Walking the tightrope

 

Managing your time to achieve a winning MBA application while also achieving success in your full time job can be a real balancing act.

 Let’s face it:  once you have decided to return to b-school, you begin to lose a little interest in your job. 

 This is a reality we all face, yet one which warrants consideration.  While you may not care as much about how highly you achieve your goals at work anymore, you must remember that finishing well will make you not only feel better, but will also secure good recommendations when you may need them the most. 

 Leaving your employer well positioned for success will engender good, longstanding relationships which can come in handy when seeking references for internships in b-school.  Remember that you begin interviewing for internships very early into your first year, since schools try to line up their summer internship class even before the Christmas holidays in many cases.  Often the only references you can muster come from your last professional stop before starting your MBA program.

 Always leave a job better than you found it.

 This is an ethical approach to employment and will serve you well your whole career.  Want to really feel good about yourself?   Turn up the performance dial in your last few months.  Challenge yourself and set a high bar.  You are only going to thank yourself later when you see how hard you have to work post MBA.  The average work week for MBA holders is around 70 hours per week initially.  This is not for the feint of heart and while it may not be too far from what many applicants are already doing on the job before they start school, for others, it’s a whole new ball of wax. 

 Pushing yourself at work will give you the adrenaline and serotonin rush you will need to start business school with fervor and drive.  Trust me---you’ll need it.

 Still, you must carve out enough time to fashion a thorough and compelling application.  You can’t turn up the heat on yourself at work so high that you fail to put 100% effort into your applications too.  What seems to work well, however is this rush you get from achieving at work ends up coming across in your applications and especially in your interviews for b-school if you are lucky enough to get them.  Walking the tightrope between delivering a great application and delivering great results at work is not easy, but pays off in the end.

 For information on how we can guide your business school application process, email us at mba@amerasiaconsulting.com or go to http://www.amerasiaconsulting.com/contact