Taking a class or two before applying: Good idea?

Hi Sinchita,

Thank you so much for your thoughtful response.

I'll tell you a little bit about my background and my thought process and my goals. I'm still working to really put together something polished and coherent, but I am sure that an MBA would be the best fit for me. I'm putting a lot in this post, and know that others are busy, so feel free to respond to just a part of this post.

So, I've spent a good part of the last several years working in nonprofits, mostly targeted towards youth in low income communities in the US. I worked in social services, in which young people with behavioral and emotional disorders would be referred to work with me 1:1. I also did some teaching. Later, I moved into political campaigns, working in a couple of congressional campaigns, and, more recently, as a staffer for the Obama campaign. Though all of the jobs that I've worked have taught me a lot, my work with the Obama campaign has allowed me to grow the most as a leader. I managed a small team of paid employees, and several hundred volunteers, and lead my region with respect to set goals.

As far as what I'd like to do, I'm afraid my goals aren't very specific with respect to actual field, though I have to say I'm more concerned with organizational structure than anything else. I'm a general "do-gooder" with many interests and many ideas, but when taking on a position, I'm more concerned with the accountability and evaluation and structure than the subject matter of the work. I could say a lot about the nonprofits I've worked with and what I've learned and what ideas I have for them to have done better. I don't know how "impressive" any of this is - most people I talk who are knowledgeable about MBA programs think it sounds like I have enough work experience, mostly because I relate a lot of ideas about what works in a team and what doesn't.

Anyway, so I had first begun thinking about public policy programs. And if I were going to school for academic interests alone, I would get a degree in public policy. But I'm focusing more on professional goals than academic interests - the coursework and subject matter i see in MBA programs is what I see mostly applying to the work I've done so far and the work I'm planning to do. I can bring my experience into an MBA program, and would love the chance to learn from my peers and learn about scientific approaches to management and how to bring it back to the work that I do.

Now, I'm not tied to the nonprofit and public sector. To tell the truth, I don't like it, and generally feel like the mindset of the private sector needs to have a heavier influence. Some of the best organizations I've worked with were heavily influenced or led by people with private sector experience and/or MBAs. And part of the appeal of the MBA to me, frankly, is that I hope to have some options to move into the private sector if I wish - there are many large corporations with philanthropic branches, and I would be happy to work in such a position down the road.

My plans right now: after I finish applying in December, I'm going to try my hand at international development in India. This is not on a whim - it's to address a social issue that I've been thinking about it since I was 10 years old. I've witnessed and experienced the problem first hand, and I've spent the last ten years reading about it and collecting information about it. My family is from this city, and I'm familiar with the language and the culture, so I will not be spending time trying to become culturally acclimated. Specifically, I'm going to help by community organizing - I'm developing an organizational model that will seek to empower the work of the amazing people who are already doing great things. This will specifically be an earned media campaign (I've been doing earned media for a consulting firm for the past few months. I've also done it for other organizations on a volunteer basis), which is fascinating because of the structure of the press in India. I bought a one-way ticket, and I guess I'll be there until next fall (I'm going to rent out my condo in Chicago, which is paid off, and use that money to survive in India). If things go well, it might very well be that I would want a permanent switch into international development.

So, I know how this sounds. I sound unfocused and flighty, and if the people on this board are like other boards I've been to, I'll probably be told "unfortunately, grad schools are looking for people with focus and a specific plan." That maybe I should take a couple of years to think more about what I want to do and take some coursework before making this huge investment. Etc etc. However, I can tell you this - my personality isn't going to change in the next few years. Also, I'm going to go after my goals whether I get the MBA or not - the MBA will help me and make my work more productive, and the network of others who have big ideas and huge diversity of knowledge that I can get from a program will be vital. But I should also add that I've spent the last several years with the "if only" game - if only I had more education, if only I had more work experience, if only I knew more about X, if only I know how to Y, etc, and this is the first time in my life that I feel confident enough in my abilities to actually move forward with what I want to do. And that's a pretty big thing for me.

Oh yes, and my grades.

I'll admit that I'm still not sure about what will be my addendum. I am convinced that I should keep it as professional and unemotional as possible, and not make any excuses. I honestly don't have a "good" explanation. The fact is that I was battling with depression and very complicated family issues, and I don't even know if I want to mention that. I was never diagnosed with anything anyway, but the bigger issue is that I don't want to present myself as a victim or someone who sees herself as a victim. And I don't see myself that way - i had some shame about it for years, but honestly I've been happy with my life and am looking forward to all the things I will do. I'm more interested in making a case for the fact that the factors that negatively influenced my performance in undergrad are no longer present in my life. I didn't really want to include an addendum at all, but admissions counselors have convinced me that with the grades I have, an addendum is practically a necessity. By the way, there was a downward trend to my grades.

So, back to the original question of taking coursework. Sinchita, you mentioned that any knowledge would be a good thing, but honestly, I have several other options for that. I'm involved with a political organization that wants me to do leadership trainings around the country on the weekends - it's on a volunteer basis, though they'll pay for airfare and expenses. Teaching leadership is a rich experience, and I'd like to devote a chunk of my free time to it until I fly to India in December. Additionally, I'd like to spend some time getting ready for my project. This is all while I work full time and study for the GMAT and apply to grad school. So, if I were to take some coursework, I'd be backing out of my leadership trainings and probably wouldn't have time to develop the earned media project in India until later.

I admit that I'd *rather* not take any coursework. That said, I recognize the reason - as humans, we have the natural tendency to invest in our assets instead of remedying our weaknesses. I was asked to do leadership trainings because I showed an aptitude for facilitation and adult learning techniques, so I'm mostly excited to do more and get even better, especially since it's useful to my work. But, thinking *strategically* about what I need to get into an MBA program - my grades are my biggest weakness. And since I'd like to make the case that the factors that influenced my earlier problems are no longer present in my life, the logical thing to do is to actually demonstrate it with some current coursework and good grades.


Anyway! That was way more information than you asked for. So feel free to address the issue of taking coursework over the next few months. And definitely feel free to weigh in on anything else you'd like to - I'm open to all sorts of feedback.

Thanks!