Is Haas the right school for you?

vivianwsweng

There are three types of classmates when I was doing my MBA at Haas 2 years ago:

The first type: Those who knew quite clearly what they want to do after Haas. They knew why Haas and what they will do when they get into Haas. They are the ones who had spent significantly amount of their time during the application process to think about themselves- what matters to them the most, what they are good/bad at, what they are passionate about and what turns them off. During the program, they focus only in one or two areas and are often the ones who initiate and leads.

The second type: Those who didn't know what they want to do after Haas but see Haas as a great opportunity to explore their career interests and options. These people knew what they didn't want to do after MBA but couldn't really articulate what they wanted to do. In the first year of the program, they proactively participates in workshop and networking events across different industries and functions. They have a very fulfilling Haas experience as the Haas environment encourages each student to define and pursue their own success.


The third type: Those who are just lost and overwhelmed so they end up just following what other people are doing, may it be tech marketing, PE or whatever-that-most-people-in-that-bschool-thinks-are-the-best-jobs. They are the ones who have the mindset of "entering a top MBA program" is an achievement in itself but have very little clue on what they want to accomplish after Haas. They also don't really know why Haas is a good program for them and the truth is that Haas is probably not the right program for them. I have observed that these people are highly competitive and are mainly driven by their need to feel superior to others. They are overly concern of what other people will think of them and have a weak inner strength. These people will soon realize that Haas is probably not the right environment hence they never feel quite happy about their experience .

I don't encourage people who have the similar thinking as the third type to apply for Haas. If you think that going to a top MBA equals a guranteed successful career, I am deeply worried for you. MBA is a journey, not a destination. More importantly, show the MBA admission that you will be the first or second type if they admit you. I also highly encourage applicants to go read student blogs or talk to as many as alums as you can on your dream school. Unless you have a very clear sense of what the culture and the envirinment of Haas is like and what makes Haas so unique, the admission officers are probably going to be a bit skeptical if Haas is the right school for you.

芮芮

Yes, before we applying for a MBA program, we need to know exactly what we really want to get from this experience.

Thanks Vivian, impressive sharing!

ryangu619

Thanks Vivian ~ Very helpful

可乐罐子

顶楼主，自省之

vivianwsweng

When I begin to apply for my MBA, I had many "doubts"  in my mind, which probably some of you might also face right now. Such as: Do I really need an MBA? Is this the right time for me to go? Is Haas the right program for me?  Which school should I focus more effort on?  What I did was I listed out pros and cons, consulted many of my colleagues who had an MBA degree and read all the related posts on CD. But still, I was pretty lost.

Gradually, I came to realize that while many of us use the rational "ro and Con" approach to evalute weather an MBA is worth the investment or which MBA should I apply, it might be worthwhile to step back a little and just ask ourselves one simple question:

" If I have to be surrounded by Haas people 24/7 ( oh trust me, you will be with your classmates ALL THE TIME no matter which bschool you end up going to), will I still be happy and comfortable?"  

The reason why this is so important is because your learning at the MBA will depend very little on the actual lecture/program, but rather from your proactive participation in the activities that goes on in the school.  How can you participant if you don't like to be surounded by your classmates?   Let's face it, at the end of the day, probably only a handful of the us will go to the best MBA ( namely Harvard and Standford) But that's okay because I believe you don't need the best school to achieve your career goal ( remember, MBA is a journey, not a destination ), you just need to be an environment that allows you to grow into a better and more well-rounded professional.  

If you have any questions regarding if Haas is the right school for you, please feel free to share your thoughts on the post or email to my personal account vivianwsweng(在) gmail.com. I would be happy to share my experience and provide some personal advice to you

如果你們對於申請Haas 有任何疑問或不確定Haas是否適合你的職業規劃，請歡迎在這裡留言或寄信到我個人郵件 vivianwsweng(在) gmail.com

ryangu619

顶起来  希望广大Haas 的Fans 多了解一些学校的情况

tianya111

Haas，是让人会真正从内心喜欢和热爱的学校~~