At a Crossroads: Selecting the Right MBA Program
I’m writing from La Jolla, California, which is just north of San Diego. Tony! Toni! Tone! lied when they said that it never rains in southern California. It’s been a little rainy here. I’m planted in a chair working so I guess the weather shouldn’t matter that much, but I want sunshine! Hopefully, Tuesday will bring the sun out. I’m here on vacation – I cannot tell you how bad my planning was on this one. With a couple big projects due in the next ten days, I’ve been working lots, sleeping little (which is not my style). I keep reminding myself as I skip my afternoon vacation siestas, that the work I’m doing now is “important to me”. Of course, I want it to benefit others, but in the end the decision to pursue this path over another one comes down to what I value.
This is the time of year in which lots of MBA candidates are choosing one path versus another. It’s school selection time. After months of school research, crafting perfect essays and subtly begging for a spot in some business school’s MBA program, you now have options. They chose you, but now you get to choose from among them.
One of the most common school selection scenarios is getting admitted to your top choice MBA program but receiving with little financial support and also getting into your second choice and receiving a big scholarship. Ultimately this is a personal choice and you are likely choosing between two fabulous options so you can’t go too wrong. At this crossroads, as with any other big decision, you must be honest about what is important to you before opting for one path over another.
When considering the MBA program that you will attend, start with an objective assessment. Consider the pros and cons of your various school options and then get feedback from others on that list of strengths and weaknesses. Get as many opinions and ideas as you can, not so you can blindly follow, but so you can ensure that you have captured all of the important factors before you make a decision. Then look inward for answers.
You have laid out all of the pros of one school versus the cons of another and vice versa. Now determine what is important to you. And keep it real! Don’t prioritize factors because you think you should; really think about what you want. You don’t ever have to admit to anyone what factors drove your decision to select one business school over another. In fact, when asked you can totally make up something that sounds insightful and profound. But you have to be honest with yourself about why you want to attend that MBA program.
Figure out the factors that are most important to you. For example, is it school ranking, prestige, cost, scholarships, or location? Take school prestige for example, most of us value prestige and status at some level. We would prefer to work at a company that has a stronger reputation or attend a school that others hold in high esteem. But I’ve worked with a few of MBA candidates for whom the prestige of the MBA program was the most important factor in choosing a school. If they couldn’t attend a school in the Top 10 as reported by US News and World Report, then they weren’t going. I can give you my opinion on that line of thinking, but in the end it’s their call to make. Here’s the thing, what you value is your business, not mine; it is personal to you. It’s not wrong or right, it just is.
One final thought: While I want you to determine your truth – that which you value and which is important to you. Anytime you are making a critical decision, take time to also reflect on your aspirations and on your fears. What are you hoping for? What are you afraid of? Often our decisions are driven by the fear of missing out on something. Challenge your assumptions and views or talk to someone who will challenge your thinking.
