“I bet they laughed when I applied for my MBA.”
“That’s what a lot recent college graduates think when they first apply” says Lindsay Hobbs, a graduate school admissions officer at Bentley University.
And “they” could be any of a variety of people, sometimes referring to MBA admissions directors, or to the applicant’s employer if he or she is working, not to mention friends, family, professors who know the applicant, and more.
Why the feeling of inadequacy or concern? It’s usually because recent college graduates don’t think they have enough business experience to impress admissions directors, to hold their own with more seasoned students, or to get the most out of their education because they can filter it through some real-life experience.
Is this feeling justified? The honest answer is . . . sometimes.
“It all depends on where you are with your life and your career,” says Hobbs.
In fact, while there are many considerations in determining whether, when, and where to get an MBA, one of the biggest is how much experience you have. Fortunately, today’s MBA landscape is filled with options that speak directly to the question of experience.
If you have two or fewer years of job experience, you probably want to consider a full-time MBA program that is especially designed for people with little or no experience, people who often are fresh out of college. Bentley developed just such a program a few years ago and response by eager millennial students was immediately strong.
A full-time program works well for students who can handle the financing and who want to get both the broad-based business background and the credential that will testify to it. Many times these are college graduates who have an excellent undergraduate education but no marketable skills or knowledge to impress employers and testify to their ability to make an immediate contribution to the bottom line. That’s why liberal arts graduates in particular find MBA programs for recent grads so attractive.
Even if you have three to five years of experience, a full-time “Emerging Leaders” MBA such as the one at Bentley or Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland might be right for you because it enhances your business understanding and often gives you the ability to specialize through a program concentration. Additionally, students enjoy career counseling targeted toward young professionals, real-world opportunities such as internships and corporate immersion projects, and global business experience courses that expose students to other cultures.
Bishakha Shrestha, a student with some experience in hotel management, decided she needed an MBA to advance her career. “As I moved up to the managerial level, I felt that my undergraduate education in hospitality kind of narrowed my view and perspective. And since I wanted to move up the career ladder, I knew I needed to increase my knowledge and know-how regarding business management. I decided to pursue an MBA after working three years in the same company. I realized that if I didn’t start then, I would never get an MBA degree.”
That perspective often applies as well to working professionals, who choose to pursue their degrees through part-time programs, almost all of which are conducted in the evening, some of which also offer on-line options. These options can vary, ranging from entire courses for foundation or core courses, to real-time interactive engagement with classroom teaching. Working professionals in these programs typically enjoy mid-management status and often feel that what they learn from their fellow student s adds significant value to their educational program.
Finally, for students who are mid-career and have significant experience in business or other endeavors, there are a variety of formats and options, ranging from traditional full-time two-year programs to innovative programs like the Bentley MBA (11 months,) to executive MBA programs that vary in time, distance learning options, and frequency of on-campus classroom learning. Students in such programs have often been identified as having special promise and have employers who are targeting them for senior management upon completion of their degree.
With the return on investment that many MBA programs deliver, you can be sure that no one will be laughing at you when you collect that signing bonus.