Jan 03, 2017

Is an MBA in your future?

When approached with the right perspective, January can be such a refreshing time of year. A time to refocus priorities and take stock of the previous year (good and bad!). With all this reflection, perhaps you realized you’re ready to pursue a different career. Perhaps, you realized you need a little extra help in taking your current career to another level. Perhaps, you think an MBA could help you accomplish these things!

Your next steps might seem overwhelming at first.

Before you dive into all the administrative work that goes into your MBA application (and while you’ve got that introspective momentum), take a step back. Look at the big picture; the MBA degree, your school(s) of choice, and you.

First, think about you: your career path so far, the decisions you’ve made along the way, and where you want to go two years from now, ten years from now, and beyond. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What skills do you want/need to develop to reach your goals? What are you looking for in a living and learning environment? What do you need outside of your academics to allow you to put your energy into your program?

Second, consider the MBA. Why this is the right degree for you? What can you gain from an MBA versus another degree? Talk to people you know with an MBA about their experience and what they learned. This gives you context to think about whether your understanding of the value of an MBA matches the reality. It also helps you to form the basis of your answer to the inevitable question during the application process, “Why do you want an MBA?”

Third, research the schools you’re considering. Learn what is distinctive about each school and program, as well as commonalities between them. Go back to what you wanted to get out of your MBA. How does each school fit your needs? Throw it all into an Excel spreadsheet if you want (you need to get comfortable with those anyway) and see how it fits your priorities.

The final step is to synthesize all the research you’ve done. Knowing yourself, identify what type of MBA makes sense for you and what schools offer the programs you want. Which of those schools best fit your personality but also challenge you to develop and stretch yourself?

There are lots of resources to help you in your research, but the most important resource you have right now is time. Even before the 2017-2018 applications are live, use your time wisely to make the process as smooth and stress-free as possible. And good luck!