Part 1: Getting in and doing well
After nearly 17 years of working in project, engineering and operations management, I decided that I would finally get around to getting that MBA that I had been meaning to undertake for quite some time (My excuse was that it was too difficult having moved through 6 cities in 3 different countries during that time). However, like many people, I was torn between the loss of income doing a 1 year intensive full time program and the length of time (and risk of not completing) a 3 to 4 year part time one. Being the father of two young children (aged 1 and 2 at the time) definitely added to the complexity of the decision.
While there is a lot of literature out there about both, I thought that I’d share some of my insights and experiences of undertaking the MBA Full Time Intensive program here at the University of Western Australia (UWA) for the benefit of others like myself who are trying to decide.
Prior to starting at UWA, I had actually decided to take a year off and study at INSEAD in Singapore. Luckily for me, my wife knew one of the previous year’s UWA Full Time cohort who convinced me to speak with Michele Roberts, Director of the MBA program at UWA first. Following the completion of my Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) and the MBA admissions process, I was awarded the BHP Billiton Full Time MBA Scholarship and began my journey, which leads me onto the first of my ‘10 things to know before you start the full time MBA at UWA’.
- The admissions process is tough but rewarding.
Like most good MBA programs, candidates for the UWA MBA Full Time Intensive are required to complete a GMAT examination, submit a written application with references and complete an admissions interview which takes over an hour. During this interview, you get tested for the alignment of your career goals with the program’s goals and objectives, evidence of leadership potential, interpersonal skills and capabilities, and willingness to reflect on ethics and values.
I have been through many job interviews in my career and I have to say that this was definitely one of the tougher ones! It is also the only one that I have ever come away from, self reflective, wanting to make a greater impact to society.
It only dawned on me several months into the program that the rigorous screening process was probably one of the main reasons why my cohort is one of the best groups of people that I have ever worked with, which leads me onto my second point.
- Being part of an MBA Cohort matters
Ok, so they do tell you this and everyone talks about it but I don’t think that it can be said enough. For me, it boils down to one simple fact, all good experiences are better (and bad ones are, well, less bad) when they are shared with the right people.
One year MBAs are pretty full on (I liken it to a yearlong plant shutdown), and as a cohort, we spend a lot of time supporting one other to keep moving forward towards a shared end goal. However, that doesn’t detract from the benefits of being part of a group of fiercely competitive (but like minded) high-achievers and because as they say “Competition is always a good thing. It forces us to do our best”. And to top it all off, you’ll make some great friends.
- It really is hard going!
And you will need those friends!
The key word here is “Intensive” with most of us averaging at least 70 hours a week (some a fair bit more) between classes, study and assignments. Then you add on the extracurricular activities….
Having worked in a variety of different fields over the years, including running a chemical plant and managing multi-million dollar projects, I have to say that I have found this is no walk in the park.
I also have to say at this point that I wouldn’t have gotten this far if not for all the support I’ve also had from my wife which I will be forever grateful for!
- You will need to learn to make choices
There is so much to do in the program, that it requires a very high level of commitment if one is to succeed. This is particularly true if you have a young family or other commitments outside of the MBA. Besides being organised, you need to make strategic choices, not just in your course selection but in which extracurricular activities you attend and at times which subject you will focus more on and which you might let slide (slightly). The old saying “you can do 3 things well or 10 things badly” comes to mind.
You do however get a lot of support from your classmates, the faculty and support staff (in particular Michele, Tracey and the legendary Tiff), so it isn’t as bad as it sounds so long as you are realistic and understand what you can and can’t do.
That’s all for now folks
So that was the first four of my 10 things you should know before you start the MBA Full Time Intensive program here at the UWA Business School. I’ll be reporting back later in the year with the remaining 6 things.
