Ask Yourself This Question Before Applying For An MBA

One of the most crucial questions you should ask yourself as a prospective MBA applicant is why you want to pursue an MBA in the first place.

Stacy Blackman, of Stacy Blackman Consulting, says this question is important for applicants to ask before they start their applications.

“Before you can start targeting business schools or determining your application strategy, you need to make a critical analysis of whether an MBA is the right next step for your life and career,” Blackman writes.

IS THE MBA RIGHT FOR YOU?

To truly understand if the MBA is right for you, it’s important to understand your goals.

“Ask yourself what you plan to accomplish after business school,” Blackman writes. “If you know what your long-term goal is, that’s a great way to start. What do you need to know to accomplish that goal? How does your resume need to look? What skills do you need to build? And who do you need to know? Think about the aspects of that future that will be developed through graduate management education.”

MBAs can offer a long list of benefits, one of them being the network you graduate with.

“You graduate with a network of people you know, but on top of that, it’s wonderful how responsive the entire alumni network is, even people that you’ve never met before,” Kate Bennett, director of marketing for MBA Admissions at Harvard Business School and a 2009 HBS graduate, says in an HBS blog post.

Yet, while this may be a worthy benefit, Blackman says, there are also reasons that aren’t strong enough to qualify you for pursuing an MBA.

“If you want to advance in a career that values the degree, it may be an important next step,” Blackman writes. “However, if you are simply looking for a larger salary or a change of pace, make sure that an MBA is the right professional degree for you to pursue. Applying for business school is an expensive and time-consuming activity, and that’s before you even start attending.”

HAVE A PLAN B

Blackman advises applicants to have a plan B in case they don’t get admitted to an MBA program.

“Sometimes the answer to the ‘plan B’ question can be revealing,” Blackman writes. “Would you give up your pursuit of an MBA and either return to a prior career path or pursue a completely different goal? If so, it may not be the right time for you to apply to b-school programs.”

Sources: Stacy Blackman Consulting, Harvard Business School