The Question of "Why an MBA?"

Question

In general terms, what are some good answers to the question of why to pursue an MBA?

AlexMBAApply · Answer

Not to be an ass, but the "best" responses to "why I want an MBA" are those that are sincere and specific to YOU as an individual.

The worst ones are those that sound like a template.

It's not about what you say, but how you say it and how you make it specific to your own individual circumstance and goals.

teabiscuit · Answer

Sure, sure. I'm not looking for a template. The basic reasons I want an MBA are to get into a field that matches my interest and potential, to direct my own career into the field of my choice (within reason - I'm not looking for a PE/VC position), and to gain the skills necessary for that field. Would you say those are good enough reasons?

AlexMBAApply · Answer

As I said before, it's not what you say.

Ten people can say exactly what you said. Five of them will come across as generic BS. The other five will come across as sincere.

I'm not trying to play Jedi mind tricks with you. I'm just saying you're looking at it from the wrong perspective.

Daler · Answer

i love your comments. very insightful!

Pathfinder · Answer

Basicly, my answer would be "Because it's there!", but you can't say that to adcom.

Still, you can say "Because it's there" if you articulate it in some academic manner through using "academic challenge", "more demanding position which will exploit all my potentiall, but I need an MBA to get such position" or something like that. But, in the end of the day, the answer is still "Because it's there".

bipolarbear · Answer

My roommate is considering a joint JD-MBA while I was previously considering a PhD-MBA (do those even exist?) but realized that a PhD is no longer in my best interest. Anyway, he wanted me to ask about whether or not stressing the joint part too much could hurt the application. I believe he wants to go into either business law or restructuring, and thinks that a JDMBA will help him. Should one stress the joint degree aspect of the MBA when one is applying to a dual program (JDMBA, MA-MBA...etc) too much, or should one rather focus mainly on the MBA aspect of it. Could a joint application give one a competitive edge?

AlexMBAApply · Answer

No, because no matter what universities will say publicly, in reality the individual schools within the universities are separate silos that don't really talk to one another.

So a dual-degree program really is like getting two separate degrees from two separate schools (that happen to be part of the same university). As such, admissions is considered on a mutually exclusive basis in reality, even though there will be essay questions asking about how a joint degree will help.

bigoyal · Answer

Though I cannot answer this question on your behalf, but would recommend to go through the self-evaluation posted in the below link: why-mba-84855.html Don't forget to leave a note if you like my post

The Question of "Why an MBA?"

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