MBA or MPA: Alison Urkowitz

For the moment, this is our last post in the "MBA or MPA" series. I don't know that we've answered the question, but hopefully we helped some of you who are struggling with this question. We'll return to this topic eventually - but for now enjoy the last interview - with Alison Urkowitz.

Future Leaders in Philanthropy (FLiP): What have been your experiences with Philanthropy?

Alison Urkowitz (AU): Although I started volunteering when I was in high school, I really became interested in philanthropic activities during college.  Since the selection of opportunities was much greater, I was able to join some community organizations that really sparked my interest.  I interned at a non-profit that combined my love for sports with philanthropy. 

After college graduation, I tried to maintain some sort of philanthropic commitment, but didn't connect with any organization in particular and eventually phased any such activities out of my life.  When I stopped volunteering, I realized that I was missing an important part of what I was interested in both professionally and personally.  That's when I decided to go back to school and study the management of non-profit organizations.

FLiP: Why did you choose to pursue a graduate degree?

AU: I wanted to gain more experience in an area I wanted to pursue.  I was working in advertising at the time when I realized I wanted to switch to either the nonprofit sector or to a position in corporate philanthropy.  I was looking for something more meaningful out of my job.  Although I had volunteered/interned with various nonprofits throughout college and after graduation, as I went on job interviews I learned that I lacked experience.  For the most part, I found that individuals I interviewed with did not think my experience as a for-profit manager translated into the positions I was applying for.  Personally, I felt that I needed to gain a greater understanding of the philanthropic sector and to refine my management skills.

FLiP: Why did you choose the program you ultimately attended?  Describe the program a little bit (as much as you know if you haven’t started yet). 

AU: I attended NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service as a part-time student.  The program was attractive to me because of its large percentage of part-time students.  I didn’t want to stop working while attending graduate school, but at the same time, I did not want to attend a full-time program on a part-time basis.  I liked how Wagner encouraged part-time participation and highlighted how the diverse experiences of working students provided a rich learning environment.  I felt that the Wagner program encouraged students to study a wide range of important and applicable topics-everything from finance to managing human resources, to conflict negotiation.  We reviewed numerous case studies and were asked to solve problems that organizations were actually forced to tackle.  Before graduating, the culminating project brought us out of the classroom into real client offices to help them tackle various management obstacles.

FLiP: Did you consider choosing an MBA/MPA instead?  And why did you not ultimately choose one over the other ?

AU: I decided on an MPA over an MBA because I felt it covered much of the same information, but was geared toward the non-profit sector, which is where my interests laid.  I felt my program, in particular, forced me to learn an appropriate amount of finance, economics, statistics, policy, etc, all providing a great background for entering the nonprofit world as an employee and strategic manager.

FLiP: What standardized test did you have to take for your program, if any?

AU: I took the GRE, but ended up not submitting it.  It was not required if you had certain math scores/grades in the past, and I felt the rest of my application was strong enough without it. 

FLiP: How many schools/programs did you apply to?

AU: I applied to a total of 2, and was ready to apply to a third if I didn’t get into my top choice.

MBA or MPA: Lauren Bogner

Future Leaders in Philanthropy (FLiP): Why did you choose to pursue a graduate degree?

Lauren Bogner (LB): I chose to purse an MBA for several reasons: 1. To advance my education and particularly develop areas and skill sets that I had not developed in my undergraduate studies (quantitative skills, strategic thinking, etc). 2. To allow myself the opportunity to explore a career in the for-profit sector in the short-term.  3. To build skills I had identified that I lacked, and needed, to lead a nonprofit organization in the long-term and provide better volunteer leadership to organizations in both the short- and long-terms.

FLiP: Why did you choose the program you ultimately attended?  Describe it for us.

LB: I chose the top MBA programs in the country to apply to because they offer the best education, network and career services. The MBA is not a degree needed to do anything; it is optional, therefore I found the school’s ranking and name to be extremely significant.  I am seeking access to a network for life and that network is only strong for certain schools. Additionally, I preferred schools that would have more qualitative programs (some MBAs are much more quantitative), however the name recognition being at the top of my list led me to stray a bit from this distinction.

FLiP: Did you consider an MPA instead?

LB: Very briefly at an earlier point in my career I considered Wagner.

FLiP: Why did you ultimately decide against it?

LB: I wanted my investment to be in a broader education that would be applicable to any and all fields.

FLiP: How do you think your program will help your future career prospects?

LB: It will allow me to move into another field for a brief time, or possibly a lifetime. It will advance the level at which I go into a job in another industry outside the nonprofit sector and/or it will allow me to advance to the head of a nonprofit quicker than I would have had I stayed in the work force.

FLiP: What standardized test did you have to take for your program, if any?

LB: I took the GMAT.

FLiP: Are you attending part-time or full-time?

LB: I  will attend full-time.

FLiP: How many schools/programs did you apply to?

LB: Five.

FLiP: What advice, if any, would you give to someone who was considering getting an MBA or an MPA?

LB: MBA: Know your strengths and weaknesses (i.e. what you have to contribute to an MBA class, why the institution should admit you and what you plan to get from the education). You can not begin an application without outlining those things. Have a general idea of where you see yourself in the workforce after graduate school (in your mind) and have a specific idea of where you see yourself to write in your application. 

FLiP: Are you happy with your decision?

LB: Very.

MBA or MPA: Marie DiZazzo Wilson

FLiP continues to examine why some readers decided to get an MBA rather than an MPA or another masters degree. For more information on the subject, please enjoy the first and second interviews as well!

Future Leaders in Philanthropy (FLiP): What experience did you have in philanthropy before you decided to go to graduate school?

Marie DiZazzo Wilson (MDW): Growing up, I was always involved with local organizations as a volunteer – from working the church’s annual “tag sale” to volunteering at local soup kitchens several times a year.  In high school and college I volunteered for mission-driven organizations – like recycling groups and participating in a monthly midnight run where we made hundreds of sandwiches on campus, took a bus into New York City and drove around town to hand out sandwiches and snacks to the homeless.  Professionally, I had worked for two small nonprofits for a total of about three years on every aspect of their fundraising – annual appeals, grant writing, event planning, and even donor acknowledgements.

FLiP: Why did you choose to pursue a graduate degree?

MDW: After about two years of professional experience, I decided I wanted to pursue fundraising – and organizational management – for other nonprofits.  I spoke with several of my colleagues as well as volunteers who donated their time to  the organizations with which I was affiliated, and most suggested pursuing some type of advanced degree to gain more knowledge about the field and to make myself more “financially marketable.”

FLiP: Why did you choose the program you ultimately attended?  Describe it for us.

MDW: I chose to pursue an MPA with a concentration in nonprofit management.  Overall, the program provided a broad background for someone to pursue a career in the public, nonprofit or private sectors.  It gave a good overview of how the three sectors interact with and influence one another.  Courses included general topics with a focus on these sectors, such as economics, statistics, and general management, as well as those such as law and public affairs, financial management for nonprofits, and a final capstone course.  There were also very specialized nonprofit courses like human and financial resources for philanthropy, ethics and values of philanthropy, nonprofit economy and public policy, human resource management in nonprofits, leadership and board development, fund development for nonprofits, proposal development and grant administration, etc. 

FLiP: Did you consider choosing an MBA instead?

MBA or MPA: Nina Sharma West

About a year ago I told my friend and former co-worker (from Carnegie Hall), Nina Sharma West, that I was thinking about going back to school, part-time. I couldn't (and, to be honest, still can't) decide what degree might be most useful for my career. For me (and for many of you, I imagine), it comes down to MBA vs. MPA. Which is better?

So, Nina got right on it and interviewed five of her friends, some in grad-programs, others recently out of school. So, she sent me the interviews, and I couldn't get FLiP's act together for over a year to publish them. However, with our recent partnership with Academic Impressions, and our impending trip to the University of Michigan, it seemed like the right time to finally acknowledge Nina's hard work. So, Nina, at long last FLiP is going to start publishing these interviews, one at a time, over the next two weeks. Without further ado, the first interview, with Nina!

Future Leaders in Philanthropy (FLiP): Why did you choose to pursue a graduate degree?

Nina Sharma West (NSW): I felt that after having been in the fundraising world for roughly six years, I was well on my way to a career path that had chosen me – not the other way around.  I wound up in fundraising because I needed a job.  I knew I was interested in the nonprofit sector, but at age 22, was willing to take the best thing that came my way, and that was a position in individual giving at the New York Public Library – a great start!  I continued on to positions at Carnegie Hall, Yale, and the Ad Council.  While at the Ad Council, I started asking around about graduate degrees – my boss was a guest lecturer for Columbia’s Masters in Fundraising program, and some other colleagues were students at Wagner and Stern at NYU.   

FLiP: Why did you choose the program you ultimately selected? 

NSW: I knew that I needed a part-time program.  I was very interested in Columbia’s SIPA program, but they don’t allow part-timers.  I also toyed with Columbia’s Master in Fundraising, but thought it was too much of a niche; I’d already been in fundraising for six years, and thought it would be too much time and money spent on the basics.  I ultimately chose the Wagner School of Public Service at NYU because it was a part-time program, because it was NYU, and because I had friends who had gone and enjoyed their experience.  I liked that there were options of taking policy, management, and finance courses, so I thought I could get a great smattering of everything they offered – even just through the core courses.  Also, I liked that it was at NYU – I’d gone to a small liberal arts college in a rural setting for undergrad, and I loved that the setting was basically the complete opposite of my current impressions of higher learning institutions.   

FLiP: Did you consider choosing an MBA instead?

NSW: I considered pursuing an MBA for a while, mostly earlier on when I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do… I thought that an MBA would give me more of an edge – it is perceived as a tougher, more rigorous degree, and I know that many people in the nonprofit world don’t pursue MBAs, so I thought it would help me stand out. 

FLiP: Why did you not ultimately choose an MBA?

NSW: I ultimately chose to pursue an MPA instead of an MBA for a silly reason – I am not a strong standardized test taker, and I was afraid of taking the GMAT!  More than that however, I wasn’t sure that I wanted the finance-heavy graduate education that comes with an MBA.  I knew that I wanted to continue in the nonprofit world – or at least work with it in some capacity.  I thought that pursuing an MPA instead of an MBA would allow me to really pick my own courses and wind up with an education that I had designed, rather than one that was chosen for me.  I also associate MBA programs with a competitive, cutthroat environment, where everyone is vying for the best summer intern spot – I didn’t really want to be part of that culture.   

FLiP: How do you think your program will help your future career prospects?

NSW: I think that pursing an MPA at Wagner will very much help in my future career prospects – I’ve chosen to specialize in international relations – a combination of finance, policy, and management for international organizations.  I’ve currently only had experience working in cultural or social organizations that are based in and focused on America – and I think that my exposure to other organizations, professors, lecturers, etc. through this program at Wagner will open doors for me that I otherwise would have struggled to get through.  Additionally, it will give me a great background of understanding when it comes to international politics, American foreign policy, and international finance when it comes to governing an international organization – I have never been a very politically-minded person, but Wagner makes me think about things differently, and that alone opens doors.

FLiP: What standardized test did you have to take for your program, if any?

NSW: None.

FLiP: Did you attend part-time or full-time?

NSW: I attend part-time

FLiP: How many schools/programs did you apply to?