MBA Jay
Chicago, IL
Male, 29
I recently graduated from a Top 10 b-school. I learned a fair amount, had tons of fun, and made some great friends. But while having the diploma is great, I’m still unsure as to whether I would’ve been better off remaining in the workforce for those two years. Ask me anything.
I thought you'd never ask! Yes. Big-time. Mine was a fairly small class of mostly mid- to late-20 somethings, so you better believe there were a lot of intra-class hijinks. One of the running jokes was how b-school is a lot like high school, in that it’s small enough that everyone knows everyone and there are no secrets. So not only were there a ton of hook-ups, but everyone was keenly aware of all of them. A few sets of classmates even wound up getting married.
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I wouldn't recommend taking the GMAT until you're absolutely sure you want to apply to business school. Even if it seems like a certainty right now, A LOT can happen in the first few years after undergrad that may affect that decision, such as changes in career direction, financial hiccups, romantic relationships, and a host of others unpredictables. Personally I'd wait at least a year or two into your first job, and then decide if an MBA (and by extension, the GMAT) is worth your time. To your question about whether it's difficult to study while working - definitely not. At worst, it's an inconvenience. GMAT's are offered extremely frequently (literally every week), so you can schedule yours at a time that's convenient (perhaps during the summer when work slows down a bit, or after a holiday break from the office). In my and my peers' experience, the average study time required is about a month. Some people would study for an hour a day after work (like me), while others would do longer study sessions on the weekends only. It's really not that taxing, and regardless of your aptitude level (which I'm guessing is high since you're inquiring so early in the game), anything more than a month is probably overdoing it. I had two close friends -- very smart people -- who overstudied themselves into the ground with endless marathon sessions, expensive tutors, etc. Both took the GMAT three times, and had their scores DECREASE each time. Point being, a relaxed month of consistent studying is probably the right formula, and this can definitely be accomplished while working a full-time job. One other related note - I remember rolling my eyes every time I heard this while applying to b-school, but it really is the truth: GMAT scores just aren't that important in the admissions process. And yes, this goes for the Harvards, Stanfords, Whartons, too. B-school admissions offices are FAR more interested in your story -- your background, your future goals, and why you think an MBA is necessary to achieve them. Most of this will come through in your essays and interviews -- that's the stuff to really focus on. The more personal your story, the better, e.g. personal tragedies or triumphs, your upbringing, your fears and apprehensions, etc. As a rule of thumb, if you feel a little vulnerable when writing your essays, you're probably on the right track. Hope this helps!
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Ah, group-work. The most deceptively pain-in-the-ass part of b-school. While I can't speak for all programs, ours skewed about 60-40 in terms of group vs individual assignments. And let me tell you, as great as "group-work" sounds, it's a huge life lesson in the 80/20 rule, in that 80% of the work will be completed by 20% of the people...always. I tended to hate group-work in business school because I regularly found myself in that 20%. What can I say...I wanted to get as much as I could out of the program, and sadly, as soon people can sniff a workhorse in the group, they sit back and enjoy the ride. Case method is a mixed bag. For those who don't know, many b-schools use real-life case studies of company dilemmas to teach certain lessons. I liked some of these, in that it's a great way to bridge theory with real-world problems. However, many of the cases were severely dated, and while there are still lessons to be gleaned from them, it's harder to relate to the material. All in all I think case-method is definitely a great component of b-school instruction, but there are certain schools (namely Harvard) that imho, are overly reliant on it.
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For someone with a good breadth of business experience (e.g. banking, consulting, entrepreneurship), it’s true that an MBA program probably won’t provide them with a TON of incremental learning and training. Though in all fairness, they may take certain classes outside of their wheelhouses that can open their eyes to industries or disciplines they hadn’t previously considered. But for the most part, these types of students are getting the MBA for the “union card” – certain desirable jobs simply require them, so they nab a diploma to check it off the list.
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Did you experience the notorious 100-hour work weeks?
Great, great question. It all depends on the attitude of that significant other toward your classmates. Some absolutely love the new social circle and throw themselves in head-first, blending in effortlessly. In my class this happened often, even to the point where certain spouses, fiancés, etc of our classmates would hang out with us independently. But on the other hand, many significant others felt intimidated by the class camaraderie and chose to be outsiders, which can obviously cause friction in their relationships. There was an expression,“Black Friday”, which meant that if you were in a relationship at the start of b-school but were not yet engaged or married, you’d be broken up by the Friday after Thanksgiving at the latest. This was, sadly, pretty accurate. When a significant other assumes outsider status, it gets very difficult to explain why you “need” to join your classmates for another keg party, ski trip, or costume party.
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The quick answer is "probably", but I’m only about 60/40 on this one. Even though I don’t feel like I absorbed a ton of new useful knowledge from the classroom, I do think that if nothing else, the experience provides you with a strong sense of confidence as you venture out into the business world or start your own company. And I did make some phenomenal friends. But if I were to do it all over again, I would have focused considerably less on the classroom and more on the extra-curriculars.
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Your college major is irrelevant; admissions officers are far more interested in *why* you're looking to get your MBA. You could be a Finance major who wants to sharpen his existing tool-set, or a Sanskrit major looking to make a career change. Just tell the honest story in your essays and interviews of where you've been vs. where you want to go. Regarding GPA's, I'll say something similar to my point in an earlier question about GMAT scores. They're not THAT important. Don't get me wrong: if you're looking to attend a top school and had a 1.7 GPA in college, you'd need a REALLY unique and credible story to explain the poor past academic performance. But on the other hand, a 4.0 doesn't guarantee admission by any means. Generally speaking, admissions officers use GPAs (and GMATs) as a "check-the-box" item to weed out red flags, but then focus more on your past work experience and how you've articulated your plans to use your MBA in the future. If I had to ballpark some #'s, and assuming you're looking at selective schools, I'd say that so long as you had >3.0 GPA, > 600 GMAT, and thoughtful personal essays, you'll at least merit admissions consideration. That said, I've had dozens of friends with lower grades/scores get into top-tier programs, and others with near perfect scores get denied. I'll say it again and again: your story is everything.
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