Doing the Analysis on the Pros & Cons of Going to B-School

Since I began my preparation for the GMAT over half a year ago, I’ve had a pretty steady diet of activities geared toward getting me admitted to business schools: studying for and taking the test, contacting recommenders, researching and visiting schools, talking to current students and alumni, gathering supporting material, writing essays, submitting applications, interviewing, losing motivation (okay, maybe not this one) and then regaining my mojo in time to complete the rest of my applications.

After my off-campus interview with a Kellogg alumnus, however, I have done what I can at this point to convince the remaining schools I am waiting to hear from to let me in. All I can do is wait for Kellogg to make an admissions decision and for Booth to either invite me to interview or reject me without one. It’s quite nice – although a bit odd – to suddenly have a mental break from the continuous process of advocating on my own behalf. It’s as if I were running a marathon, and the race was temporarily halted as I neared the finish line.

In the meantime, with the admissions process nearing its end, I am shifting my focus from getting into business school to the next stage – performing a deeper evaluation on the pros and cons of actually attending. That analysis began before I started studying for the GMAT and it continued throughout the admissions process; but now that getting an MBA (and spending two years and six figures in debt along the way) is an actual option, I will be digging even deeper into that issue.

As I consider my options over the coming months, monetary return on investment will be subordinate to the much greater question of whether going to business school now is the best use of my time and resources to align my current circumstances with my ideal career and life. While I do think that business school is a step in the right direction, I do not know yet whether it’s the best step for me. Fortunately, although everyone’s circumstances are different, there are plenty of people and resources I can draw on to help make a decision.

This post is adapted from Just Ship, a blog written by an anonymous MBA applicant who has a GMAT score above 760 and is targeting six or seven of the top ten business schools. You can read all of his posts at Just Ship.

“Just One of 4,653 Applicants Trying To Get Into A Top B-School”

“Why I’m Not Applying to Harvard Business School”

“The Deafening Silence Is Broken: An Invitation to Interview from NYU’s Stern School”

“Why An Applicant Interview Requires A Different State of Mind”

“All Is Quiet on the MIT Sloan Front”

“A ‘Yes” from NYU Stern. A ‘No’ from MIT Sloan”

“Kellogg Gets His (Likely) Final Application”

“A Rejection from Columbia B-School”

“Prepping for a Kellogg Interview”