Married to my MBA (Special post – Valentine’s Day edition)

Valentine’s Day has come and gone, and we are all hopefully basking in the “warm and fuzzy feeling” of having done the right things and made the right decisions for the day. In keeping with the spirit of love and good choices, we look at the Business School selection process and how it is like a marriage.

Like the latter, the former is something you want to do right and do once, and will have to live with for the rest of your life. As such, the right level of introspection and due diligence must go into the business school selection process as would a life partnership, to ensure many years of “marital bliss”.

There are many good programmes, all with a great curriculum, erudite faculty, student diversity and an intellectually stimulating environment that will expand your perspective and build the skills you need for the next phase of your life and career.

However, you need to dig deeper to appreciate the intangibles that each individual school offers and the unique personality each has, and assess how this fits with who you are and where you want to go. To help with this process, Total Ascent has put together a shortlist of some of the items you should consider in finding the “ideal match” for your business school ambitions.

Location: Location is a key consideration. Do you prefer a school in a big city, out in the “boondocks” or somewhere in-between? Are you easily affected by (cold) weather or is it all typically another new experience for you?

The environment and culture of the school will also play a major part in how enjoyable the experience is – you don’t want just to pass through the school but for the school to pass through you. Business Schools in Europe, the United States and Asia also offer different value in terms of accessibility, duration, post-MBA work opportunities and mix of students. Your location should match your plans.

Programme size: A proper assessment of your preference in terms of class and programme size is a must. Some individuals prefer the personalisation and deeper interactions that come from smaller sized programmes while others prefer the networking opportunities and diversity that come from larger programmes. Your personal preference should be a major consideration in your choice as it will determine your level of comfort and engagement during the programme.

Oluwatosin Okojie

Tosin has an MBA from Yale University and is the CEO of Total Ascent (HYPERLINK “http://www.total-ascent.com” www.total-ascent.com), a Test Preparation (GMAT/GRE/ACCA) company.