Wow, im surprised that telling them now is winning.

Possibly, but not likely that it would be in the same office or area.

There isnt much to say... tell them now and risk being put on insanely boring stuff for six months (as they know im leaving). Thats the downside. The upside is, not having a lot of work makes for a relatively easy few months. Nice relax time before the storm. There is of course, however remote, always a risk I'd be let go if I told them. I seriously doubt it, but that risk always exists. You never really know how people might react.

The flipside - dont tell them, maybe do something interesting between now and then, and then leave when the time is right, explaining that of course, it was a difficult decision, etc etc. Downside: may not play so well, not the best moral choice.

The long and short of it is, I'm bored stiff at work, I'm unchallenged and underutilized, my skill sets are not really put to the test, and I feel completely uninspired. I've met or exceeded any task laid at my feet and You say I'm the strongest member of the team? You say everyone looks up to me? You say management wants me to take on more leadership roles? Fine. Give me something worth sinking my teeth into instead of thing mind-numbing bullshit where some new engagement manager wants me to come take meeting notes for him because he's too lazy to do it himself (For the record, I eventually told him no anyway). As much as things are crappy right now, I'm sure that opportunities to do something interesting are around the corner, and I wouldn't mind doing them. My worry is that telling them I'm going FT might put those opportunities at risk.

On the other hand, the firm seems so dysfunctional, these opportunities may never materialize at all.

Play it straight. Maybe don't tell them now, but tell them soon. Maybe when it's official and you put in your deposit. April? Jerking them around is not gong to win you friends. I am a big fan of not burning bridges whenever possible.

And it sounds like it can't get that much worse, so what do you have to lose?

I told my CEO 2 months ago that I was applying. I told him he COULD NOT take that as my official resignation, but I promised to give them at least 3 months.

Tell them as late as you can. You do not know what will happen between now and then.

If you have a strong and mature relationship with your immediate boss, you can let him know off the records - so that he can start making some plans for your leaving. Otherwise keep the ball in your court and hands till the game is over.
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I voted no. This is assuming that they won't hold it against you if you decide you want to go back in the future. I believe in not burning bridges if at all possible.

I dont believe they would - I've done some great work here, and I've proven myself time and time again. It's also a very big firm, so there are easily a million different areas in the company to go to. I probably wouldn't consider coming back here unless I was placed in a primarily strategic role - that, to the best of my knowledge, and evidenced by the knee-jerk reactionary stance management seems to take on everything, does not exist in this group.

I agree, there's really no benefit to telling them now, but there is a lot to lose if they are upset by the news. Just bite your tongue for a bit longer.

Financial reasons. I can pay for grad school, and I can support myself through it, but I dont have the luxury of tooling about for the next eight months.

Looks like you have enough dough to carry you for another 2 years...

I need to rely on the Bschool loan for fees and too some extent living expenses

Hmm.....Brings back one more Question. How many Gmatclubbers are planning to take loans for School Fees + Living Expenses??

Ozmba2006 and jaynayak, I've been thinking about quiting myself if or when I receive an acceptance. However, I'm not sure if that's really a good idea because that would leave potentially an 8-month gap on my resume prior to the start of classes at the end of August or early September.

Does anyone know if a gap like that would seriously hurt one's chances of getting a good post-MBA job?