Why mba now

The good news, however, is that MBA programs are typically built around professionals with busy and multifaceted lives. Online and part-time options, such as the MBA degree program at Villanova University , allow students to deepen their knowledge of the business world while maintaining their careers and balancing personal commitments.

The time is always now. Consider these seven reasons why you should take the next step in your career by earning an MBA:. However, because an MBA is optional, it will give you an edge over other candidates in the field, when looking for opportunities for advancement.

After earning an MBA you will likely notice increased interest from employers and find that you are eligible for more advanced and higher-paid positions. Enhanced leadership skills An MBA can equip you for a leadership role within an organization in your field. As the Harvard Business Review pointed out, many leading MBA programs will place an emphasis on building strong interpersonal and leadership skills.

Great MBA programs teach you how to become an effective manager. While you may already work in a management position, the ability to build on and refine your leadership skills in an academic setting, with peers looking to do the same, is a significant opportunity that you consider.

Affordability One factor that deters some professionals from returning to higher education is the cost. However, as The Princeton Review noted, online courses can be cheaper. There are also opportunities to secure scholarships and financial aid, although this is generally more difficult at the advanced degree level.

Many companies offer financial assistance to employees who want to earn an MBA. In this role, I will be called upon to set the financial agenda of the bank, determining policy and deciding which industries to get involved in. I will be required to successfully manage dozens of people, having to motivate and guide them toward executing our strategy.

Yet my aspirations do not stop there. After gaining expertise in capital and equity finance, and acquiring leadership experience, my dream is to man senior positions in the public financial sector.

He, my father and I have all been called upon to defend the country during wartime. While my grandfather built the country with a saw and hammer, I would like to build up its financial strength by developing its capital markets. I hope to assume leadership roles in such bodies as the Ministry of Treasury or the Israel Securities Authority.

The path of gaining experience and expertise in international financial institutions, and then taking positions in the public sector, has been followed by a number of key figures. My current position as a commercial banker has given me experience working with businesses from different industries, making credit decisions, motivating employees, and managing campaigns.

To succeed as a financial consultant however, I will need to acquire skills in analyzing capital markets and quantitatively evaluating investment possibilities. An MBA from a program which combines a rigorous grounding in quantitative analytical tools will give me these skills. Additionally, why is Columbia Business School a good fit for you? The following essay was submitted to the Columbia MBA program by our client. My long-term professional goal is to start my own medical technology venture.

Many of the projects I have been working on in the Technology Unit of the Intelligence Directorate utilize technologies that are applicable to medical devices. Over the years, out of research and personal interest, I have come up with several innovative ideas that I believe can improve diagnosis and procedures in fields of dental health and cardiology.

The roles I have held in 10 years of military service have required me to implement and develop my teamwork, management and leadership skills, as well as my cognitive and engineering skills. My strong understanding of the challenges introduced by technology, gained through all levels of involvement in interdisciplinary technological projects, from an engineer, through team and department leader, to project manager, will contribute to the success of the initiative.

However, I need an MBA to learn how to transform my ideas into a viable business. I must learn skills related to finance, marketing and strategic planning, in order to participate in the entire process of developing new technologies, and I believe that Columbia Business School offers unparalleled opportunities in the fields of entrepreneurship, product management and healthcare.

I feel now is the right time for me to take all that I gained from my significant military service experience, as well as my initial foray into entrepreneurship, and take it forward with me to the world of business. Since I feel that my military service has already enabled me to make a significant contribution, and since I have grown and developed over the past 10 years, I have now decided to challenge myself in new ways.

Find out how to develop your MBA resume, select and prepare your recommenders and develop winning essays that highlight your uniqueness. Plus, we will cover important application mistakes to avoid! What do you need to do to prepare for your business school interview? An experienced senior consultant from mbaMission, will help prospective MBAs understand the types of questions that may be asked to best prepare for interviews. Don't miss this webinar on November 17 to learn tips for getting accepted into a top program!

What do you need to do to be a standout applicant for one of these programs? Inquire for a free minutes one-to-one discussion! Why MBA? Why Now? Own Kudos [?

As you can see, there are two questions here: Why are you pursuing an MBA? And why is now the best time for you to do so? Another way to phrase this question is: What do you want to do that requires an MBA? Therefore, when addressing this question, you must focus on what your career goals are and why you need an MBA to achieve them. Short-term, intermediate, and long-term goals Before you draft your goals essay, you need to work out three types of goals: short-term, intermediate, and long-term.

Short-term goals are immediately post-MBA until about two years later; intermediate goals are about two to five years post MBA; and long-term goals are those goals from five years in the future onwards. Essays usually ask for short- and long-term goals, but awareness of your intermediate goals will help you bridge the gap between the two. Define your short-term goal in terms of function and industry. In other words, what do you want to do after your MBA not study during the program and in what industry do you see yourself doing it?

If geographic location is relevant, include it too. Also, since no one can predict the future of an industry in flux like healthcare , be sure that your goals reflect this fluidity. Answering specific goals questions Read the question carefully, and emphasize in your writing what the question emphasizes e. In other words, let the question guide you. Often a question will ask why you want an MBA or why you want to attend a particular program.

Link these points directly to your goals — again, your career goal is your reason for attending a specific program and for pursuing an MBA. Some programs, either in essay or interview questions will also want to know how your goals developed. What makes you tick? An authentic answer that tells your story creates excitement about your dream. What is experience? When you describe an experience, you are describing those events — the when, where, and how — that lead to the development of your goals.

What is motivation? Motivation is that pivotal point when an experience gained traction with you, when you became captivated and engaged in such a way that you were led to pursue a specific path.

It can contain emotional, experiential, and analytical elements. While generally separate entities, these elements can be intertwined in your goals essay.

Here is a brief example, slightly modified from a goals essay co-author Cindy Tokumitsu and I wrote for a hypothetical applicant in The Consultants Guide to MBA Admission : Last year, when I was in Taiwan advising a global financial services company on consolidating its Asia strategy, I found myself thinking what a shame it was that my relationship with the client proved responsive rather than proactive.

Following that experience, I envisioned a new consulting paradigm resembling primary care medicine, based on a long-term, prevention focused relationship between the consultant and client. Describing your experiences and motivation, when asked for them, will transform your goals from static to dynamic.

Important: Make sure that your goals really require an MBA. Any and all learning is helpful for almost any endeavor, but the adcoms want to see that you really need the resources that an MBA and specifically an MBA from their program will offer. In addition to asking why you need an MBA, many b-school goals essays will also ask you to explain why you are applying now. In this sample answer we can see that the interviewee has provided some useful context about their previous work experience, stated their career objectives and why this path interests them, and then explained that now is the right time to get an MBA education.

We hope this information is helpful for all you aspiring MBA candidates out there! Please take plenty of time to carefully consider how you would respond to this frequently asked question before you enter your interview. Or if you would like to seek our expert assistance in interview preperation , feel free to reach out to us at info transcendadmissions.