Making the most out of business school

Question

I was speaking to a professor at Haas about business school the other night. He mentioned that he felt like the students that receive the most value out of business school are the ones that go into the school with more business knowledge and experience. He pointed out that his PT students got more value out of his class than the FT students. His main argument was that increased knowledge and experience resulted in better understanding of the concepts being taught during these classes. That without a proper understanding of overall context, one could not mentally connect the dots and effectively process all the information that was coming in during these classes. Consequently these students basically aren't getting the best bang for their buck. And that's a lot of bucks imo.

Personally I feel like his argument makes sense, but I am unsure how big of a problem this is (practically speaking) and how big of a role this should play in terms of admissions timing.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Particularly people who have actually attended b-school classes are graduated recently?

Personally I feel like his argument makes sense, but I am unsure how big of a problem this is (practically speaking) and how big of a role this should play in terms of admissions timing.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Particularly people who have actually attended b-school classes are graduated recently?

asimov · Answer

I think this view is true to a certain extend. Having the prior business knowledge definitely helps you to connect the dots early in your business education, and allow you to understand that small nuances. However, there is also value in coming in the b-school with an almost empty cup, such as non-traditionals, absorbing business knowledge throughout b-school. Although, you may struggle a bit in the beginning, eventually, you’ll understand. Both types of student gained something out of the experience, albeit, in a slightly different manner. Furthermore, no one is expert in all aspects of business. Even the investment banker may be a fish out of water in the marketing class.

ex21 · Answer

I agree with the idea as well but also to a point. I think having business experience will definitely help you connect the dots and see the big picture of the classroom material and theories you will learn. I also think that having work/business experience will help you realize what you are interested in and want to focused on, drawing what you want from a program for the short 2 years that it lasts. I've heard that the people who get a lot out are those with a good idea of what they want to do and how they want to spend their time so if they don't have work experience a student may want to try it all.

I don't think there is a science to the perfect business school experience. You can still try new different things at bschool and succeed but I think having experience can bring maturity, understanding, drive, and focus that will be valuable in your business school experience.

From a profs experience I can see why he thinks part-times are getting more from the class because the part timers don't have to recruit. That allows the part-timers more time to spend on classwork and interacting with the professor creating a prof biased. I'm not sure which is better but there is more to bschool than just the classes.

Making the most out of business school

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards