How The MBA Application Process Takes Over Your Life

Since I started preparing for GMAT, my life has essentially been taken over. All I do is live and breathe the essays, the application forms, and the forums. All I talk about is my application strategy, the deadlines, and my apprehensions. My friends and especially my wife are on the verge of a breakdown due to the incessant MBA chatter, half of which they do not understand.

Is this good?

On the surface, it appears that this kind of obsession is very unhealthy. Really? An MBA degree is all that matters to you? You are ready to let something so silly start defining you and dictating to you. I agree to most of this but deep down somewhere I am ok with the obsession. It’s almost a good thing. It means that I am truly passionate about this next step of my life and believe that it will catapult me in terms of knowledge and thinking. Or will it?

While there are several reasons for doing an MBA, one of the most important reasons for me is the sheer exposure to ideas and talent that you get at the top business schools. I have always found that the best way to elevate yourself is by surrounding yourself with people who are far better than you. This is what I want to do at a Harvard or a Stanford – surround myself with geniuses and hope that some of the genius will rub off on me.

The top B-Schools also serve to catapult you by putting you in direct contact with the Who’s Who of the world and instantly giving you a much larger canvas to play with. I sincerely believe that the big things done in the world are really no big deal in the end. Coming up with grand ideas is easy but if you don’t have the right resources in terms of people and connections, you will rarely be able to achieve what you set out to do. An MBA degree at a top schools puts the resources of the world at your disposal and says, “Now, show me what you can do. Don’t just talk, Do.” In a way this is scary. All your life you can brag about how great you are and what amazing ideas you have but you can always make an excuse about why you never did anything with those ideas. Can you really do that after H/S or W or K or ..? Can you really say you were not given the opportunity. Boy, you better step upto the plate and prove your mettle. It is your last tangible change at stratospheric success; your last chance to impact the world and leave it a better place.

Well, that’s what I think at least. Ciao.

This report is adapted from The Phoenix’s blog posts at “The MBA Roller Coaster.” Previous posts on Poets&Quants:

Introducing The Phoenix

How I Scored a 770 on the GMAT On My First Try

Two Applications Down, Two More To Go For Round One

 

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