Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

Last year, I made a list of goals that I wanted to achieve by 2021. One of the ‘nice to haves’ was to get another degree- possibly an MBA. Little did I knew that the pandemic would shut the world and most things including education would go online. After searching for the best, affordable and flexible courses- I had a chat with one of my former batchmates from Dublin about the online MBA he was doing, which is when I made a decision to apply for Quantic’s mobile-first MBA.

Fast forward to August 2021, it’s been a month I graduated with an MBA and multiple LinkedIn messages later- I decided to write a post about my experiences and advice for future students. If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve thought of applying for an MBA at some point in your career.

Admission process

The MBA program is suitable for early-career (<7 years experience) people with an undergrad in any discipline and English language proficiency. The program is highly selective and boasts a ~7% acceptance rate. Once you create your profile, you’ll be able to preview introductory chapters of each module. Performance in the introductory chapters can boost your profile, so take note!

After a few days, I was invited to an interview. My interview was scheduled with Matt Schenck, EVP at Quantic. It was an opportunity for me to ask questions about the program and know more about the process. I’ve got to know that not everyone is invited to an interview- but consider it a good sign if you are invited.

Shortly after my interview, I got one of the best emails containing the golden letters-

Congratulations! On behalf of all of us at Quantic, I’m so pleased to notify you of your acceptance into the Quantic MBA - July 2020 class.

Here’s a snapshot of my cohort. I suffered from imposter syndrome (everyone suffers from it, here’s an article from HBR on how to handle it) when I saw that my class contains a frontline doctor from NHS, a US Army veteran, a Forbes 30 under 30 winner and young entrepreneurs.

Infographic containing details of the MBA class of July 2021 at Quantic

Academics

Quantic’s innovative approach to teaching is very interactive. It’s like playing an online game- you can’t go to the next module (level) unless you pass the previous level. The bite-sized learning modules made it so much easier for busy professionals to learn wherever they are in the world. I even took some of the quizzes while I was waiting at the airport’s baggage carousel!

Tip: Look out for #WhereDoYouQuantic on social media to see where Quantic students are learning from!

I was blown away by the interesting projects, some of which were to be done in a group. The best thing was that you don’t need to write 100’s of pages and then wait till eternity for evaluation. Quantic uses an innovative video-based, no ‘death by powerpoints’ approach. Create a few talking points, record a video and send it for evaluation. For modules like Accounting and Finance, a spreadsheet was to be submitted. This is such a simple yet effective solution, and I enjoyed doing my accounting project- a subject that I dread in the past.

Gone are the days where you’ve to wake up at 6 AM, travel miles to grab the first rows of the lecture theatre so that you can understand what the professor is trying to explain. I also took some of the online courses where there are 200+ students and more than half are sleeping and have their camera turned off.

Student Engagement & Extra-Curricular

Quantic has a strong student engagement team and a community is built through Slack for cohort where you can discuss the course, have banter with your classmantes and learn something new. There are numerous events and meetups planned out by the team. A few of them are Book Club, Documentary Club, Podcast Club, industry-specific meetups, geography-wise meetups (based on time zones) and AMA (ask me anything) sessions.

Below is a snapshot of the incredible Quantic network, with students and alumni across the globe.

map of the world showing Quantic students and alumni

Verdict

I learnt a good bit about management concepts through my Quantic MBA and built a good network of like-minded people across the world. You’re just a message away from reaching out to the best minds globally! The best part was getting a full scholarship, which was a cherry on top!

The 12 months long program hit the right spots in management education and delivered what it promised. It was one of the best learning experiences I had to date in the online environment. The program is correctly priced and offers multiple scholarships. I couldn’t have asked for more.

I’m also writing a few frequently asked questions (FAQ’s) that I receive on LinkedIn for the benefit of prospective students.

  1. Is the Quantic degree accredited?
    Quantic is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a recognized accrediting agency. Read more: Quantic School of Business and Technology | Accreditation
  2. I’m outside of the US, will my company recognize Quantic degrees?
    The purpose of doing an MBA for me was to gain knowledge, and not to add another degree on my CV. Please check with your manager and HR about the recognition.
  3. How are placements after Quantic’s MBA? What is the average package offered?
    Quantic doesn’t organize campus placement/ recruitment drives. There are CV review clinics and a careers portal that lists job openings, but I recommend utilizing the networking opportunities for job roles.
  4. How exhaustive is the curriculum? How many hours/ day do I need to put in?
    I found the curriculum to be just right, and to some, it might lack depth. I invested 3-4 hours a week on average, with projects taking longer than that. It depends on your learning capabilities and prior experience.
  5. Is it worth doing MBA/ EMBA at Quantic? What is the ROI?
    Yes! If you can dedicate a few hours each week, I highly recommend this program to anyone looking beyond traditional learning programs. The ROI (for fee-paying students) depends on your goals and priorities. It’s not something that comes instantly but pays over a period of time.
  6. Who isn’t the Quantic MBA for? If you’re looking for a program with on-campus/ in-person interaction and job fair where recruiters gather up setting their stalls handing out company merchandise, Quantic’s MBA may not be for you.

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.

Henry Ford

I enjoyed my MBA and would recommend it to anyone looking for a quality, affordable and mobile-first curriculum that thinks outside the classroom. Let me know what do you think in the comments below!

Saransh Agarwal
MBA, Class of July 2021.