MBA一年还是两年英语美文

　　ONE YEAR OR TWO?

MBA一年还是两年英语美文

　　Like practitioners of extreme sports, MBA students go to great lengths to persuade friends, family and future employers what a punishing experience they are undergoing. Business school is – we find ourselves saying – “intense”. This incantation obscures the fact that some MBA courses, including almost all those in the US, take two years, while most in Europe take one.

　　Apart from length, what is the difference? Neither format dominates the business school rankings. Employers do not seem to discriminate. Course syllabuses look similar. Nonetheless, all courses are definitely not the same.

　　There are, for a start, degrees of intensity. It would be unwise to expect class-free Fridays and work-life balance on a one-year course. The compression of the programme leaves little fat and no chance to catch up if you fall behind. At Insead, the school that pioneered the one-year MBA format 50 years ago, classes start at 8.30am, often finish at 7pm and go on regardless of public holidays.

　　In this format, core courses are largely dispatched in a four-month sprint at the start of the year. Engineers and business graduates may be able to treat subjects such as statistics or accounting as refreshers, but those without either a quantitative background or business education face a mountain to climb.

　　The composition of the classes may be different too. One-year courses may have more sponsored students and may be older. Average ages for some European one-year courses are distinctly higher – often about 29 or 30 – meaning participants have more workplace experience. More experienced students may find discussions of leadership frustrating in classes where few have ever managed other workers.

　　In terms of what happens in the classroom, the differences are clear. A one-year programme might squeeze a course of 10 three-hour sessions into 16 90-minute slots. Two-year MBAs, such as that at Iese Business School in Spain, thus have time to stick to the Harvard Business School model, where every class revolves around a discussion of a business case. This means shorter MBAs do not waste time rehearsing material students can find in textbooks.

　　The critical difference between the two modes of study is off campus. At the heart of the two-year programme, in the long summer break between first and second years, is an internship. This summer job on steroids allows students to subsidise their study and try a different career for 12 weeks.

　　Some manage to cram in more than one, according to David Simpson from London Business School.

　　“These days we are seeing an increasing number of people taking more than one internship, working for a month or more for two completely different companies.” In addition, LBS students must complete a two- to four-month paid consulting project with an external company in their second year. These opportunities to experiment and interact with outside organisations – while not absent – are reduced on a one-year course by sheer timetable pressure.

　　Another important differentiator must be the motives of those studying. Those who have a definite goal and do not need time to ruminate and explore will find little to complain about on a one-year course. Anyone who wants time to think and feel their way into a career, might want the extra flexibility of a two-year programme and the extra opportunities to work with companies in different sectors.

　　For those who do not want to choose, there are à la carte options. Since 2005, LBS has offered students the chance to front-load their study, complete fewer electives and finish the course in 15 months. This option is popular for would-be entrepreneurs who have found a promising project.

　　Columbia Business School in the US offers a 16-month variation, whereby those who do not want an internship can begin the course in January and study through the summer, beginning the second year in sync with the September intake.

　　The biggest difference of all is geographic. For most, the choice is two-year study in the US versus a year in Europe. US classes tend to be slightly younger than those in Europe and they are often less international. Almost all US schools are at least two-thirds North American. But for anyone wanting to work in the US, this offers an excellent insight into US business culture.

　　Comparison is tricky because nobody takes both paths. A two-year programme offers room for manoeuvre and more time to network. A one-year course strips study down to a frenzied sprint, where friendships are bound by shared adversity. At the very least, you learn good time management.

　　MBA：一年还是两年?

　　和极限运动参与者一样，MBA的学生费尽唇舌让他们的朋友、家人以及未来的雇主相信，他们正经历着一次相当累人的经历。商学院是紧张的——我们发现人们都这么说)。这个口头禅模糊了一个事实：包括几乎所有美国MBA课程在内，很多MBA课程都是两年制，而大多数欧洲的MBA课程都是一年制。

　　除了时间长短外，还有什么区别呢?两类课程的时间并非决定商学院排名的主要因素，雇主似乎也没有厚此薄彼。课程提纲看上去也很相似。不过，所有的课程显然不会一样。

　　首先，两者的紧张程度存在区别。在一年制的课程安排中，你别指望会有没课的周五，也别指望工作和生活的平衡。整个项目的压缩，给你留下了很少的空闲时间。如果你落下了，就没有机会再追赶上去了。作为50年前开创一年制MBA的先驱，在欧洲工商管理学院(Insead)，早上8:30开始上课，下午7点结束。节假日也是如此。

　　在这种模式中，大部分核心课程被安排在最初4个月的冲刺期内。工科和经济学科的毕业生们可能会觉得某些课程是小菜一碟，比如统计学和会计学，而对那些没有数学背景或者没有接受过经济学教育的学生来说，它们却难如登山。

　　班级构成也是不同的。一年制课程的班级里，委培学生可能会更多一些，学生的年龄或者更大一些。欧洲的某些一年制MBA班级，学生的平均年龄明显大一些——通常大约29或者30岁，这意味着他们拥有更多的'工作经验。经验较丰富的学生可能会发现，在一个很少有人曾有管理经验的班级里讨论领导力，会让他们有挫败感。

　　至于课堂内容，区别也很明显。一年制的项目会把一个原本10次3小时的课程压缩成16个90分钟的小节。而两年制的MBA课程，如西班牙Iese商学院开设的MBA课程，却有时间坚持哈佛商学院(Harvard Business School)的模式，即每节课都围绕一个商业案例展开讨论。这意味着时间较短的MBA课程不会花时间来复述材料。学生在教科书上可以找到这些材料。

　　这两种学习模式的关键性区别是在校外。两年制项目的核心，是第一学年和第二学年之间长暑假中的一次实习。这份夏季工作可以让学生们暂时放下学习，尝试一份为期12周的不同职业。

　　伦敦商学院(LBS)的大卫?辛普森(David Simpson)表示，一些学生能够成功完成不止一份实习。

　　“这些日子我们发现，实习多于一份、分别在两家完全不同的公司里工作一个月或者更长时间的人数在不断上升。”另外，伦敦商学院的学生在第二年必须与外部一家公司完成一项为期2至4个月的有偿咨询项目。而一年制课程由于极大的时间压力，减少了这些与外界组织实践和互动的机会——尽管不是完全没有。

　　另外一个重要的差异是学生的动机。那些有明确的目标、不需要时间来琢磨和思考的人会发现，一年制课程没有什么可抱怨的。而需要时间来思考、体验自己职业道路的人，可能想要两年制课程额外的灵活性，以及在不同行业公司工作的额外机会。

　　对于那些不想选择的人，还有特别选择。自2005年开始，伦敦商学院为学生提供了提前学习、完成较少的选修课、在15个月内结束课程的机会。这个选择受到那些已经建立了一项有前途的业务、可能成为企业家的学生们的欢迎。

　　美国哥伦比亚商学院(Columbia Business School)提供了一个16个月的变更选择。那些不想实习的学生可以在1月份开始上课，整个夏天都学习，在9月份与其他同学一同入学，开始他们的第二学年。

　　两年制课程与一年制课程最大的不同是地理位置。对于大多数人而言，他们的选项是美国的两年制课程和欧洲的一年制课程。美国班级的同学年龄往往比欧洲的同学年轻一些，国际化程度也弱一点。几乎所有的美国商学院里面，至少三分之二都是北美人。但对那些想在美国工作的人，这里能让你极好地洞察美国的商业文化。

　　对比是可笑的，因为没有人会两条路都选。两年制的项目会提供谋划调动的空间以及更多交际的时间。一年制的课程把学习精简为疯狂的快跑，在患难与共之中建立友谊。至少，你学会了很好地管理时间。

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