Ross MBA now or wait

Congrats on Ross. You sound like you are trying to resume build and have no idea what you want to do. While resume building is not a terrible idea, having a bunch of amazing/sporadic names on your resume is great but having accomplishments and goals are probably more important. Don't do things only to build your resume (unless it is in the short term).

Life isn't about having a golden resume or working for the most elite company. Life is about enjoying the time you have. If that means having a golden resume and working for the most elite company than so be it (and that would make my prior statement incorrect ) but make sure you enjoyed the experience and/or the time you spent acquiring that resume or working for that company in that role.

I truly do not like my function in my company anymore and have been held back because I do not have a business degree so I want an MBA now because I believe an MBA will help me understand a lot at a deeper level that I have had to learn on the job and will let me change roles and/or industry.

That being said. Ross is a great school but if you think 2 more years of experience can help you out a lot before an MBA maybe that is good idea for you. I would talk to current students who are recruiting, they can tell you what recruiters are looking for. No one can really answer this question though, its a personal call.

Either way, I am sure you will be successful. Come to GBR and let that help you decide. These 1 year application cycles and 2 year MBA programs sure make these decisions harder to make... looking at your life in 3 year increments can be annoying! Good luck with the decision!

A good plan executed now (Ross) is better than a great plan executed in 2 years (HSW), in my opinion. Admission at a top 5 program is never guaranteed no matter when you apply. What if you decide to hold out, apply in 2 years, and get the same results?

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I appreciate the help...as mentioned I have no idea what I want to do, so unfortunately this decision is not easy (not that it ever is) I will keep you all posted on what I end up doing (if your interested)

Thanks again for the replies!

I went through a similar situation last year, and I decided to wait. Although a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush, if you can imagine yourself ten years from now thinking to yourself, "what if I had gone to one of the higher ranking schools?" then it might be better to wait and reapply.

With that said, I would like to give you some food for thought.

- There is a possibility that you might end up getting rejected by the same schools, plus Ross, when you apply again. The MBA application process is a crapshoot. The things that make you appealing to Ross now might not be the same things that they would be looking for in b-school applicants a couple of years from now. You have an admit from a great school now, and there's a possibility of you getting a goose egg the next time you apply. Are you willing to take this risk?

- I understand that you genuinely want to join the Peace Corps, and I applaud you for this. My question is... Is this in any way, shape or form relevant to your future goals? If not, how do you intend to explain to the AdComs that this was not something that you did just to impress them or potential employers?

- Is the MBA a means to an end, or is your goal just to have a school with a global brand on your resume? What do the other schools offer that Ross doesn't? Are these things worth waiting a couple of years for?

- Do you think that Ross can ultimately help you achieve your goals? If so, then the smart thing is to go now. If not, why did you apply to begin with?

- What is it that you want to get from the White House Page gig? Is it actual experience working for the government that you are after, or is it just the wow factor of having it on your resume? Think about what YOU want to do, and then focus on getting an internship in the industry that you want to be in.

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I agree with all your points except the Peace Corps one. You understand that his desire is genuine, you applaud him for it, then you wonder how he intends to explain it without making is sound like an empty resume-builder. One's motivation for joining the Peace Corps, immersing oneself in another culture and helping less fortunate people (arguable w/ the PC) doesn't really need to be explained. It's not in danger of being misconstrued except by the most cynical people.

To the thread starter, it sounds like you're flirting with the idea of an MBA and also flirting with the idea of the Peace Corps. You are obviously unsure of what you want to do, you need to do some real soul-searching.

I guess my point is that you always have to assume that the person evaluating your application is cynical. AdComs read through padded resumes and essays filled with lies a lot. Therefore, it is safe to assume that some of these professionals have become somewhat cynical throughout the years.

This is why I think one should clearly convey why they joined the Peace Corps or how the experience helped them realize what their life's passion really is rather than give the potentially jaded AdCom members an excuse to question their intentions if doing the Peace Corps has no connection whatsoever with the applicant's stated goals.

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Here is some pretty basic advice - don't go to a school that frowns on people who do peace corps.

I'm currently living/working in a developing country and know lots of great peace corps volunteers (I am not one) - including one who has started a legitimate business helping poor women in the most remote village ever. The business is now on kickstarter and making money, etc. He's implemented quality control standards, western business practices, etc. Does that look bad on a b-school application?

Remember, you have 40 more years to be a potted plant for some consulting or finance firm.

My advice, do the peace corps, learn a new language or 2, keep your eyes open and find some cool economic project, and two-three years from now go to any school you want. And if no, I guarantee over the Peace Corps period you will find something cooler than b-school. That Peace Corps alumni base is pretty great too.

What are you looking for from the PC experience? If it's mainly to better your chances of admission to schools, then I don't think that helps much after 4 yrs WE. I'm no adcom but from a general standpoint, the direction is usually PC first after college. Going from WE to PC makes you seem lost; might as well take the entrepreneurship route if you just want to get out of the cube.

You also are not guaranteed to get your top PC destination. Personally I would go to Ross and go to your preferred destinations with an MBA job/internship/student trip.

These are great questions to ask, but if you have this much uncertainty, then doing the PC and reapplying is probably the way to go. You would definitely get a lot out of Ross, but it might be better to really look at your overall goals.

I don't think the Peace Corps will hurt you at all. Don't all these schools value community and public service? The Peace Corps fits that bill.

Michigan is not as prestigious as HBS and Kellogg, I agree. But it's still an elite school and it's not the MBA version of going to Ross instead of Nordstrom (see my pun?).

The big issue I think you have is that you got into a b school and don't know what you want to do after. That's fine, but like others said, are you trying to get this degree just to get the degree or trying to make it work for your career afterwards?

Method, how come you will be a class of 2015 of Ross?

I would say get in Ross this year. Ross is a GREAT school and you will have all kinds of opportunities in front of you. and you can decide what to do while attending Ross.

Like others said, application is pretty random. There is no garantee that you will get in a school better than Ross or EVEN Ross in 2 years when you apply.

I'm in a special program for people interested in beer consumption and lazy Sundays. Haha, no seriously, I'm a dual degree candidate with the Ford School of Public Policy, and the whole thing takes three years. You have to walk with both degrees at the same time, so I'll be 2015 Ross and Ford.

lol, GOOD for you! Now you will get two degrees and enjoy AA for one more year!
If you program is beer "consumption and lazy Sundays"(there is such program for real? lol), will you be working in this area after your graudation? I guess this is the area you are currently working on.

Haha thanks. But for real, at Ross everyone is on the beer consumption track, it's part of the mandatory general management curriculum.