Is College Worth It Nowadays?

[Flashermac]

Ah ... networking. I've asked Thai students why they studied for a BBA in Thailand rather than abroad. Networking was their answer. They said you'd get a better education studying for a BBA abroad, but you wouldn't have any contacts in Thailand. The solution was to get a BBA in LOS, then go abroad for an MBA. In Thailand everything depends on who you know.

 

 

[Mekong]

Interesting point that Flash, of the educated Thais I know the majority followed the BBA in Thailand, usualy either Thammasat or Chula followed by MBA overseas and a few who did both overseas.

 

I didn't think about it much until you brought it up, but it appears that the Thai's who did BBA in LOS land the more prestigious and higher paying positions than the ones who did BBA overseas. Come to think of it, the Profesional Thais I know working overseas fall into the BBA overseas catagory it appears they don't get the same opportunities in Thailand.

 

People say that the "Old School Tie" network is bad in UK, but it is just as bad, if not worse, over here. Its a known fact that many companies favour Grads from a specific Uni and tend to do business with other companies whom favour the same uni. Its comes as no surprise that the majority of my wifes friends / connections all graduated from the same Uni as she did.

[cavanami]

Same if not more networking goes on in Japan.

My fellow graduates in the USA...we about never saw each other again, very different.

[Flashermac]

Thammasat started the English language BBA programme in Thailand right after the 1997 crash, when suddenly many families could no longer send their children overseas. It was a brilliant success, and Chulalongkorn followed suit about 5 years later. Even Ramkhamhaeng has a BBA programme, but how much respect does a degree from there get?

 

There's a definite pecking order of universities. A lot of Thais double it by taking their undergrad degree at either TU or CU and their MA/MBE at the other. To be honest, universities have to be judged by individual faculty. Medicine at Mahidol is well above TU or even CU, whilst Commerce and Accountancy at TU is considered better than CU and the rest. But most Thais don't seem to realise that and consider CU tops overall. I don't.

 

 

 

[unit731]

I can certainly appreciate attending a university for a BS or BA when you're 18 for the socialization part of it.

 

However, would the same hold true for a Master's? Wouldn't an online degree be okay as long as its marketable?

 

 

Networking and meeting friends for life.

 

In the ideal world you would send the young person off to college. The student would live on campas. Make friends. Mabye join a fraternity or sorority - and make more lifetime friends. And somewhere in there obtain a marketable degree. Best even to have dual majors.

 

Then directly off to grad school - to network and make more friends.

 

That to me is the ideal world. But quite expensive.

 

Some jobs/corporations will pay for grad school while employed in job. So in this case it is usually weekend or night school.

 

There are two parts to a degree. The socialization/friends/networking - and the paper degree. Both important. The paper degree is needed to open doors for employment and advancement. The socialization/friends/networking may find these doors - and possibly open a few of them.

 

 

[Mekong]

Thammasat started the English language BBA programme in Thailand right after the 1997 crash, when suddenly many families could no longer send their children overseas. It was a brilliant success,

 

 

It started well before then, the wife did her BBA in Ecconomics (English Language Course)at TU 1993-1997, and her elder brother and sister even earlier. Maybe the Englsih Language course gained more popularity post 1997 crash/

[Flashermac]

 

 

Interesting. I'd been told it started because of the crash.

 

<< The Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (International Program), informally known as “BBA (International Program) or BBA for short,†is a four-year undergraduate program in Business Administration offering three areas of concentration: accounting, finance, and marketing. All classes are conducted in English. BBA instructors are full-time faculty member of Thammasat University, visiting professors from universities overseas, and adjunct professors from the local business community. The program admits 120 students from approximately 700 applicants per year.

 

[color:red]Established in 1990[/color], the BBA offers a unique opportunity for students to participate in the business school’s world-wide exchange program under the Partners in International Management (PIM) net work. Under PIM, BBA students have an open door to spend part of their educational experience in over fifty leading business schools across five continents.

 

Throughout their studies with the BBA, students receives financial support to participate in case competitions, varsity debates, business essay competitions at home and overseas. >>

 

http://www.bba.bus.tu.ac.th/

[dean]

Interesting topic (for me, anyway). With my wife's 3 kids going to school in the U.S., and probably getting U.S. citizenship (and keeping their Thai citizenship), it sounds like any degree that they earn (in business or engineering) in the U.S. won't be as valuable as a degree at a certain Thai university, because of the networking. I've always thought that, if on of my wife's kids get a degree, work at a U.S. company (that preferably has ties with Thai businesses) for a few years and, if they decide to move back to Thailand, they might get the contacts that they need that way. From what has been discussed, that isn't likely.

[dean]

As an aside, with the problems that my wife's kids have had in their classes in the U.S. with knowing the English language, don't other Thai's have the same problems, coming to the U.S. for their college or post college education? I realize that they come from better schools but the one's that I have met that are going to university here don't speak great english.

[cavanami]

I was in Tesco Lotus the other and a young lady (18?) working at the store approached me and asked if she could help me...her English (American) was perfect!

One of the BM here, his wife speaks flawless American as she completed her MBA in the USA.

 

When I am in the China Town area of BKK, many, many of the Thai-Chinese speak flawless English.

 

The Thais can and do learn English, so your children can learn given a little time.