Hello Everyone,
I am pretty new here but I had been lurking for months now until I decided recently to apply for a DL as I just realized I needed an MBA degree to propel my career to a more senior role.

Just a brief background about me, I am a FIlipino living and working in Indonesia for 5 years now heading the operations and technology department. I worked in Singapore for 2 years and had 7 years prior experience in Manila. I am in the Capital Markets Industry.

Taking DL will give me the chance to pursue my MBA and at the same time, continue my career. My career is at its peak now and I don't want to give it a halt.

I just applied at Durham and Bradford DL - waiting for their response and decision.

May I know what your thoughts are on these 2 renowned UK universities for a Filipino like me? Which university is better? I know Bradford has a wide alumni network in Manila (since they had on-campus MBA there) but I am not sure about DBS alumni network in Asia.

I also plan to stay in Indonesia and take on more senior roles here in the future. Will these 2 business schools give added value to my career in Indonesia?

These 2 business schools are well within my budget :).

Thanks for your time reading this and I really appreciate your thoughts on this.

Try How to use LinkedIn to find the best school www.find-mba.com/board/33571

From looking at LinkedIn there don't seem to be many Alum from either school in Indonesia or Philippines.

Why not ask the schools what kind of networks they have in Asia? Or connect with the firms you'd be interested in and seeing if there's any awareness of either business school?

All other things being equal, Durham is probably the safer choice.

Thank you Duncan and Laurie.

Just to give an update, I received offers from Durham, Bradford, and Strathclyde - all distance learning with the exception of Strathclyde where I have to do some workshops in Singapore at YMCA.

I did some LinkedIn search and it seems like there's no big alumni network for Bradford and Durham in Asia. I know some graduates from both b-schools but the network seems to be small. Strathclyde has a good network in Singapore but not in Indonesia nor Philippines.

One of my major considerations is the cost. Bradford is the cheapest among the 3 but I am not quite sure about the online delivery. Durham seems to be the safer choice in terms of ranking and perhaps their online delivery (I read somewhere that their online tool is quite useful with all the live videos, etc.). Strathclyde is a good choice too but the most expensive among the 3 and on top of that, I have to travel to Singapore at least 1 weekend every month to attend compulsory workshops (this is also good since I am also looking for on-campus and not just 100% online). Durham has the most flexibility on online and on-campus. Bradford only offers on-campus on electives.

Now, I am a little bit confused and I am trying to connect to people who actually did their MBA DL and ask questions then weigh things before I make a decision. I am even close in considering the local (Indonesia) b-school, ITB-SBM, which has no accreditation yet and they also require GMAT and TOEFL (which I have no time to study). Getting my MBA in Indonesia is actually the cheapest option but I am not sure if this will have an added value internationally. I will stay and work in Indonesia in the next 5-8 years I guess so getting the local MBA may not be helpful if I don't stay here long term.

Hence, it may be Bradford or Durham. But looking at the cost and the installment plan, I might choose Bradford instead - their 8 installment payments will suit me and the total fee will not break the bank. After all, in Asia, especially in Indonesia and Philippines, having a UK MBA degree is good enough.

What do you guys think?

Thank you very much.

Hello everyone,
After 2 weeks of thinking, I finally decided to accept the offer at Strathclyde Business School and will be attending on-campus workshops at their Singapore centre. =)

Well done.