweekendclasses,onlineclasses.20Getthedegreethatway.SoIdid.21
Interviewer: Areyoustillactiveduty?22Subject: No.23Interviewer: Okay.Andsothenyouworked,obviously,whilegoing24
toschool?25Subject: Yes.26Interviewer: Anddo you, have you, stayed in the same job? I am27
thinkingobviouslynot.28Subject: Samecareerfield.Definitelyyes.29Interviewer: Okay.Whatdoyoudonow?30Subject: Iamanintelligenceanalyst.31Interviewer: Whatcompany?32Subject: I am a government employee. So you can put33
Department of Defense. Defense intelligence agency,34U.S.SOCOM.35
Interviewer: Oh.ButyouareacivilianemployeeatSOCOM.36
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Subject: Thatiscorrect.37Interviewer: Okay.Andhowmanyyearsofworkexperiencedoyou38
have?39Subject: (pause)Probablycloseto14,15.40Interviewer: Really? Well how long ago did you first starting41
thinkingaboutpursuinganMBA?42Subject: Probablyaboutfourmonthsago.Threeorfourmonths43
ago.44Interviewer: Oh,relativelyquickly.45Subject: Yes.46Interviewer: Wasthereaparticularincidentthatledyoutodothat?47Subject: No.Justtryingtoincreasemymarketabilityforfuture48
scenarios.49Interviewer: Were you passed over for anything or did you think50
aboutapplyingforsomething?51Subject: Well, I am always passed over for everything, but…52
(Slightlysarcastictone)53Interviewer: (chuckles)54Subject: Nothing in particular. But if I had a business degree.55
No,nothinglikethat.56Interviewer: Soyouarejustforwardthinking.57Subject: Right.Tryingtobe,yeah.58Interviewer: Alright. What did you think the long‐term benefit –59
youjusttoldme–ofhavinganMBAwouldbe?60Subject: Eventually to leavegovernment serviceandget a job61
in corporateAmerica.Or, at aminimum,enhancemy62careerprogressioninthegovernment.63
Interviewer: Anddidyouthinkaboutanyshort‐termbenefits?64Subject: (pause)Um,notreally.No.65Interviewer: Doyouthinktherewillbeanyheadachesinvolved...66Subject: Alittle.67Interviewer: ...ingettinganMBA?68Subject: Several.Sure,Imean,ifitwereeasyeverybodywould69
haveone.So…70Interviewer: True.What kind of headaches to you thinkmight be71
involved?72Subject: Mainly family issues. My girlfriend has two kids and73
we have one on the way. So it is going to be an74automaticjob.(Interruptedbyinterviewersneezingand75resulting “bless you’s.”) If I go back to Afghanistan,76that’salwaysapossibility,sothatmighttakemeoutof77the game for a semester, maybe two. So there are78alwayswork‐relatedandfamily‐relatedissues.79
Interviewer: Okay. So– you’ve actually alreadyanswered thisone80sort of, too – how long did you think about it before81youbeganresearchingprograms?82
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Subject: Icametothe–Idon’tknowhowIthoughtaboutit–I83just looked it up online and it was – there was an84information seminar the next week. That was like,85November or something. October, November86timeframe.87
Interviewer: So youdidn’t see an ad that led you to that, you just88thought,“IshouldexploregettinganMBAand…”89
Subject: Right.90Interviewer: Sohadyoudecidedyouwanted tocomeback toUSF91
and then thought about the degree, or had you92thought,were you thinking “Iwant anMBA andUSF93maybeoneofthechoices.”94
Subject: Thelatter.IwasthinkingabouttheMBAandUSFison95mywayhome,so…andIhadbeenherebefore.96
Interviewer: Okay.97Subject: Ilovetheschool.Ijust–Ihaveamaster’sdegreefrom98
TroyUniversitythatIgotinresidenceattheircampus99on Kennedy Boulevard – and as useful as that is, it’s100somewhatuseful–again,it’snotmeetingmydesireto101diversifymyselfandmakemyselfmoremarketablefor102futureopportunities.103
Interviewer: Whatotheruniversitiesmightyouconsider?104Subject: (pause)Iwouldhavetolook,probably.Iamnotafan105
ofonlineschools.Itookacoupleofclassesonlineboth106for my master’s and bachelor’s and it wasn’t really107enamored with it. It would have to be USF. I can’t108imagine going to UT or anything like that109(unintelligible).110
Interviewer: Great.SohaveyoutakentheGMATyet?111Subject: NoIhavenot.112Interviewer: OrtheGRE?Anyentrytest?113Subject: No.114Interviewer: How did you go about seeking information on the115
programs?Youmentionedonline.116Subject: Iwent to theon‐site informationseminarand Icame117
in,probablyinthemiddleofDecember,tospeakwith118the coordinator for the certificate program.119Unfortunately the timeline that they needed was a120littletooacceleratedformetocatchupforthisspring121semester. Even though classes start, you know, first122weekofMarch, Ineededtohaveeverythinginbythe123first week of January, which, to me, defeats the124purpose of rolling admissions, but, you know, here I125am.Ready to startbut if I start itwill have tobe the126fall.127
Interviewer: Soyouarelookingatafallstart?128
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Subject: Ifanything.IfIdostart,yeah.129Interviewer: Right. And what factors were you looking at as you130
began to research the programs? What kind of131information were you looking at pertaining to the132program?133
Subject: Of course, was always looking at entrance134requirements. Looking for a program that catered to135the working professional. Evening, maybe weekend136classeslikewithmyothermaster’s.Sothosewerethe137kindof, the twoprimary things.And then I talked to138someone–hernameescapesme–thattalkedwithme139abouthowquickly I couldget it done.The certificate140program didn’t appear all that challenging as far as141time.Length.142
Interviewer: Andthecertificateprogramissimplyanentrywayinto143theMBA?144
Subject: Right,exactly.Anditservestwopurposesforme.One,145itwouldgivemesomethingand,two,itwouldsetme146upforfuture[classes].Itistheperfectscenarioforme.147
Interviewer: Didyouknowaboutthatbeforeyoustartedexploring148thisoption?149
Subject: No.No,notuntilIwenttotheinformationseminar.150Interviewer: So that’s where you learned about it, at the info151
session?152Subject: Yes.153Interviewer: Thatdoesappealtoyou,then?154Subject: Absolutely,yes.Itdoes.155Interviewer: So the factors that I have heard you mention are156
marketability and the ability to diversify your skills,157the opportunity to enhance your career progression,158youwantedface‐to‐face,noonlineclasses...159
Subject: Preferably.160Interviewer: . . . can you get in/the entry requirements, the161
[program that is tailored toward] the working162professional,theduration/howlongitisgoingtotake163youtocomplete.Outofallof those,whichwouldyou164sayisthemostimportant?165
Subject: I would say the diversification. You know,166marketability.Samething.167
Interviewer: Okay.168Subject: Ihavetwoliberalartsdegreesanditisnotalwaysthe169
mostmarketableintheseeconomictimes.So,it’sgreat170in government now, but before I move on I need171somethingdifferent.172
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Interviewer: What is your long‐termcareergoal? Doyouwant to173stay–itsoundslikeyoudon’twanttostayin,kindof,174D.O.D....175
Subject: It’snotthatIdon’twanttostay,it’sjustthatIdon’tsee176the – it’s a changing world. Missions change.177Governmentpolicieschange.Imean,Iamsureyouare178familiarwiththe,um,potentialfurloughedemployees179coming up inMarch. Imean, there’s a lot of, a lot of180negative – I don’t want to say negative – different181challenges.182
Interviewer: Challenges?183Subject: Challenges,that’sagoodwaytoputit.184Interviewer: Okay. So you’re thinking ahead. Kind of, if those185
challengesimpactyou.186Subject: Right.187Interviewer: Well,Iamgoingtojustjumpaheadhere.Sothat’skind188
of your long‐term career goals.What are your short‐189termcareergoals?190
Subject: Well,Imean(stumblingoverwords)asfarashavinga191job,I’mprettysafe.However,[mychancesto]advance,192those chances are dwindling, it seems. So, I mean, I193couldeitherstaywhereIamatandbecomfortable,or194Icanventureoutand…Ihaveafriendwhojustgota195job at Citigroup and he has no business background196whatsoever. I think he has a bachelor’s in business,197but I mean, beyond that ‐‐ or a bachelor’s in198management or something like that – there are199opportunitiesouttherethatIthinkmyskillsetalready200have.AddmyMBAoracertificatetothatanditwould201besomething–youknowalotbetterthanjusthaving202abusinessbackground.Ihavecultural…203
Interviewer: Theanalysisfactor.204Subject: Right.205Interviewer: Citigroupisactuallyhiringquiteafewbusinessmajors206
for business intelligence and business data analysis207and so forth. So, I’m going to go back up. So, once –208well you haven’t decided on the degree yet at this209point, you’re still in limbo. When do you think you210mightmakeadecision?211
Subject: After I see if the timeline for fall admissions might212work.And lookbackwards.As terribleas itmightbe,213weallprocrastinateandputthingsoff,so…214
Interviewer: So, in a sense, you need a reminder, “hey, fall215admissionsarearoundthecorner…”216
Subject: Yeah.Remember, I amhavinga child inMayor June,217sothatmightaffectthetimelineaswell.218
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Interviewer: True. So, you did attend the in‐person information219session.220
Subject: Yes.221Interviewer: JustUSF’s?Youdidn’tgotoanyothers.222Subject: Right.223Interviewer: Whatdidyouthinkofit?224Subject: Itencouragedmeenoughtoseekouttherequirements225
and schedule ameeting, a follow‐upmeeting to look226and the timelinewas just too rushed forme to really227completebeforeChristmas.Icamehereandtheykept228referencing to get all these things done and I just229couldn’tseeithappening.Whichistoobad?Because230classeshaven’tevenstartedyet.231
Interviewer: Yeah.232Subject: So that’s my one criticism so far of this program, I233
wouldsay. 234Interviewer: It’stheleadtimerequiredtogetin?235Subject: If it’s open enrollment, rolling enrollment, then why236
not, well, if I am accepted into the program and get237everythingdoneinthenextweek,thenwhycan’tIjust238startclassestheweekafter,iftherearesomestarting239then?240
Interviewer: Okay (long pause). I’m writing this down. I mean, I241have it on tape. From John Elway (the subject’s242preferredalias).So,whatfactorsareimportanttoyou243asyouthinkaboutwhichuniversitiestoattend? You244alreadymentionedyourcomfortwithUSF.245
Subject: Right. I already have a degree fromhere.My ex‐wife246wenthere.Iamaseasonticketholderforfootball,soI247getanotherfreeticket,perhaps,ifI,youknow,become248a...249
Interviewer: It’s in the student section, you know (laughing). So250what is it – you mentioned, “I don’t see myself251attending UT.” What is it that makes you say that?252What is it that you – how you do you view the two253universitiesdifferently?254
Subject: Ithinkfamiliarityisthekey.Location.IliveinLandO’255Lakes and work at MacDill. It’s a commute, but it is256almostontheway.257
Interviewer: Right.258Subject: I’dratheravoidtrafficifIcan.259Interviewer: Okay.260Subject: (unintelligible) I amaUSF fan. I try tokeepactive,at261
least through sports. Basketball and football,262especially.263
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Interviewer: Andsoyou’vementioned,basically,itisthecomfortof264USFandUSF’s location.Areeitheroneof thosemore265importantthantheother?266
Subject: Not really. It’s just thecomfort. I’vebeenherebefore267anditisconvenient.268
Interviewer: Now,therearethreethingsthatIhavenotheardyou269mentionatall.Iamcuriousiftheyarethingsthatyou270thought about or if theymatter.One is the caliber of271thefaculty.Twoisaccreditation.Andthreeiscost.Are272thesenotthingsthatyouhaveconsidered?273
Subject: The first two, no. I mean, to me it’s not relevant. I274mean,Iamsurethereareotherswhereitmight.Itrust275that theuniversitywould take theprogramseriously276andhireverycompetentprofessionalstoinstructand277woulddowhatever the university can to ensure that278itsprogramsareaccredited.279
Interviewer: So you really, it’s not that you don’t care, it’s not280somethingthatyouwentoutseekingas“whatkindof281facultyIamgoingtohave?’282
Subject: Right.283Interviewer: It’sthatthere’sablanketleveloftrustthat‐‐ 284Subject: Right.There’snooneprofessorthatIamlookingator285
one,youknow,criteriathatIamfocusedon.286Interviewer: Andyoudidn’tmentioncost.Isthatbecauseyouhave287
militarybenefits?288Subject: IhaveGIbillbenefitstohelp.Whichexpireinacouple289
ofyears.SoifItransfertoajobIbettergetthatdone.290That’spartofthetimeline.291
Interviewer: Bettergetstarted.Withanewborn,takeoneclass.292Subject: Yeah.293Interviewer: Oneclass.Getoneoutoftheway.294Subject: I would like to have been taking one or two classes295
nowbutthetimingscrewedthatup.296Interviewer: Getstarted.Istartedwithone.LetmejustseeifIcan297
doone.298Subject: That was the idea. The schedule seemed really299
attractive. Eight weeks. The durations were flexible300andvariedtothepointthatifyoureallywantto…301
Interviewer: Ifyoupushyourselfyoucouldgetthroughquickly.But302ifyouareafraidorifyourjobloaddoesn’t letyoudo303that,youcangoatamuchslowerpace.304
Subject: Right.305Interviewer: Lastcoupleofquestionshere.TheyarerelatedtoROI.306
Howlongdoyouthink itwould take foryoutoseea307monetarygainasaresultofearningthedegree?308
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Subject: Thatdependson if I staywith thegovernmentor if I309jumptothecorporateworld.310
Interviewer: So if you staywith the government,will you get any311kindofbump?312
Subject: No.Notdirectly.313Interviewer: Butifyoumovetocorporate…314Subject: Iwouldexpectto.Somesortofbenefit,whether itbe315
jobsatisfaction,financial,travel,orsomething.316Interviewer: Wellthatleadstothesecondpartofthisquestion.It’s317
what would it take – and how long do you think it318wouldtake–foryoutosaythisisworthit?Ifyoudo319this,youaregoingtohavesomeheadaches.320
Subject: I’msure.321Interviewer: Whatwouldittakeforyoutosayitisworthit.322Subject: I’llprobablygo start looking for,youknow, jobs.Not323
now,certainly,whenIamclosinginonanycertificate.324So,onceagain,ImaynotneedtopursuetheMBAbutI325amgoingtotrytohitthegroundrunningtotrytosee326what’s out there. Or at least say, “Hey,” and get any327confirmation from corporate America that “hey, you328need togobackandgetyourMBA,” so I canbe, like,329“Okay,thankyou.”330
Interviewer: Whileyouareastudent there isa lotofactivityhere331thatcanhelpyou in that jobsearch. There’sactually332somethinggoingonintheatriumrightnow.333
Subject: Yeah,Iwaswonderingwhatthatwas.334Interviewer: Theyarehavingresumereviewsessions.335Subject: Shouldhavebroughtmine.336Interviewer: Doyouhave itonline? I’llpull itup foryouandyou337
canwalkdownthere.338Subject: (unintelligible).339Interviewer: (laughing)well,that’sallthequestionsIhave.Itdidn’t340
take long at all. Great. Anything you want to add?341What’s driving your decision here? The hesitancy342soundslikeitisbabyandprocrastination.343
Subject: Well, Imean, yeah, the spring kind of, if I hadmade344that inquiry probably a month sooner I would345probablybeenrolledsometime.Butitisgoingtobea346lot of paperwork, which is boring, but uh347(unintelligible).Yeah,butIseemyselfhereinthefall,if348allthingsgowell.Ihada3.6,3.7asanundergradand349gota4.0 inmymaster’s so Idon’t see theprocessas350beinglimiting,justbeingtimeconsuming.351
Interviewer: Okay.352 # # #
1
InterviewDate: January24,2013InterviewLocation: USFCollegeofBusinessInterviewSubject: Rusty,23yearoldmale,Prospect#9InterviewDuration: 20minutesRusty is a singleBlackmalewho is consideringanMBAprogrambuthasnot yetmade the commitment to the degree program or to a university.Rusty indicated that he had recently attended an information session forgraduatebusinessprograms,butthatisasfarashehasmovedforwardinthisdecision.Heworks full‐time insales foran internationalFortune500companyInterviewer: I justhavetwentyquestionsforyou,prettyeasy,and,1
likeIsaid,itisgoingtotakeabouttwenty,twenty‐five2minutes.Notbad.3
Subject: Okay.4Interviewer: So,obviously,youhaveanundergraduatedegree.5Subject: Yes.6Interviewer: AndIamthinkingitisnotinbusinessfromUSF.7Subject: Itisinbusiness,butjustnotfromUSF.8Interviewer: Okay.Wheredidyougotoschool?9Subject: IwenttoMorehouseCollege.10Interviewer: Oh! Iwas just at Spellman lastweek. Or twoweeks11
ago.12Subject: Ohreally?13Interviewer: Itmademewishmydaughterwenttothatschool.It’s14
M‐o‐o‐r‐e,right?15Subject: It’sM‐o‐r‐ehouse.16Interviewer: Howlongagodidyougraduate?17Subject: Ayearandahalfago.18Interviewer: Sothatwouldbe...19Subject: 2011.20Interviewer: Andyoustudiedbusiness.21Subject: Yes.22Interviewer: Didyouworkwhileyouweregoingtoschool?23Subject: No. Only internships during the summer and one24
duringmysenior[year]fallsemester.25Interviewer: Andhaveyouworkedsinceyougraduated?26Subject: Yes.Beenworkingeversince.27Interviewer: Whatdoyoudo?28Subject: IamanaccountmanagerforCoca‐Cola.29Interviewer: On the sales side, or are you over here in finance30
operations?31Subject: Yes.Sales.On thesales side. Ihavebeen looking into32
thefinanceoperations.Iwanttogetsomeexposureto33that,but,notyet.34
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Interviewer: Okay. So was your background in general business?35Ormarketing…36
Subject: Yes. Business. Marketing. Yep, that’s it; (laughing)37you’reonit!38
Interviewer: Great. So,what–um– letmebackup.How longago39did you first start thinking about getting an MBA40degree?41
Subject: WhileIwasanundergrad.ButthethingIfoundisthat42most schools prefer their candidates to have work43experience.Andthatwassomethingthat,obviously,I44didn’thavecomingstraightoutofundergrad,sothat’s45themain reasonwhy I didn’t go straight in. I would46prefertoworkfirst.47
Interviewer: It’s–atleastthatisthecaseatUSF–wepreferit,too.48Everyonce inawhile, somebodyworkedwhilegoing49toschool,but…50
Subject: Yes.51Interviewer: Soyouthoughtaboutitasanundergrad,buthowlong52
haveyoureallybeenthinkingaboutitrecently?53Subject: Veryseriously? Iwould say, I guess,hmm, forabout54
thepastfourorfivemonthsorso.AfterIgotthatfirst55yearundermybelt.56
Interviewer: Was there a particular incident that led you think57aboutitmoreseriously,orrecently?58
Subject: Just, um, looking at career opportunities and seeing59what–alotofthesecareeropportunities,theywant.I60guess, those people that are interested to havemore61than one degree. To have, you know a higher degree62than just an undergrad. And so, beyond that, just63realizing that it is becoming more and more64competitive. An undergrad is becoming more and65morecommon,Iguess,forlackofabetterword,soit’s66better to differentiate myself, a little bit better, I67thought,tohaveanMBA.Sojustthinkingaboutthings68likethatjustmademesitdownanddecidethatthisis69somethingthatIneedtodoformyself.70
Interviewer: Mmm‐hmm.71Subject: I’m trying to slow down. I keep forgetting that you72
havetogobackand…73Interviewer: I’vegotapausebutton,don’tworryaboutitnow!74Subject: Alright.75Interviewer: Sowhatdidyouthinkthelong‐termbenefitwouldbe?76Subject: Long‐termbenefit,morecareeropportunities,Iguess.77
Obviouslymoremoney. More success. And really, I78guess, just – maybe I will be happier because I will79havemoreopportunities,youknow?Asmallfishina80
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bigpondasopposedtoasmallfishinalittlepond.You81know?82
Interviewer: Okay. Did you think theremight be some short‐term83benefits?84
Subject: Short‐term benefits? I mean, yes. Just having the85degreeundermybelt.Um,obviouslyhigherpayraises.86Maybe a better positionwithinmy company. Faster87growth.88
Interviewer: Meaningpersonalgrowthorcorporate/careergrowth.89Subject: Both, both, both. Corporate growth. Corporate ladder90
andpersonal.91Interviewer: Okay.Anythingelse?92Subject: That’sitoffthetopofmyhead.93Interviewer: Didyouthinktherewouldbeanyheadachesinvolved94
with,uh,gettingit?95Subject: Yes.Yes.Onlybecause–well foracoupleofdifferent96
reasons. Obviously, you know, it’s getting –well, I’ll97start from A and go to B. Since I have been out of98school for a littlewhile, obviously first and foremost99willbegettingbackinthatrhythmofbeinginschool,100being a student. And then secondly, being a student101and,intheMBAprogramthat’smore,Iguess,rigorous102while at the same time maintaining a full‐time job,103um…104
Interviewer: Balancing.105Subject: That’s right. The balancing, managing my time. Um,106
while still, you know– I guess justwhile still having107timeformyself.Doingeverythingwell.Notsacrificing108oneattheexpenseoftheother.109
Interviewer: Okay. How long did you think about it before you110actuallybeganresearchingprograms?111
Subject: (sigh and pause) Probably for a while. So I would112probablysayoverayear,um.MostlybecauseIstarted113entertaining the idea when I was in undergrad. And114thenonce I gotout and startedworking, Iwas really115focused onworking. And then once that time passed116where I felt like Ihadadecentamountofexperience117[that] is when I really started thinking about the118program.That’swhenIreallystartedtofocusonitand119sitdownandreallyputmyattentiontowardit.120
Interviewer: Okay.SoyouhavedecidedonMBA,andnotnecces–if121you go forward – you’ve decided degree. You’re122looking at the degree before you are looking at123university.124
Subject: Yes.IknewIwantedtogettheMBA.Itwasreallyjust125amatterofIguess–notreallycircumstances,butIam126
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notreallysurewhereIwouldpossiblybepursuingmy127degree.Forexample,whenIstartedthinkingaboutit,128Iwasin–IwasgoingtoschoolinAtlanta.SoIstarted129lookingatcollegesthere.ButIdidn’tnecessarilyknow130if I was going to be there after I graduated. And I131wasn’t.IcamedownheretoTampa.That’swhereIgot132ajob.SonowIamlookingatschoolsinthisarea.133
Interviewer: Okay.Whatschoolsareyoulookingat?134Subject: I, um, the University of South Florida and the135
UniversityofFlorida.136Interviewer: Noothers?137Subject: Nah. Therewas one – I think itwas aUCF, I think it138
wasUCFbutthatwasforanonlineprogram.Theseare139for – because I am close these are forme to go and140actually,youknow,doin‐personandattendclasses.141
Interviewer: Youpreferface‐to‐face?142Subject: Ido.Ilikethat,youknow,theinteraction.143Interviewer: Great.AndhaveyoutakentheGMATyet?144Subject: Not yet. That’s coming up. That’s, that’s another145
obstacle.Ihear‐‐146Interviewer: Yup.147Subject: Ihearalotofthingsaboutthattest.148Interviewer: Iwasafraidofthetest. Istalledonit.Andfinally just149
didit.Anditwasn’tas–itwasn’teasy–butitwasn’t150asbadasI–151
Subject: Really?152Interviewer: ‐‐ thought itwouldbe.But,um, I ama lotolder than153
you.Alotolder.154Subject: (chuckles)Wasitalotofstudying?155Interviewer: Well,remember,Itookitat46yearsold.156Subject: Okay.157Interviewer: Andithadbeena longtimesinceIusedalgebra.SoI158
hadtobrushuponit(laughing).159Subject: Right.Gotcha.160Interviewer: Some skills.Um, Iwouldencourageyou togoahead161
andtakeitnow.162Subject: Alright.163Interviewer: Scoresaregoodforfiveyears.164Subject: Okay.165Interviewer: Takeitwhilethisstuffisrelativelyfresh.166Subject: Right.167Interviewer: How did you go about seeking information on the168
programs?169Subject: Seeking informationon theprograms. Iwent to each170
school’swebsite.And Iactuallysawacommercial for171theMBAprogram for this school on television and it172
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was for an open house. So Iwent to the open house173anditwasa lotofgreatfeedback.Alotofgreatum,I174guess it was more like a panel discussion. It was a175presentation of information and a question‐and‐176answersessionafterward.SoIwasabletoaskspecific177questions,thingsthatmightnotbereadilyavailableon178the website. Those things that’s not really general179knowledge. I guess more of the intricacies. That’s180when Iwas able to really inquire about. So thatwas181mainly the – so I guess the main thing was just182websitesandtheopenhouse.183
Interviewer: But the commercial iswhat spurred your attendance184attheinfosession?185
Subject: Yes.Right.Soitworks!(chuckles)186Interviewer: Good! You don’t happen to recall where you saw187
it…(laughing).188Subject: (laughing)Idon’trememberthechannelno…Isawita189
couple of different times, though, and Iwas like, you190know,thisisasign.BecauseitwastheonlyoneIhad191seen for,um,anMBAprogram fora college, so Iwas192like,youknowwhat,thisisoneofmyoptions.Icould193go,letmejustgocheckitout.AndthenIgotthisemail194(requesting the interview) and I was like, you know195what? All these signs are just pointing me in this196direction!197
Interviewer: Youknowwhat,goapply!(laughing)198Subject: Yeah.199Interviewer: Sowhatfactorswereimportanttoyouasyoubeganto200
research the program? What were you looking for201when youwere looking at thesewebsites? Orwhen202you came to the info session? What kind of203informationwereyoulookingfor?204
Subject: Um, one of the things is, um, the type of program. I205guesswhatpeoplehadsaidabout it. Iguessreally, I206saythatto[mean]“howistheprogramrankedamong207otherschools?”Reputationwise,Iguess.208
Interviewer: Okay.209Subject: The rigor of the programs and the program210
requirements.OriginallyIwaslookingatsomeschools211thatdidn’trequireaGMAT.Iwasconsideringa lotof212onlinepossibilities.ThenIwaslike,youknow,maybe213I’mjustbeinglazy!(laughing)SoIneedtoexpandmy214options.Andso,yeah…215
Interviewer: Okay. Now, I’ve heard you mention a lot of things216through the course of this interview. So – rankings,217whichIthinkalsolendstoreputation.218
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Subject: Right.Reputation.That’swhatIwaslookingfor.Iwas219tryingtothink.Reputation,that’sit!That’sperfect.220
Interviewer: Okay. So rankings, career opportunities and a career221track for you, to differentiate yourself, to grow your222salary, personal growth. I heard you say time223management, that you prefer face‐to‐face, that you224consideredprogramrigor.Youalsoconsideredwould225you get it. Entry requirements. Out of all of those226things,which is a lot,whatwould you say is the one227mostimportantthingtoyou.228
Subject: (made agreeing sounds as interviewer said each229attributebutthenpausedtothinkabouttheanswerto230thequestion)IguessbuildingmyskillsetsothatIcan231createmoreopportunities formyself goingdown the232road. Long story short: long‐term success. That’d be233thebestway.234
Interviewer: Okay.235Subject: Long‐termsuccess.236Interviewer: I am going to jump here. Back to the info session.237
Howwasit?238Subject: Itwasgood.Itwasgood.Itwasreallyinsightful.Very239
informative.Um,thereis,Ithink,two–twoindividuals240spearheading it.Oncewas for theExecutive, andone241wasfortheMBA,justtheregularMBAthatIamgoing242for, so I spent more time talking to her [the MBA243recruiter].Shewasveryhelpful,veryinsightful.Gavea244lot of great feedback. A lot of advice on what to do,245what not to do. They gave out some handouts that246were really good. That I still refer to. So itwas good247overall.248
Interviewer: Great.Um,so,ifyoudecidetogoforthedegree,you’re249mentioningUFandUSFasyourprimary[schools];USF250–ratherUCFyouhavekindofknockedout.251
Subject: Mm‐hmm.Yes.252Interviewer: What, um, information, um, are you looking for, or253
factors are you loo – thinking about when you are254decidingwhichoneofthecollegestoattend?255
Subject: I guess the same. The same things we talked about256when we talked about – considering just the257reputation.WhatkindofexperienceamIgoingtohave258when I gohere? What am I going to be able to take259away? I guess, you know, more than just a degree?260Howmuchwill Ireallyknow? Howmuchwill Ihave261reallylearned?HowmuchwillIhavereallygrownas262a person? Um, once I leave, I guess, talking to other263students who have either gone through or still are264
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pursuing it, their degree at this school, seeing what265theyhave to say about it. Because that’s important, I266think, today. You know, the people that are actually,267youknow, inthatsituationthatyou’regoingtobe in.268Ofcourse,everybodyattheschoolisgoingtosaythat269it’s good but, you know You know. Do you get the270reallyhands‐on?271
Interviewer: Was thereanybody there like thatat the infosession272youattended?273
Subject: No, everybody there was a prospective student and274the only two people there that were not were the275people that were just leading the session. But, I did276comeacrosssomeoneatmyjobthatiscurrentlyhere.277Hesaid thathe, thathewould, thathe thinks it is an278excellentprogram.He transferred fromsomewhere, I279forgetwhere,maybesomewhereinPennsylvania,and280whenhemoveddownherehesaidhe–itcamehighly281recommended by him, so it just led me to look into282further,more.283
Interviewer: That’sactuallymynextquestion.Didyouseekword‐284of‐mouthreviewsfromfriendsoraskcoworkersabout285institutions?286
Subject: One coworker, yes. When I was still pursuing the287online – she’s told me about what options she is288pursuing–thatwasprettygoodforherbecauseshe’s289alsoamom,soshe’salittlebitbusier.Sono,butthat290one, I justhappenedtohave– it justcame ingeneral291conversations.Areyou,youknow…Idon’tevenknow292how I started it. They told me they were in grad293school.AndIwas,like,oh?Where?Andwhatdegree294were,areyoupursuingtheMBAatUSF?Iwaslike,oh,295well,I’mthinkingaboutit.296
Interviewer: Thinkingaboutit.297Subject: Right. And so I picked their brain a little bit. So they298
saidalotofgreatthings.299Interviewer: Okay. Just out of curiosity, what, do you recall what300
kindofthingstheyweretalkingabout?301Subject: Yeah, just like, how, um, it’s good. All the classes are302
reallygood.Alltheteachersarereallyinformative.It’s303reallyhands‐on.Yougetalotofgreatinteraction.You304reallygetalotoffeedbacksothatyouknowhowyou305are progressing. Um, just everything is really – they306reallyputemphasisonyouasastudent.Notsomuch307just youbeinghere, just beingmore so “how canwe308helpyoutobecomeabetterperson?”Like,bythetime309you leave this program, how much will you know?310
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Howmuchwillyou,howsuccessfulwillyoubebased311offwhatyou learnedhere? So Iheardthat there isa312lot of emphasis on the students.Which is something313that I, like, you know, really look forwhen exploring314programsaswell.315
Interviewer: Good. Um, so what’s the one thing that’s been most316importanttoyouallalongasyouthinkaboutthis?317
Subject: Justingeneral,orintermsof…318Interviewer: Because itsounds likeyouhaven’tmade thedecision319
togoyet.320Subject: Ihave.Ijust.I’mleaningmoreandmoreandmoreand321
moretowardsUSF.Iamgoingtogo, it’s justamatter322ofwhere. But I think IhavedecidedonUSF. It’s just323(unintelligible). So I guess – I suppose the most324importantthing–consideringjustgettingtheMBAor325…326
Interviewer: GettingtheMBAatUSF.327Subject: At USF. It’s really just the type of experience that I328
have. Um, how, you know, because, like I said, I do329work,so Ineedtomakesure that Iwillbe, that Iam330going to be able to get the most of this experience.331Because I can’t concentrate full‐time as a student, so332forthetimeIamabletospendhereIwanttojust,you333know,makesurethatImakethemostofit.SoIwant334tomakesurethatit’sasvaluableaspossible.Andthat335IcanbeassuccessfulaspossiblebythetimeIleave.336
Interviewer: There’sacoupleofthingsthatyouhaven’tmentioned337alongtheway.338
Subject: Okay.339Interviewer: It’s the faculty who are teaching the program, our340
accreditation, and cost. Have you looked at any of341thosethings?Aretheyjustnotasimportanttoyou?342
Subject: Well,thefaculty,well,well,Ikindof,IguessIkindof343bunchthat inwiththewholeexperience.Thetypeof,344you know, teachers that I am going to have, the345professors that I am going to have. Cost, yes, I don’t346even know how I forgot about that one (laughs). I347don’t even knowhow I forgot about that one! Yeah,348that’sdefinitelyafactoraswell.349
Interviewer: Are you on a tuition, will you have tuition350reimbursement through your employer or anything351likethat?352
Subject: Yeah. It will be tuition reimbursement, but after I353completetheprogram.Sorightnowitwouldbeallon354me. And then, you know, after I am finished, then355that’swhenthatbecomesafactor.356
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Interviewer: Okay,well,speakingofmoney,howlongdoyouthink357itwouldtakeforyoutoseeamonetarygainasaresult358ofearningtheMBA?359
Subject: Realistically,Iwouldsaywithin,Iwanttosay,twoor360three years. It’s all depending on, I guess, if I change361jobs or careers or um, if I stay within the company,362probably I would say less than that. But if I change,363probablyalittlelonger364
Interviewer: Therewill beheadaches associatedwithdoing this. I365mean,callitwhatitis.Howlongdoyouthinkitwould366takeforyoutosay,“thisisworthit.”367
Subject: That’s a great question (pauses). That really kind of368depends on what happens after‐the‐fact. But I think,369honestly,Ithinkitwouldbeworthittheday,probably370thedayIgraduate.Aftertheheadachesaregone,after371itisdone,Icansay,“Youknowwhat?Icompletedthis.372I’m done, I’m done with this stage of my life. I can373moveontosomethingelse.”SoIdon’treallythinkit374will take too long. I’dsay thedayafter.Thedayafter375thecapandgown(startstolaugh).376
Interviewer: You get that cap and gown and the (unintelligible)377smile.378
Subject: Yes,yes.EitherthatorwhenIgetapayraise.379Interviewer: Yup! Lastcoupleofquestionshere. Ididn’talsohear380
youmentionanythingaboutthecaliberofpeoplethat381you’re learning with. We mention – you mentioned382earlierintheinterviewthatmostschoolspreferalittle383bitofworkexperienceandthatisbecauseitenriches384theclassroom.385
Subject: Right.386Interviewer: Does that matter to you? Who else is in the387
classroom?Theselectivity.388Subject: Itdoes.Onlybecause I like–Imean,whenyouare in389
theclassroomenvironment,youdon’t just learn from390whoever is teaching the course, you learn from the391people around you. And that’s why I thought it was392awesome that theyput somuch emphasisonus as a393studentbecause theyreallywant to seewhatwecan394bringtothetableandhowwecankindofusethatto395bouncebackandforth.Sothatisimportanttome,just396knowing what other people bring. What I can learn397from thosepeople.Becauseat the endof theday, I –398mostofus are alreadyworking individuals, so to see399how their experiences can helpme tomaybe have a400betterexperienceatmyjoboradvancemycareer.401
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Itisimportant.403Interviewer: Okay.Well,thelasttwoquestionsareactuallyrelated404
toyourcareer.405Subject: Okay.406Interviewer: Whatareyourcareergoalslong‐termandshort‐term?407Subject: Long‐termandshort‐term.Mylong–Iguessitwould408
beeasiertodolong‐term.Mylong‐termgoalistobein409businessformyself.Iwanttoownmyownbusiness.I410know it takes some time to get there. It takes411knowledge, and, obviously, financial [support]. Short‐412term, I just would like to work my way up the413corporate ladder because every level there is414somethingnew that I can learn tobettermyself. You415learn something new each and every day but there416comesapointwhere,youknow,howmuchmoreamI417really learning? So it’s like before I get to that next418level,well,howmuchmorecanIlearnhere?Soshort‐419term goal is to keep working my way up and keep420learningasmuchaspossible.421
Interviewer: Great. Well is there anything I forgot to ask? Or422anythingyouwanttoadd?423
Subject: TherewaslikeonequestionthatIkindofblankedout424on.Whenyouaskedmeaboutfactors,um…425
Interviewer: What was the one most important thing to you all426along.Kindof,whenyouaredeciding,ok,it’s,well,let427mebackup.It’s,itsoundslikeyouaregoingtogofor428anMBAatsomepoint.429
Subject: Right.430Interviewer: Soasyouaredeciding,whentodoitandwheretodo431
it,what’s theonethingthathasbeenmost important432toyou.Kindof thethingthat’s,um, like, “man, Ican’t433afforditrightnow,”or“Idon’twanttostartstudying434again.” Theseare just–what’s theone thing– these435areacoupleofexamples,what’stheonethingthatyou436reallyhavebeenthinkingabout?437
Subject: This is really if I am going to be, if I am able to be438successful in it while I am working. I don’t want to439sacrifice.Idon’twanttostopworkingbutIdon’twant440to take, you know, years and years to complete the441MBAortheEMBA,soIamgoingto(unintelligible).So442the thing is, am I going to be able to do this in two443years and be done. Financially, yes, but, I figure if I444lookatoptions,therearekindoflike,justworkingon445itasIgo.Imean,Icandothat,butreally,isitgoingto446be–howtaxingisitgoingtobe?Tobeabletodoitin447thiseconomyandthegoalIsetformyself.448
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Interviewer: Great,that’sallthequestionsIhave.449
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