Shortlisted: How I decided on where to apply

I decided last fall that I wanted to get an MBA. I didn't have much time to decide where I was going to apply.

At that time, I was in serious *like* with my job. We were going steady for a while, but I wanted to wear someone else's letter jacket to school on game days. I thought there were other fish in the greener sea, or whatever tortured analogy you'd like to use. While I liked my job, I'd classify myself as a career switcher.

Now, I was already working in a post-MBA position at a consulting firm. I figured, if I get into school, great. If not, I'll stay at my company at a job I like. I had nothing to lose. So, I decided to gamble and maximize my ROI by applying only to top programs. I trimmed the list based on where I would and would not live. I ruled out the Midwest (U.S.), kept the East Coast (U.S.), West Coast (U.S.) and Europe. For now, but probably not for long, the top MBA programs are still in the U.S.

I didn't apply to any safeties. If I'm going to spend $150k in tuition and living expenses, plus a few hundred $K in opportunity cost, I should go somewhere which will open doors for me. Besides, a half-assed application is pretty transparently half-assed.

Ultimately, I'm happy about where I applied. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably sub out INSEAD for Columbia. It was time for me to leave NYC, and this would have guaranteed it.

looking back

I tend not to write many things down. This is usually a plus since it reduces the paper clutter in my life. The minus is that I tend to forget. Result: Good for trees, bad for learning from my experiences.

I've decided to try something new: writing things down. The past six months have been a whirlwind of work (both applications and the kind I get paid to do) and agonizing, but I am finally in at an MBA program. Two, actually. I had the rare luxury of picking after all those months of hoping one of the schools I applied to would pick me.

It was looking pretty grim there, but it all turned out fine. I sent the enrollment check a few weeks ago and everything. Looks like I'll be getting an MBA.

It's been an interesting process so far. I won't tell you where I've decided to go yet. That's the destination and I'm still talking about the journey. But it is part of the story and I'll get there.

I'm starting this blog to share my experiences as an MBA applicant for 2008. I would definitely change some of the things I did, and I would gamble on some of my decisions, too. I want to share since I empathize with MBA applicants. It's scary, difficult and agonizing. But it will probably turn out fine. After all, you just need one admit.

If anything I've written here resonates with you, send me an e-mail. I'd love to hear your stories, too.