<p>I graduated in May 05 from Penn State with a BSEE (2.8GPA). I went to work for the company I interned with (June will be my 6th year with the same company). </p>
<p>That company spun up an offshoot in 05, I was assigned to that company as the Engineer. I'm the only one in our office that is not a Director. Right now our company is expanding. I will have one person working under me in March (a tech) and looking to hire two more engineers (one under me) in the next year. I'm currently included in most of the decisions, and meet with customers directly. I have also developed 5-6+ products, some of which I've come up with entirely. In any case I've managed/coordinated the projects between mechanical, and software development. Our company deals with quick turn customer specific products.</p>
<p>Now looking forward, I'm currently located about an hour away from Raleigh, NC which is home to UNC and Duke. I want to go into negotiations to have my company pay for an MBA (weekend program). I know they will back me with at least the time off, and I expect them to cover at least some of the expense.</p>
<p>Would it be worthwhile to apply for 2009 or should I wait for 2010? How competitive am I, applying to schools like UNC or Duke for their weekend programs? Does anyone have any advice for working with the company? I've read a 2 year commitment is standard. </p>
<p>I'm pretty sure my work experience will speak for itself, as I've had an unusual opportunity to take on responsibility at a level above my experience. I have no baseline, besides what I've read on forums so any advice is appreciated.</p>
<p>Duke is fairly competitive. I would say Duke is harder to gain admission into, than UNC.</p>
<p>You have a low undergraduate GPA, which will most likely disqualify you for schools such as HBS, Tuck, etc. Have you taken the GMATs? I would wait until 2010, gain a little more experience with managing people underneath you and you can boast that on your application.</p>
<p>A little research on your part will answer most of your questions. Both the Duke and UNC weekend programs are called MBA for the executives, those who are already in management.</p>
<p>For Duke, in their FAQ
Q4. What “type” of student are you looking for?
A4. Applicants to The Duke MBA – Weekend Executive program should have: </p>
<pre><code>* Minimum five years of professional work experience
* Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
* Business managers wanting to fine tune cross-functional expertise
* Desire to strengthen essential leadership skills required to maintain a competitive edge in today’s business environment
</code></pre>
<p>As you can see, right now, you don't fit in their students' profile. Wait a few more years.</p>
<p>Thank you for the replys. I have not taken the GMATs but will begin studying. Right now I'm just doing groundwork to determine if an MBA is the correct path for me.</p>
<p>I am aware of the information available through both school's websites, and my questions were not answered completely through the school's websites. UNC's website did have some good advice for talking to the company, including an outline for a letter. </p>
<p>I'm looking for advice from people who have personally gone through the process or have knowledge of these schools, so please do not waste your time quoting the school's websites. I will take cbreeze response to mean wait until 2010. Technically speaking my hire on date with my company was in 2002, whether or not that counts as professional experience does not need to be debated.</p>
<p>I still would appreciate any advice as to negotiating with my company, or if my GPA would limit my choices with these two schools. Also, if my professional experience thus far/going forward is valid for going down this path. I'm starting this process early on because I have a review coming in July that I want to establish my future with my company.</p>