MBA in Poland for 40+ and older?

I was talking about business and economics teaching, with reference to an MBA and I stand 100% by that comment. The basic test of how good an MBA is whether it is accredited (in Poland I think only 2 are) and what GMAT score is needed to get on it. The rankings may favor the US but that is also where the best programs are.

I couldnt give a rats ass about dentistry or biology but I can believe that Poland does those pretty well. I'm also not discussing the relative merits of US and Polish high schools - they are probably about the same. My own kids are in the Polish state system and seem OK - I will worry about university when I get to that time.

What I will say from recruiting Polish economics graduates is that their business sense is non existent, their maths appalling (I make them do a test with no calculator) and as Delph mentioned they can understand accounting at only a very basic level.

When I was at school in the US there were a few PolAM guys in class who were good but the top positions were either ChineseAms, IndianAms or Russian (mostly Jewish).

Delph, could you answer my question?

Yes!!
It used to be that a person could apply to only one Uni because he/she received only one copy of HS (w/Matura) diploma. Then it has changed, and students received a few copies of diplomas which allowed them to apply to many Unis. I don't know how it is now?

BTW, can a person 40+ year old study with other 20 year olds or is the University of the Third Age his only option? Curious.


Polish and US system of educations differ a lot. In Poland they teach you how to memorize textbooks and in the US they teach you logic and thinking.

(missed it, I apologise)

Forgive me if I misunderstand this, but I double checked it with my wife -

2012 - the first round of recruitment (to use the Polish term) gave a result of 19.70 points needed for admission. But because people often apply to such courses just as a backup, the end result was that only 76 were admitted with the result of 11.55 points needed for admission. Every 1% at basic Matura gives 0.50 in points (a bit more complicated than that, but averaged out) - meaning that people were admitted with some truly shocking Matura scores.

I think it's an absolute joke - a good university like UAM should not be taking in anyone with the basic matura in certain subjects.


I completely believe you on this. Business sense is often completely out of the window - as witnessed by the attitude by many students towards the idea of getting relevant experience during their studies. I got some CV's not so long ago that had stuff like "hostessa" - and she wanted to be a teacher, yet she had only done the basic teaching practice and not an hour more.

I'm pretty sure it's like that still.


I don't know.


It's OK.


Ah, OK, thanks. I wish getting into university was so easy in "my times" lol I actually had to pass a written and oral exam to get in lol Are there no exams anymore? o_O Sorry, but I'm not "na czasie" ;)


Delph, to be fair - it's "Europeistyka" LOL Who even studies that? ;D This faculty sounds like a joke, who do you become after such studies? What do you need it for?

As you can see in that table in every single year the level of points needed for admission was getting lower and lower. And they didn't even fill all the spots last year so my guess is - people realised this faculty isn't useful, maybe it's a joke altogether and less people apply and the level gets lower and lower.... and lower.

Nope, nothing written/spoken now - it's all on the basis of the Matura grades. The problem is that the universities (in their quest for more and more money) are letting people into such courses despite them clearly not being suitable - so the end result is that they get a high drop-out rate and the university looks bad in the long run. Monia alluded to a high drop out in scientific subjects - because stuff like physics is admitting people with such crap grades that they've got no chance.


I've got a family member that studies it - it's basically orientated around getting a good job in Brussels. You should (afterwards) possess a decent amount of knowledge about European institutions and how they work, as well as being capable in the two foreign languages needed to get a job there and a healthy amount of legal knowledge. But at the end of the day - if they're admitting people with such shockingly bad scores, then there's no chance of them going to Brussels!


And yet the madness of the situation is that they opened up more and more places :/ They've got a beautiful new building to pay for, so the "wydzial" is basically opening up any old nonsense to justify it.

I'm not an elitist so and so, I believe that there are room for weaker universities in smaller places, but not at the 3rd best university in the country!

Hmm, yes... Well... I've always found this change silly, tbh.


Well, that sounds rather exotic ;)


Of course there isn't. Maybe the top students will get somewhere and that's it probably.


Money, money. The universities need money. It's capitalism now, delph! ;)

Yes. I'm always half-amused, half-irritated when I see adverts on the bus in Poland for institutions that admit almost anyone and give 'degrees' that are near impossible to fail in subjects like Diplomacy and International Relations.

I think it's a good idea in one respect - it cut down massively on open corruption, especially in very competitive subjects. The system now is all automatic, so it's much harder to just insert a student to the list who didn't make the cut. From what I know, there's still a lot of nonsense going on in particular areas such as art - where students who take drawing classes with professors then have their portfolios judged favourably.

But at the same time, I think there's merit in having exams for entry rather than relying on the Matura - as long as those exams are open and fair (ie, not abused by professors giving exam questions to students who go to them for private classes). I guess professors simply can't be trusted to behave honourably, which is quite sad.


Hey, I wouldn't complain at getting a European Commission salary ;)


Exactly. I suppose it's also useful for those who want to get a job at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but again - this is so highly competitive that the course alone will never be enough.


Sad :( I know the Ministry has finally started to put a stop to some of the nonsense going on - I forget the details, but it's something to do with the student numbers - if they only recruit 70 out of 120 one year, then they're not allowed to open 120 places next year. But that can only cause standards to lower further as morons go for "easy" studies :(

Thank you all for your comments

Some questions and comments:

1. Is Warsaw univ of tech MBA program suitable
It's tied with London business school

2. I think the class will have Ages upto 30-34
The executive MBA is more suited but i don't
Have 2 years.

3. I have a total of 4 degrees and certifications
Including passing the CPA certification considered
The most hard certification in the us
Not to mention i got through the ultra competitive indian system
I found us education to be 50% less challenging than india

I am not worried about european education
I can handle it easily.

I am still apprehensive about the racism issues
but i prefer Poland to any other Eastern European county

I only need to get an MBA degree. It won't help me
in my career.

I basically need a break from work and an MBA
Keeps me from explaining a one year gap break and i intend to do a world trip
Before starting my MBA.

I have no interest to work or live anywhere
Outside nyc dc or California.

Poland can't afford to pay my rates,even london can't afford to pay me.

I want to experience Europe, get an MBA, travel
and go back home to New York when i am done.

I just wanted some feelers on life in Poland
Warsaw is a great historical city and a good
Base to explore all of Europe during vacations

The least cost to me is the tuition and
Living cost. The larger cost is not working
For one year in the prime of my career.

To say the least, i am seeking a life experience.

Again i thank you for any comments, suggestions and feedback

Any foreigners please share how you manage your day to day life?
Without any polish language skills

Thank you for your time

I smell nonsense, as a poster was once named. London can't afford you, yet you only have a budget of $1000USD a month in Poland? Hmm.

Something tells me that you're actually looking at Poland as a place to get a cheap residence permit.

Or maybe because you can just cheat on the exam at the end of the course hes just making people aware he is not interested in working whilst in poland he wants an easy education reference on his resume in order to cover a trip around europe

good luck

this forum is so full of knobs that people assume that everyones a troll

Why are you lying, man ?

amuland.pl/Portal/Progi-punktowe/DM-Prawo-2012

Your comprehension level is appalling along with this cms guy . If you live in Poland and can`t comprehend simple things like calculation of minimum scores for aplicants , how can you survive here?

It was 71.60 last year for Law at Poznań University !

This minimum score is on the rise . In 2009 it was 66.40

Why do you people who are so bitter about your achievements in our country lie about Poland and undergrade its people ?
You cms , are you claiming that a person holding master degree in economics has got the sense of accounting on the basic level ? Who is going to believe you ? Nobody . Maybe your sense of comprehension is on the basic level instead , dear.

Monia, "faculty" refers to "wydział" in Polish.


I think you owe me an apology.


Which is still pretty low compared to the scores seen elsewhere. 80 points, even 85 should be a bare minimum for law.


I don't need to lie, I understand the difference between "faculty" and "course".


I think we trust cms far more than we trust you, a known liar who has previously claimed to be an expert in law, medicine and aviation among other topics.

He isn't: you either are lying yourself or you cannot read.


No. "UAM: Europeistyka, ... Wydział Prawa i Administracji" (Adam Mickiewicz University: 'Europeistyka', the Faculty of Law and Administration). Lowest mark of any admitted candidate in 2012 (Ostateczne wyniki, Próg): 11.55. amuland.pl/Portal/Progi-punktowe/DL-EUR-2012


As is clearly shown above, they are telling the truth and you are lying, just as you are lying about the British education system.
I think we'd better not going into why you are lying and how you really feel about your 'achievements'.

What did he say ? He didn`t explain anything just said - faculty of law and administration , to mislead people here , nothing else . Now I see it is european studies faculty , I don`t even know what it is . It is probably for morons who could not apply anywhere else . Who cares anyway about faculties created just to extract money from the ministry . They create jobless people stats.


Yes , I quoted data from Poznań university , Sherlock , called UAM .

You're lying again, aren't you. There is no 'european studies faculty' at Adam Mickiewicz University. The course I mentioned is offered by the the Faculty of Law and Administration of Adam Mickiewicz University. And it is stupidly easy to get into, which shows that your claim about "The more popular, prestigious the faculty is, the more candidates for one spot there are and the more difficult it is to get in." and "In Poland it is not easy to be admitted for tuition free studies ." are simply bare-faced lies.

I think anyone who speaks English understands that "Faculty of Law and Administration" refers to the "Wydział Prawa i Adminstracji".


It isn't a faculty, it's a course. And it is a course that is heavy on European law.


It's a course within one of the best departments (if not the best?) at one of the best universities in the country. I believe that many professors from the Law course also teach on this course.

Can you imagine a top university in a Western country admitting people who barely passed their maturity exams? Sorry Monia, but it just shows that Polish education isn't anywhere near as good as you pretend it is.

I guess you're right, I haven't thought of this.


Maybe, although I must say I knew of only one professor at my university who could be bribed and, interestingly enough, he was a German lol o_O


Me neither lol But I can imagine how hard it is to get such a job ;)


One could become a politician after this too, I guess lol


Those were my thoughts too, I must say.


She meant European studies course.


Delph, I think it's also not as bad as you would like it to see based on that European studies course at UAM.
Some courses are so "exotic" and unpopular that it's easy to get on them. This could be the case with Europeistyka.

Victor

Let me explain to you.
The idea is to take a year off.
I don't see why a budget of 1k a month is less
I don't mind increasing it

Right now my rent alone is 1800 and parking is 200

Yes, London salaries are cheap.

Also, i am an American citizen with zero interest
In living in Europe. It's about how fast i can retire in Asia.
I don't even want to live in North America anymore.
Even if they made me a European citizen i would decline it.
There is zero value to me as i can already access around 170-180 countries visa free
Or on arrival.

I also have permanent residence in India, allowing me to retire for a lower cost if living.

The MBA is a break from an extremely stress filled work life.
I look upon this as a unpaid stress free vacation and education.

Not far from where i live in nyc is greenpoint, Brooklyn
Where there are many polish people who would be shocked
If i told them i wanted to go there when they are escaping here and working as
Labor in construction and other blue collar jobs that pay well.

I have already realized the American dream so its now about self actualization.

Sorry to disappoint you. I have zero interest in settling in Europe

It's all about retiring in a low cost Asian destination with a devalued currency at an early age.
So if the rent in Warsaw is 600-700 i guess i can easily
Cross 1500 per month in total.

So my european MBA would cost 18000 and 12000 in tuition fees
About 30k not to mention not working for a year

Also i don't have the patience to do the GMAT
So i am looking for schools that don't require this.

I think it was more of the case with very desirable fields - for instance, I think Spanish a few years ago was pushing 90 points for entry. If the exam was administered at the course level, then there would be huge temptation to simply pay for private classes with a professor - I know it still happens with desirable high schools where the ability to 'insert' a student is still possible. It might not be outright bribery, but you get the idea. For me, it's the worst sort of corruption - because it is very hard to prove wrongdoing.


I think the problem with this course is that it's very tough going without giving you 'papers' - the professors are expecting people to be of the same standard as law students, yet they obviously aren't.

But for me, it all goes back to the entry requirements - it just seems insane that they would even want people with a crap Matura in their university. Don't get me wrong - there are courses at UAM with incredibly high entry requirements too - Norwegian had 91 points for entry last time round!

She very clearly said 'faculty'. And she accused me of using the word 'faculty' "to mislead people here , nothing else ." She was lying.

It wasn't about an entry exam in case of that German professor.


I haven't heard about "private classes" with professors preparing for the exams, only about those organised by the universities. Paid for, of course :) I suppose they could be helpful, if only by letting people know what more or less they could face at the exam. So I guess people attending those could have an advantage.


True, I guess. You've heard about this happening?


I'm sorry, I don't understand...


And it all goes back to money. Those univeristies are state funded and as I'm sure you know Poland isn't a rich state ;) So I guess the universities are looking for ways to make money because without money they won't develop (and sometimes they may not even survive, I guess). That's why they also organise "evening" and "zaoczne" courses (for Part-Time Learners - that's how it's called in English, I guess?), which are paid for and usually those are or were less valued and there is or there was a notion that the daytime everyday courses are of a better level.


She probably didn't know the right words for "wydział" and "kierunek" in English just as I didn't :)


Harry... ;) I don't think she was lying. I suspect she just misunderstood, just as I did. I didn't know that "kierunek" is called "course" in English so I missed the first part of your sentence. Maybe she did that too.

I think a lot of this abuse doesn't happen anymore, but it's still apparently rife in subjects that require a portfolio as part of the entry requirements. Can't say for certain though, as you never know how much is simply sour grapes by people who weren't good enough.


Yep. I was told all about this by a recent graduate of a very good high school in Poznan - she hadn't done well enough in her gimnazjum exam to get into the high school in question, but she (on her own initiative!) figured out who was worth talking to and asked them for private lessons to help with her English. After the first two lessons, the teacher gave her a simple proposal - a year of private lessons and she'd get a place in the school for the next year. It seems to be particularly common with certain "profiles" that are quite hard to access.


Basically - imagine having to study a course that is almost as difficult as law, but doesn't give you any right to follow a career in law? That's the Europistyka course :)


I guess it's also about power as well - if you can run a department with 1000 students, then you've got more power than someone who runs a department with 500 students. And so on and so forth.

I'd like to see the Ministry making it clear that entry requirements must be imposed for courses to stay funded. A place like UAM should not be letting anyone with less than 60 points near the university - which just so coincidentally happens to be the kind of score required for psychology and other popular courses.


Oh, I know this - she's just getting harsh treatment for the way that she abused others on here.

1500 dollars would certainly be a lot more comfy to live on than 1000 in warsaw. For 1000 you could survive but with little enjoyment.

Both warsaw technical and kozminski need gmat i think but i reckon a 500 score would get you in. Surely as a CPA you could get that without too much work?

You could try one of the other schools but with no gmat, no accreditation you would probably be better off doing a course in something nice like art history or polish. Would still cover your cv gap but you wouldnt be wasting your money.

By the way if you are already qualified cpa why you even need to cover this gap on cv ? Just tell people you were travelling for a year - i would accept it. Or if you want to tell a white lie just say you were looking after a sick relative.

Cms Yes i could do that, but l is not
My style.

I could get over 500 on a GMAT score if i was blindfolded and sleeping

I don't work in accounting, but in Infornation. Technology. One year
Away from work in america is something they don't understand, unless its packages
Well

Also i lose health insurance and need to start over
After i return.

America is not that free, when you look at the paperwork

I am more worried about racism than anything else, but
I think Poland is better than Hungary or Russia

I am thinking of a polish language class as well
Before i arrive

delphiandomine
delphiandomine


Once again - you distorter - why did you use a word faculty of law and administration , , instead of saying european studies in Gniezno branch of UAM . Everybody now knows the real purpose of your statement .

When I graduated from UMCS studying at the faculty of law and administration , course law , there were no funny courses like european studies . There was law and administration courses only .

During my life I was always saying in everyday conversations that I graduated form the faculty of law . In everyday life who cares that there is a faculty and course . In formal language it is important , I had to use the faculty and the course , but polishforums does not use formal language .

You distorter, didn`t use the course either , just mentioned faculty . And now you are distorting my intentions blaming me of lying , while you are the first who dostorts facts not me and don`t put words or don`t answer as me .

Everyone knows and understands your intentions , that you wanted to mislead people here giving the the sense how easy is to get to study law in Poland .

Monia, I made it clear that the course was offered by the Faculty of Law and Administration. Most people reading PF know the difference between "Faculty of... " and "course". You could just admit (as Paulina did, honourably) that you simply didn't know this. It also isn't offered by the Gniezno branch, but rather it is located in the main faculty building in Poznań. I don't know why you've brought up Gniezno - oh dear, you've been caught lying, again!


It isn't a "funny course", because if you actually knew anything about the course in question, you can see that it's quite a serious course in terms of knowledge gained.


I've heard of trying to save face, but this is taking the ****..


I made it clear how easy it is to access tuition free studies offered by the Faculty of Law and Administration at UAM.

Why did you not mention about the course in your statement ?

Everybody knows your intentions , your real purpose of statements . Where in my statemants I was confused about the faculty and the course ? Through your statement I just made quick assumption like everybody else here about low requirements to get into courses of law and administration . After that when you hooked people on your twisted rod you revealed that it was not law but european studies . Do you realy have time to spend on such stupid arguments ? I assume that you have some personal problems . In all your statements you distort the facts by using unclear and riddled statements .

No one treats you as a reliable source of information . Go out , take a walk instead of being glued to the monitor of your PC . I happen to post here very rarely and lately I was curious about views among posters of PF about Volynian massacre of Poles and placed my opinion . And again I see stupidity from you about Polish universities . You know very little about the subject , but all the time you give negative advices like an expert to random people who are interested in studying in Poland .

It is very hard to get into popular faculties to be accepted to tuition free studies in Poland .Period .

Popular courses mean courses not similar to european studies . It is law , medicine , dentistry , informatics, economics , architecture etc.
In given case there were only several candidates , the number of candidates was lower than offered placements . There were 0.43 something candidates for one place on that course .

From all the courses offered in Polish universities you have chosen this specific course just to mislead people .

I have no intention to argue with trolls like you .

Everyone knows that you can study different courses in one faculty - Law, Administration, European Studies and whatever else... It was like this for years, when did you study that you don't know this??

In your first post you claimed that it's difficult to get into tuition free courses in Poland. He proved you wrong, that's why you're so angry? I know people from my primary who were barely getting a pass, who went to the worst high school in the city - and who graduated from the university with MA degree. Of course, it wasn't law or medicine that they studied, but nevertheless, they wouldn't have gotten into any uni in the UK. That's just ridiculous.

I studied in Poland (on two different universities) and in the UK. I'm sorry, but there's just no comparison - the course in Poland was old-fashioned, many subjects were completely irrelevant to the chosen degree, the course was utter ********. The British uni was really teaching what it should be teaching. There was no cheating, the teachers were interested in their students and the exams were fair and relevant to the subject. Polish course was heavy on theory, that's true - but I learnt within 1 year in the UK more than in 3 years in Poland. Sorry to burst your bubble...

If I could choose again I would never, ever choose a Polish university.