Admissions Myths Destroyed: The “Right” Path
December 22nd, 2009
mbaMission hosts a weekly blog series, “Admissions Myths Destroyed,” for our friends at Beat the GMAT. Check out the BTG site for fresh material and ours for “reprints.” The following piece was penned by mbaMission Founder, Jeremy Shinewald:
Each year we hear from a few people who think that their professional position is a liability: “I am a school teacher. Maybe if I transitioned to consulting, I would get into the school of my dreams.” While bankers and consultants are certainly well represented at top business schools and teachers are not, this is not evidence of a bias among admissions officers, but of the nature of those workplaces. Most bankers and consultants need an MBA to progress past a certain point on the corporate ladder, whereas no teacher truly needs that MBA to progress.
What is more important than focusing on an industry or on a particular community endeavor (Big Brothers Big Sisters is not “better” than the United Way which is not “better” than volunteering at a seniors’ home) is your performance in your endeavors. There are places in the MBA classes for high-performing consultants, bankers, and teachers, something which cannot be said for low-performing individuals in any field. Top programs want a diversity of experience in their classrooms and they want the promise of achievement going forward, not a job title.
Posted in Admissions Myths Destroyed, Blogroll
