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Journey to my MBA

Saturday, March 04, 2006

Why Chicago GSB?




This is one of the best articles that I've seen on why a person saw Chicago GSB as a good fit for them. I liked how Paul wrote the article with enough background info to show where he was coming from. - Dave
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Why Chicago GSB?
By: Paul Jan, '06

"Never judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes. After that, judge all you want: he's a mile away, and you've got his shoes."

Speaking of shoes, a year ago, I was in yours, walking around with other admitted students, wondering "How many of the women in the Public Policy or SSA Schools would possibly sleep with me?" Incidentally, the answer, in Spanish, is "Ningunos". The incurable strain of Athlete's Foot I picked up from your shoes notwithstanding, my inability to find suitable sexual partners among various professional schools shouldn't prevent you from seriously considering the Chicago GSB for your MBA education.

So why did I choose the Chicago GSB? Why did I decide to forgo my steady income as a ninja, a deadly assassin for hire, to pursue an MBA at a school known for its world-renowned faculty, rigorous approach to management education, and intellectual honesty?

Well, frameworks, for one. Despite my two years spent in investment banking, three years in venture capital, and a lifetime in pursuit of the "dark" arts, the truth is that I was severely lacking in frameworks. You see, I am a biochemist by training, and although I built an enviable record of mediocrity in the business world, I had no formal education with respect to marketing, operations, and industrial organization. I decided that the Chicago GSB, which is widely-known to offer the most intense educational experience of top business schools, would be a good place to learn the fundamentals.

Regarding the flexibility of MBA curricula, the Chicago GSB is the former-gymnast-girlfriend I never dated, but wish I had, and may even one day marry if I can get clearance from the U.S. Consulate and my parole officer to visit some of the former Soviet Republics. Having spent two years churning out comparable company analyses, merger models, and league tables that said whatever my MD wanted them to say, and three more years thinking about the best ways to invest institutional capital and generate top-quartile returns in private companies not involved in the production of banned substances, pornography, petting zoos, or the import of mail-order brides, I felt like I had a pretty good handle on WACC, CAPM, BTW, ROTFLMAO, and AFL-CIO.

Accordingly, I didn't want to be forced to take "core" classes that would be a relative waste of time (relative because you can always learn something more) and money. The sweetest thing about the Chicago GSB, besides the free coffee and cookies at Dean Kole's Wednesday Coffee Hours (well, they're not exactly free because, as in dating and relationships, you'll always pay for your cookies, one way or another), is the fact that you don't have to take any "core" courses; you are required to take classes in "core" disciplines (Economics, Accounting, and Statistics). Even then, there are a wide variety of courses in these concentrations, and you can even petition to substitute other classes. For example, despite the strength of Finance at Chicago, I will most likely graduate without taking a course in this concentration, choosing instead to focus on Strategy, Marketing, and boxed lunches.

Continued...

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Paul Jan rocks. :-)

11:20 AM  

Post a Comment

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