We are honored to have joined UnimyPrep’s podcast, PrepCast, to help answer pressing questions MBA aspirants have about the MBA application process. In this episode, our founder, Susan Berishaj, focused on the MBA goals.
A few highlights of the questions answered in the podcast are listed below. Listen to the full podcast for additional insights.
The interview is between Martina Todorova of Unimy Prep and Susan Berishaj of Sia Admissions.
How should students consider an MBA as it relates to their goals?
We often hear applicants claim that getting into Harvard (HBS), Stanford (GSB), and Wharton is the goal. Susan cautions applicants’ mindset when they go through this journey as the MBA is not the destination but a tool in their repertoire that will help them reach their destination. Therefore, applicants must view the MBA as a tool offering resources they look to leverage to make the greatest impact in their chosen industry and role.
How should applicants approach their goals?
Susan suggests that applicants start with the impact - the long-term plan. Once they have identified the impact they look to make in their industry — Susan provides a way to help applicants tackle that long-term plan (so give the podcast a listen) — they should reverse engineer the steps to get to the long-term goal. Reverse engineering the long-term plan needs answering the following multi-part question: What skills, experiences, exposures, and networks does the applicant need to succeed long-term?
How will an MBA contribute to an applicant’s personal development?
Being surrounded by passionate and impact-driven people will result in significant personal and professional growth. An applicant will be pushed to think creatively and in different ways than they have previously thought when solving some of the most significant challenges the business world faces today. Furthermore, an MBA candidate will be surrounded by a diverse student body that will challenge them to look at problems from a new lens.
Listen to the full episode that addresses these and additional questions in more detail, including the 5 greatest mistakes MBA applicants make in their goal writing.