AIGAC Blog

Why business school?  Every year, tens of thousands of men and women ask themselves this question. Most have been in the work force for two to eight years. Most have risen through the ranks professionally. Some are entrepreneurial, others are on a management track. But all who decide to apply come to that process after serious self-reflection and with preconceived ideas.

First-year business school students and 2009 graduates recently discussed their preconceived ideas about business school. They stepped off the career track to pursue MBAs from careers in private equity, M&A, Telecommunications, Marketing, Property Management, R&D, and IT product development. They all completed their undergraduate degrees between 2001 and 2003. When asked for advice to future applicants, each underscored the importance of clarifying goals – professional and personal — before pursuing an MBA. Another important factor to consider, each believes, is teaching style and networking possibilities.

Speaking about preconceived ideas of business school, a recent Darden graduate said he headed to business school expecting to polish the professional skills he had acquired on the job and to transition from business school into a leadership role with his MBA. He came away from business school with new and burnished skills, along with the understanding that those skills will continue to acquire polish with time and experience.   “My six years of work experience prior to business school consisted of two years of M&A banking and four years of private equity, so my preconceived ideas of business school are based on this experience. I believed that when I left business school in two years I would be equipped with all the knowledge and answers I was looking for beyond what I had learned in my jobs, and that I would feel comfortable immediately stepping into a senior level role.”

“However,” he added, “ I realized that it really does take 20 years of experience to think and react and have the knowledge that comes with 20 years of experience. Maybe my expectations were set a bit high…. I learned a lot in two years, however I think business schools today are more focused on getting students who could not get a certain job without an MBA, and that by providing a wide range of skill sets without a real deep dive into any one discipline, these students can get hired and THEN learn what they need to know on the job instead of learning these things during the two years they are in business school.”

Coming from a strong business background, a Wharton MBA student was “hesitant to go to business school because I did not think the classes would have tremendous value for me and I wanted to have time for self-reflection and to have fun so I was concerned about the intensity level. My concerns proved true but only partially. Some required courses did not interest me tremendously, but I was able to take away something from every class that is now part of my thought process.”

Students spoke of the intensity of their business school experience. “Many people think business school is easy and a vacation. It is far from a vacation. It is a lot of work but a great experience. The rigor and richness of the curriculum adds to the experience,” a first year student stated.

The intensity of business school resonated with another student. “Business school is intense. My classmates are high achievers so there is a level of intensity and determination that comes with the territory, especially around recruiting. Everyone’s schedule is busy but can be structured for individual priorities.”

One Kellogg student feels that “business school met most of my expectations,” but he was surprised about “the tremendous work needed to find a job. Getting into a top five school doesn’t mean that recruiters just give out offers, especially in today’s economy and especially for career switchers.”

Another appreciates “the strong emphasis placed on leadership learning and self-reflection” which he has found to be “a significant part of assignments and discussions.” A first year student realizes that “students are not all born leaders or geniuses” and values “the diversity in personalities, backgrounds, and career aspirations” among his classmates.

“My preconceived ideas of business school were pretty accurate,” a Sloan student stated.  He appreciated “the abundant opportunities for networking” and the fact that “grades aren’t so important.”

All of the students interviewed agreed that applying to business school requires thoughtful consideration and strategizing. “Since a lot of applicants are trying to decide if business school is really even worth attending based on their work experience to date, the learning experience may not be so great for them. These applicants need to think through the network of the MBA program they are buying into. If they want to be on a particular coast post-business school, they should probably go to a school on that coast or in that region, regardless of ranking.”

Discussions thus far have centered on the best and worst things about business school and on how business school stacks up against preconceived ideas. Each of the students and recent graduates interviewed placed high value on his and her classmates, the collegiality of business school, the learning experience, and the opportunity to grow professionally and personally. In a future posting, these students and graduates will share how their career plans have advanced or shifted since they began their MBA programs.

By Maxx Duffy, Secretary and Co-founder of AIGAC; Director of Maxx Associates