What’s B-School like during COVID-19? MBA Students Explain
What’s B-School Like During a Global Pandemic? MBA Students Share Their Experiences
As if deciding whether to pursue an MBA wasn’t challenging enough, COVID-19 has added a dimension of uncertainty to the equation. As an admissions consultant, I find myself fielding an entirely new set of questions from prospective applicants such as: “Is hybrid worth the cost of tuition?” “How will COVID-19 affect my hiring prospects?” and “Will networking benefits be the same?” To gain some insight, I have reached out to MBA students attending top institutions this Fall to learn how COVID-19 has shaped their experiences. Whether you are still contemplating applying this Fall or you have already submitted applications, I hope their feedback will provide clarity in your decision-making process.
Networking Benefits
A critical component of the MBA experience occurs outside of the classroom -- whether it be studying with classmates, grabbing coffee with an alum or meeting a distinguished guest speaker. Yet, in-person engagement amongst classmates has declined, which can be particularly challenging for first year students. “I think they’ve done a great job setting up zoom meetings, but when I imagined getting an MBA, I always envisioned being around my classmates,” said Natalie Duboise, a first year student at Vanderbilt’s Owen School of Management who is pursuing consulting. “When you can see them face-to-face, stay after class and talk to them in person, it makes the learning more enjoyable and more human.” Lingering in the hallways and grabbing coffee after class may be a thing of the past (for now), but there’s one networking aspect that many students say has improved: access to distinguished alumni and guest speakers.“ The volume of networking opportunities has increased tremendously,” said Deepak Mishra, a second-year student at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business. “A lot of people are willing to hop on the phone or take your zoom call, but it’s up to the students to make that effort.”
Degree Value
On-campus social opportunities may have dwindled, but all of the students I spoke to felt strongly about their degree retaining the same academic value.
“You can get everything you would come to HBS for, from a programming perspective, from the zoom hybrid experience,” said Ryan Flamerich, a second-year student at Harvard Business School. “You’re still going to learn all the things you normally would from top quality professors.” Mimi Trinh, a second-year student at the Yale School of Management, said that her main reason for pursuing the degree is career opportunities, which don’t appear to be waning.“ For me, 70% of going to business school is recruiting,” Trinh said. “As long as recruiting is turning out good, then I will still be very happy.”
Hiring Prospects
Students felt optimistic about internship and hiring prospects, while acknowledging the outlook isn’t rosy for every industry -- especially those like travel and hospitality. Mishra (McDonough ‘21) said he has been actively interviewing with VC firms this semester. “They’re still investing, deal flow is still happening and hiring is starting to pick up now,” he said. “A lot of my peers are interviewing at tech firms, and tech hiring seems pretty robust.” According to Mishra, “there has never been a better time to pursue an MBA than now,” for reasons ranging from the opportunity to build a more robust network remotely, to engaging in a curriculum that is being formed around an unprecedented new business environment.
If you are considering applying this year, or even next -- I would love to speak to you about building a personalized game-plan for you and your future goals. Please feel free to add me on LinkedIn, or book a free 15 minute consultation here!