Pre-MBA courses
Applying to MBA programs is by itself an arduous task. After all the hard work, time and effort you’ve put into the application process, you finally have an admit. Congrats! So, what next?
Among the top questions many applicants have in the pre MBA phase is ‘Am I prepared to take on the challenges of an intensive MBA program?’
You would have had a long break from academics, so the jitters are natural. Taking a plunge back into student life would require some pre MBA preparation that gives you a head start and allows you to keep pace with the rigor that the program demands.
Why Pre-MBA courses?
An MBA cohort sees students coming in from a wide array of industries including technology, healthcare, manufacturing, journalism, energy, government, social impact among others. The students would have diverse educational backgrounds as well as varied roles.
In fact, majority of the students would hardly have any knowledge or practical experience related to topics covered in an MBA curriculum. Those with an undergraduate business degree may have some advantage as they’d be familiar with the various concepts taught in their undergraduate curriculum.
However, considering that they’ve been into their career for the last few years, they could use a refresher course too, after the long break from academics.
Let’s look at some facts and statistics from the top MBA programs to know what proportion of the class has an business undergraduate background.
At Harvard, only 22% of the incoming class had a business undergraduate major, at Wharton, it was 27%, Yale stood at 22% while at Stanford, 20% of the class had business undergraduate degrees. At Berkeley Haas, this figure was much lower at 13%.
This indicates that the majority of students who join MBA programs are from non-business academic backgrounds.
So, how does that matter?
An MBA program is fast-paced, intensive and rigorous. Considering the huge investment that goes into it, you cannot afford to lose time trying to grasp the basics during the course of the program. There’s a lot more to do and focus on than you can imagine. Let’s look at the typical problems you can anticipate at the program start.
Top challenges students face in an MBA program
Many MBA students are likely to face academic challenges in the first few weeks of the program. You’d be trying to get adjusted to the new schedule, figuring out how to effectively balance and manage the intense academics, while juggling various co-curricular activities and networking/recruiting events. You would need some time to get accustomed to academic life all over again.
We spoke to Chris Wszalek, Executive Director, Office of Academic & Student Affairs at Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management to find out more about about where students struggle, especially in the first few days. He shared two primary areas.
“As MBA students begin their program the most common challenges typically revolve around making the transition from being in the workforce, to being a student again,” he says. “We see this impact their academics the most in quantitative courses.”
Unless a student is coming from an industry in which they regularly engage in math, then courses like statistics, accounting, and finance can be stressful.
Chris adds, “The other common transition to academic work that is challenging in the first few weeks is time management. The academic pace and workload in most MBA programs can take time to adjust to. Students find they will have several assignments for all their courses which will include reading, homework, group work, and presentations. The key to managing this overall workload is prioritization. Students who are most successful are able to decide what needs the most attention versus tasks they can let go of”.
Top tier MBA programs will expect you to be a master of multitasking. You’d wish very often that you had more hours in the day. In addition to the academic workload, there are several other challenges and tasks to deal with. There is so much to do, and it becomes tricky trying to decide how to fit everything in.
Shelbi Brookshire, Assistant Dean of MBA & MS Admissions at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business shared additional perspectives with us, on what catches new MBA students off-guard.
“Managing the delicate balance of succeeding in rigorous subjects, getting off to a good start with their internship search, and building a support group in a new country is an enormous undertaking,” says Shelbi. “Oftentimes, incoming MBA students do not fully appreciate how quickly they must get acclimated – not just to the academics of the program, but also — to a new culture while also launching their career journey.”
Many believe the biggest challenge will be the coursework.
Shelbi offers some suggestion on what students can do to stay in control. “Students should be ready to engage with their institution’s career services resources no later than day one,” she says. “They should also allow themselves at least a week before their orientation activities to get settled in their apartments, learn the transportation systems, find their favorite restaurant/grocery store, etc”.
Pre-MBA strategy
In order to maximize your output while on campus, it makes sense to have a well-planned pre-MBA strategy so that you can hit the ground running once the program starts. Since academics tends to be the biggest challenge, it helps to have a general understanding of various concepts and topics.
After being admitted, you’d have plenty of time in hand before you pack your bags and set off to your MBA destination. In addition to other preparations like scouting for a place to live in or figuring out financing options, there’s also this important aspect of taking pre-MBA courses that’s likely to be missed out. So, it’s better start planning early when there’s some breathing space.
Here’s Shelbi’s recommendation for pre-MBA academic preparation:
“Students should have a solid grounding in quantitative coursework. It is highly recommended they take a statistics or data modeling class if they have not ever or it’s been more than 5 years. A Math for Business class will also be extremely beneficial.”
Finally, an Introduction to Accounting could reduce a great deal of anxiety for those who have never been exposed to accounting concepts.
MBA programs usually offer pre-term classes to help student bridge knowledge gaps and prepare them to face the MBA program. There may be courses offered in finance, financial accounting, analytical tools to name a few.
“At the Robert H. Smith School of Business in the months prior to beginning the program, new students complete pre-work to refresh math skills, build Excel skills, learn finance terminology, and get used to doing homework again”, adds Shelbi.
Amanda Fend, Director, MBA Recruiting, Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management shared additional tips with us, on how the business school helps incoming students. “Before students arrive, we offer academic preparation as a part of orientation,” she says. “Students participate in a quantitative foundations two-day prep program that they affectionately call ‘quant camp‘”.
Some international students also take advantage of a two-week English Language for Business Purposes program
Best pre-MBA courses
Other than the help you get from your business school, what resources can you make use of independently to stay ahead of the curve?
Here are some ideas to kick start the discovery process, including the pros and cons of each approach.
Create a Pre MBA reading list
If you prefer reading, there are tons of MBA books available that compress and present management concepts. Many are written by professors who teach at the top universities and business schools. So you’re getting access to their thoughts and knowledge before you step into their class.
The flip side is that these can be time-consuming, tedious and mostly theoretical. If it feels like work, you will not enjoy the process. And the business world is anything but boring.
Explore the free pre MBA content on the internet
You’ll find plenty of free pre-MBA resources on the web. There are blogs, discussion forums, YouTube videos. Some are great, some are mediocre, and some are confusing. You’ll have access to way more free content than your brain can process. And the best part, you aren’t paying anything for it.
You could quickly become overwhelmed by the amount of information available out there. And, it’s also difficult to gauge how much is actually of use. The other challenge is structuring the content well, without which you’ll end up with a thousand smaller pieces of the puzzle that don’t fit.
Join the best online pre MBA courses
Many business schools that offer MBA programs have created online courses to tap into a larger audience of cost-conscious professionals. These are byte-sized in nature and focus on a niche. You’ll find separate online pre MBA courses on accounting, finance, marketing and other popular MBA topics.
Some offer the course for free and then charge for the certificate. Here are some of the best free online courses from top universities to check out.
You are unlikely to find one course that covers all the pre MBA preparation. So you’ll still have to create your independent learning plan first, before going crazy over all the free courses out there.
To address that issue, we created a short pre-MBA online course which has become quite popular among incoming MBA students. It offers a comprehensive overview of all the fundamental MBA subjects that are covered in all the elite business schools. And it contains business simulation games to test your newly gained knowledge.
Check it out here and see if it fits your needs: Mini MBA
We hope the resources and perspectives in this article help you to prepare a personalized pre MBA preparation plan. Good luck with your MBA experience!
Image source: Wes Hicks (Unsplash)