MBA: An Initial Look

Grad School Distance learning graduate and CollegePlus! co-founder and COO, Ryan Yamane, is once again a student. Ryan recently scored in the top 6% of test takers on the GMAT exam and is currently pursuing his MBA at Gonzaga University. Although he is just getting started with his MBA, we thought that you might find his first hand experience helpful and asked him to share these beginning chapters of his MBA journey.

By Ryan Yamane, Chief Operations Officer, CollegePlus!

A graduate degree is a worthy pursuit, but sometimes knowing when, why, how and even if you should proceed can be a challenge. In the paragraphs below, you will find some of the lessons I’ve learned along my most recent educational journey, the Masters in Business Administration or MBA.

The Starting Line

I like to think of the Graduate Management Admission Test, or GMAT, as the SAT for business school since most MBA programs require you to submit your GMAT test results as part of the application process. I used several resources to prepare for the GMAT, however, the resource I found to be the most helpful and the one in which I spent 90% of my study time was the Princeton Review: Cracking the GMAT.

This helpful resource not only gives you the academic review necessary for the exam, but educates you on how to outthink the exam. Over the course of about two months I put in approximately 50-60 hours of study, with much of that coming in the final two weeks. For additional information about the GMAT, click here.

Which Camp are you in?

In my mind, MBA seekers fall into two general camps. Neither is more right than the other but it is important that you recognize which camp you are in when choosing a program. The first is Camp Big Name. Students here seek the benefits of name recognition. In other words, in a large corporate setting or as a credential for public speaking, an MBA from Harvard would generally open more doors than an MBA from the local state university.

Not necessarily because the individual graduate has learned significantly more from Harvard than other schools (they may or may not), but rather because they have Harvard’s stamp of approval behind their name. However, those in Camp Big Name can also expect to contribute significantly in the form of tuitions.

In the long run, if climbing the corporate ladder is in your future, then a program with high name recognition and the highest possible ranking may outweigh the increased financial investment, because it will provide a distinct advantage in the corporate job market.

Big Value

Students in Camp Big Value place more of an emphasis on the actual knowledge gained in the process of earning the MBA. A person with this as their primary motive feels that although the letters “M-B-A” or “Harvard” might look good behind their name, these credentials are a distant second to the practical skills they hope to gain in earning the degree.

Entrepreneurs whose primary interest is becoming better at starting and running their own business fall into this category.

Since the Alumni bumper sticker from Camp Big Name doesn’t necessarily help the small business owner run his business any more profitably, he or she may have more difficulty justifying the additional expense required to attend such an institution. In short, a small business entrepreneur will look at the ROI on a Harvard Degree a bit differently than a corporate or Wall Street hopeful.

Narrowing the Field

As I went before the Lord and considered the vision he had placed in my heart and the abilities he had equipped me with, it became clearer than ever that my personal purpose in earning an MBA was not to climb the corporate ladder, but rather to further equip myself with the skills necessary to continue to grow my current business and develop and grow other similar entrepreneurial pursuits.

That said, I began looking for MBA programs that offered a high level of value for my specific situation, a high quality program with strong academics at a comparatively reasonable price point.

Decisions, Decisions

As a distance learning student, you may be secretly wondering how your non-traditional undergraduate degree will be viewed in your graduate application. In my preparations for business school, I spoke with several including Harvard, University of Texas, Texas A&M, Regent University and University of Washington.

Without exception they told me that my distance learning degree would have no negative bearing on my acceptance and that the undergraduate degree was only one of many factors considered along with GMAT scores, community involvement, my resume, and a host of other factors.

In fact, one school viewed my distance learning degree as an advantage because successful independent study is proof of self-discipline, initiative and outside-the-box thinking.

My strong leanings toward Camp Big Value, coupled with the fact that I live in a sparsely populated area of Eastern Washington resulted in me applying to only one MBA program, Gonzaga University. After filling out the application, I did receive some questions from the admissions office about my “unusual transcript” filled with CLEP and Dantes exams, but a simple phone call was all that was required to answer their questions and assure them that this was not a typo. Before long, I received my acceptance letter, coupled with a small scholarship to boot!

My First Impressions

I arrived at my first day of class with much anticipation, excited to be learning proven business concepts that could immediately be implemented into the operations of CollegePlus! Since that day, I would say that I’ve experienced a bit of a mixed bag. I’ve come to learn that the best professors aren’t necessarily those with the most interesting lectures or the most letters behind their name.

Rather, the best professors in business school are generally those with real-world business experience, which would seem to be a minimum requirement for teaching graduate business classes, but apparently it is not.

While being disappointed with some of my professors’ lack of business history, I have been pleasantly surprised by how much I have learned from fellow students, many of whom are currently in management roles in large corporations or own their own companies.

While there have been challenges and disappointments along the way, I am confident that these experiences are all part of the curriculum of life. All in all, my MBA journey has been a good one so far and I look forward to the challenges and victories yet to come.

Grad School Ryan Yamane began his CollegePlus! career as an intern in 2002. Now, as CollegePlus! COO, he fulfills a critical leadership role for all CollegePlus! staff and students