In my spare time

July 19, 2010:

In my spare time, in the last few months when we *haven't* been updating our blog, I have been diligently spending all my spare minutes and moments working instead to do everything necessary to start my MBA this fall.  I decided to explore the MBA for a lot of reasons, but most especially because it will give me access to jobs and industries that I'm having a hard time breaking into now, and because I need the extra stimulation and challenge of adult conversation and academics.  Unfortunately, I decided about school only a few weeks before most of my applications would be due!  I took the GMAT within a few days (most people do spend a little more time in preparation for the exam) and did well enough, although not as well as I'd done on the practice exams.  I applied to several globally focused programs meant for executives with at least 10 years of work experience.  I like the idea of a little extra travel, and learning more about how business is conducted in other regions of the world.  I knew that at least half of what I would learn during an MBA would be from my peers, so I wanted experienced classmates, and I knew that the EMBA format would allow me to maintain balance with family and work. 

In the end I was accepted into 3 of the 5 programs (which is good, since I only had 24 hours to finish my first application, and so my rejection from that school was no surprise).  For each of the schools I not only had to complete a fairly rigorous application, but fly out to the school for  interview.  I surprised myself by picking University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.  It was the least global of all the programs, but just felt "right" immediately during the interview, and on paper.

I'll start August 24, and it'll take 20 months to complete.  I'll fly to Ann Arbor once a month for a weekend of classes, and will spend the time between working on group projects, individual learning assignments, reading, and exams.  Wish me luck!

-Erin