Beginning an MBA program can be both exciting and overwhelming. Whether your particular program is full-time or part-time, in-person or online, parts of your life will soon become more challenging. But never fear.
Here are five ways to overcome the most common problems you may face.
Adjusting to a New Place
Are you moving across the country to attend business school? Even if you chose a program in your current neighbourhood, you will likely encounter a new environment and a new culture.
Your program might be held on a university campus, but earning an MBA is not like attending college. The pressures are greater, and the stakes are higher.
If you have not had a chance to explore your new surroundings yet, do so before classes begin. Take a campus tour. Familiarize yourself with the resources available to you as a business student. Introduce yourself to any faculty and staff you might meet. This will help you feel more comfortable as you move forward in your MBA journey.
Connecting With New People
Before business school, your life may have had a set social routine. Your family, friends, colleagues and neighbours all had set places within your schedule. Now, you have a new set of people to interact with – classmates, professors, careers directors and company representatives. How can you make time for everyone?
The key to living a successful MBA lifestyle is prioritization. Take out your calendar and make a list. Determine what needs to be done and when, who you need to communicate with and how, and where you need to be and why.
Take advantage of this exciting period in your life by building relationships with like-minded learners.
Additionally, while you are making new friends, ensure you maintain strong relationships with your old ones. These relationships will grow and change throughout this process, but they may serve to keep you grounded as you navigate through business school.
Class Schedules
Do you have one, two, or three classes per day? No problem. But there are different types of work that come with each class. How can you meet with your operations study group, complete a 100-page reading assignment, develop a presentation, and craft a persuasive speech on consumer strategy in just one evening?
Apply the skills you learned during your GMAT prep – identify your strengths and weaknesses. For example, if you are strong in marketing but weak in accounting, work with a classmate who can further explain accounting to you.
Your academic standing is important but it is important to remember that it is only one part of the business school experience. Much of your learning and growing as an MBA student will happen outside of the classroom.
Exposure to Many Companies
Numerous unfamiliar opportunities will present themselves to you during your business school experience. You may have begun your MBA with a focus on finance, but an internship with a consulting company could suddenly seem appealing. What should you do?
Pace yourself. Identify the industries and functions you are most interested in pursuing while allowing yourself room to explore. Attend presentations from a variety of companies. Speak with their representatives to learn more about their corporate culture and what you can expect if you join their team.
Even if you do not apply to work with every company you interact with, you will still benefit by gaining a better sense of the available options.
Attending Conferences
Many organizations host national conferences for MBA students. Each conference can present an MBA student with a plethora of opportunities to meet fellow students, alumni, company representatives and industry leaders.
But as traveling to each conference during the school year can be time-consuming and expensive, choose one or two great ones to attend – and then make the most of your time there. The benefits will be well worth the effort.
New places, new people, new classes and new opportunities are all part of the MBA experience. As many business school graduates will tell you, time will fly by. Enjoy it while you can.
Mahlena-Rae Johnson is a professional GMAT tutor and contributing writer for Varsity Tutors. She received her MBA from University of Southern California in 2010 and scored a 740 on the GMAT.
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