USA Business Schools
If you feel that you are in a “dead end” job, you may be able to advance your career by getting an MBA, if you can realistically picture yourself filling a management position. This means that you will need to be skillful in interacting with those you supervise and learn the way they think and react in many different circumstances. If you can develop a sincere respect for your employees and function with them as the leader of a team, they will gradually become more productive in their various roles and your department will run smoothly and efficiently.
About 75% of business school students are employed, and 61% of them actually work full time. Many of them will tell you that these two worlds reinforce one another, and some employers offer tuition reimbursement for their employees’ graduate programs. Typically, they are pursuing careers in finance, marketing, consulting, entrepreneurship, healthcare, human resources public administration, project management, and risk management.
Choosing a business school
In doing this, you can refer to a book from Princeton Review, “Best 290 Business Schools,” and similar publications that provide important information on applying to a graduate program, being admitted, and securing funding for your education. When you apply, you will be expected to write an admissions essay, compile a resume for business school, and appear for an interview—which may be required or done by invitation only.
Top American business schools to consider
- Harvard Business School – Using the case method, they take an interactive approach, blending business-world reality with the student’s formal training to produce managers who can be truly effective.
- Wharton Business School – This school is noted for the tremendous scope of its graduate program, its unique teaching methods, and its faculty’s expertise.
- The Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University) – Working with its students, this institution performs ongoing updates of the curriculum to meet the challenges of our global economy and today’s business world. It also offers genuine field experience to those who enroll in their MBA program.
- Stanford Graduate School of Business – Recognized internationally as a leader in the field, this school stresses leadership capability, global awareness, entrepreneurship, and social innovation. It also provides advanced electives to meet their students’ preferences and needs.
Tests you must take before you apply to business school
You will be required to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) because business schools feel that is an indicator of your future success in graduate school and a good evaluation tool of the student body as a whole. (Because this is a general test, it is not based on a particular field of study.) The exam takes about three hours, and it includes sections on verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing.
The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a specialty test that is also a part of the application process. This four-part exam will test certain basic skills, and it will not assess your business skills and knowledge, your intangible skills, or your expertise in your undergraduate major. There are some common factors in these standardized tests because your scores will be related to those of everyone else in the test group (based on percentiles). Also, most applicants find the essay questions particularly challenging.
As you deal with the admissions office, make every effort to emphasize what you have accomplished, your leadership ability, and your experience in working with a team. To approve your application, business schools will want to be sure that you will fit in well with their program, that it will meet your needs, that you are highly motivated, and that your goals are realistic. Once you have made your choice, you should apply six months before classes begin.
What you should expect in business school
You will find that most MBA programs cover a wide variety of subjects to help students sharpen their evaluation skills and learn to think analytically. You will invest both time and money in getting your graduate degree, and your personal goals and career advancement will be the reasons for taking this step. When it comes to paying for your courses, about 70% of those enrolled in business school receive financial aid, and you will have to face the reality of paying off a sizable loan if you register.
If you enroll in a two-year graduate program, you will have an opportunity to use what you have learned in a business atmosphere between the two years of formal classes with an internship. You should consider this seriously, because many businesses do much of their hiring from pools of applicants who have had this experience. Also, having some previous training in the field of calculus, economics, or statistics will be to your advantage when you apply to business school.
Throughout your program, you will be expected to do a great amount of research and a considerable amount of reading that will enable you to analyze and comprehend the information you gather more quickly. When you are given a written assignment, you will need to evaluate and use the data you have and back it up with effective arguments. Also, be ready to complete weekly assignments in your economics and accounting classes, make presentations in your management and marketing courses, and engage in problem-solving through case studies and team projects.
To succeed as you go through your courses try to do the following
- Make an effort to network with faculty, students, and people at work, to stay informed regarding current business trends, and to make yourself known both on the job and on campus.
- Although time will be a precious commodity, try to stay involved in one or more outside activities to keep your life on an even keel and prevent student “burn out.”
- Make sure that you keep up with your academic deadlines consistently, just as you are expected to do at work.
- Avoid weekend marathon study sessions and try to do some class-related work on a daily basis instead.
