Hello,
I am in a bit of a dilemma. To frame the situation, the reader must understand that I am fully committed to applying to full-time MBA programs this year with the intent of matriculating in 2016. I am not flexible with this application timing due in part to my age (will be 35 at matriculation) and career momentum.
So here is the situation. I wear two hats at my company, serving as a consultant and an international adviser, and am based in the US. This week, a short term international rotational opportunity with my firm presented itself to me suddenly and urgently. The opportunity consists of 4-5 months in one of our foreign offices, and involves cross-training to develop US/foreign consulting skills sets. This rotation is highly selective as only 4 candidates (including myself) were informed of the opportunity directly from leadership. Unfortunately, there is not much time to decide as the rotation is tentatively set to begin early May of this year. That would mean being in the foreign country from May-Sept/Oct (critical months for the application process) of this year.
World travel and working together with people of different cultures are two of my passions, and I believe accepting this opportunity would further demonstrate my rapid career ascension, thus strengthening my candidacy. So what is the dilemma? Following through with this would mean making the below sacrifices, which could in turn diminish my candidacy.
1) [b]GMAT and Essays:[/b] I just started studying for the GMAT and my intent was to take it late May/early June. I know it will be unrealistic for me to study for the GMAT while acclimating to a new work environment, new clients, with the added pressure to excel with the foreign firm and report back success to US leadership. Should I chose to accept the rotation, I would do myself a disservice by shortening my GMAT prep time and would be cramming the next month trying to sit for the exam (while logistically planning for the move) prior to leaving for the foreign country. Studying for the GMAT upon my return is not out of the question, but would mean foregoing round 1 applications, while leaving me in the undesirable situation of juggling work, studying, and application essays.
2) [b]Veteran's Initiative:[/b] I am currently heavily involved in the launch of two separate employee organizations at my company. The organizations would serve as platforms to bring together underrepresented groups and give them a voice. My heavier involvement is with a proposed veteran's association, which is being led by myself and a fellow colleague who also happens to be a veteran. We are anticipating launch of the the veteran's association by early summer, and I know that strong leadership and direction will be critical at this early junction. Needless to say, I would not be able to give this the attention it needs.
3) [b]Current Key Projects:[/b] I am currently assisting my company's national consulting leader, and working with affiliated firms in over 100 countries, on a project to streamline the global client pursuit process. Additionally, I am leading an internal operations process improvement project for our firm's international team in order to create efficiencies and improve upon the timeliness accuracy of data and reporting.
Your insight as to whether heading abroad to pursue the international rotation, or staying put to focus on GMAT and local projects, would position me best as a candidate to a top program would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
J.S.
Answers
Congratulations on being offered this exciting opportunity! As someone who has worked abroad for 20 years, it's a tremendous experience that really adds value to your professional profile -- and to your MBA application.
I'm sure you've thought of it but have you looked at part-time executive MBAs and asking your company if they would contribute as part of your professional development? Even if they don't pay for it, they can provide you with the time off to do it. University of Chicago and Northwestern also offer amazing international EMBAs that send you abroad for part of the studies. For these programs, the GMAT is of secondary interest, if it's even required. Given the confidence that your company has shown in you, they might really see this as a win-win that prevents them from losing you if you went off to school full time!
I hope this helps,
Beth
As someone who will graduate soon with EMBA program, I would recommend that you take the international opportunity now:
1. MBA opportunity can always be pursued later. Again, MBA alone will not get you far. A solid, distinguishing experience like the one who are considering combined with MBA will open up more opportunities.
2. On another note. There are some high ranking business schools that have alternatives to GMAT
I had the opportunity to do an overseas job assignment some time ago (for 4 years) and it was life-changing. It seems that companies are creating fewer of these overseas assignments, tending more to use local hires. So I'm glad I did it when I had the chance because it was unlikely that I would have had another opportunity later.
If working and traveling overseas is one of your great passions then you should strongly consider taking this overseas assignment. And as J.S. said, you can always go to grad school later. Especially considering your age, business schools will not look at you differently as a candidate for entry in 2016 or 2017.
However, your question was about what will best position you as an MBA candidate. That's hard to say given what you have shared so far. Both of your opportunities - staying home or going abroad - sound like they will provide excellent experience that will look good to MBA programs. My read is that staying home is probably a bit better from a presentation point of view, showing more leadership. But do either of these assignments fundamentally change the picture that the schools will see or are they more icing on the cake? If they are icing on the cake then they won't make much of a difference to your candidature.
I would be inclined to pursue the role that you are most excited about and that brings the most value to your company. Unless staying vs going changes the quality of your MBA application in a meaningful way, I would make that a secondary consideration.
Best of luck to you.
Hi J.S.,
It sounds to me like you have answered your own question. You seem very clear on what you want. The international assignment is a terrific opportunity. But it may not be the right one for you. If you are determined to apply to MBA programs this year, I think you would do your dream a disservice by taking the international detour. Your military and work experience and the projects you outline should give you an entree into a good program, provided you do well on the GMAT.
Good luck with your decision.
Hello J.S. --
A few comments from another "J.S." . . .
I faced a similar, more simplistic decision a generation (or two) ago. And my job opportunity was much less promising than yours. I deferred the MBA and went on with the work opportunity, thinking I could always go back and do an MBA. There are no age limits for that.
That's the feeling I'm getting for you, but even more so: your potential job experience overseas sounds terrific, and in the eyes of employers these days that can be as positive (if not more) than a Masters degree. And, you can always get the Masters degree some time in the future.
So, it's adding to resume experience vs resume education. If you do the MBA now, you may not get the global experience later. Whereas the MBA is always available.
(By the way, in the interest of full disclosure: I never went back for my MBA. However, I did well in the school of hard knocks, learning my industry on the job. And, I just wasn't a good student and dreaded academics. Fortunately, all worked out -- but again, that was 40 years ago.)
Good luck! Jeremy S.
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