GMAT and MBA tips, advice, lessons

Hello GWJers,

I had found an older thread on this topic here so I want to get some fresh advice from folks. I'm at the point in my career and life where it's keep going on stop a bit and get my MBA. The main points:

I'm 30, have about 8 years of full-time work experience and got my BA at a small liberal arts college with a decent GPA. From what I understand I need to take my GMAT and try to get a decent score and then start applying. I am married but my wife and I don't have kids and she's very supportive of me so whatever happens we'd make it work.

I've been told that if you don't get into a Top 10 MBA program then don't even bother, true or false?
Is an MBA even worth it or would I get be better off trying my hand at some other Graduate degree?
Are Fully-employed MBAs an option that I should consider seriously?

What are some other things to consider?

Thanks everyone! Appreciate the help!

I did an Executive MBA (which awards you the same degree as a "regular" MBA) that didn't require GMAT's.. just an entrance exam and interview. I didn't have time for a traditional MBA program with nights and weekend classes and found it easier to work around my work schedule going to class all day Friday and a few Saturdays a month.

Had a great experience and met some good friends there (including my second wife) and would recommend it for any professional looking to continue to expand their role at just about any size company.

Won't lie though.. that was the 23 months of pure hell between work and school.. sometimes I'm amazed I made it through.

Here are my comments:

False on getting into a top 10 MBA school. Look for a school with a strong business reputation, but top 10 isn't something that should hold you back if you make this life decision. There is value in non top 10 degrees.

Any advanced degree would be beneficial. I work at a university and have a masters degree in administration. My experience has been that my degree doesn't mean much personally, just a hoop I had to go through, but it did end up opening up significant opportunities for me for my career path. When looking at resumes, it is something that makes you stand out from the typical candidate.

MBA programs are challenging and time consuming. The question I'd ask myself if I was looking to do this would be "What are the short and long term benefits of getting this degree?" Is it cost effective to do this and what do you want to do with the degree? If you don't have a good plan for the degree, my suggestion would be either figure that out or wait until you have an answer.

Good luck in your decision.

I earned my MBA while employed. I did a traditional but my GPA was so high I didn't even need to study for the GMAT, it was almost impossible not to meet the threshold. Also my BA was from the same state school which helped smooth admissions and covered a bunch of pre-requisite courses so I was able to finish in just under 2 years.

It was tough (see Guru's comments) but on the plus side, my company paid for about half of it. If you need 8 hours of sleep to function or need to spend a lot of time in classrooms or studying with others to learn I don't recommend this option. I think it's been beneficial so far, it has opened doors that likely would have taken more years of experience to open.

I did the same as GG -- I just finished my MBA in July. Some programs still require GMAT, but it seems to be a declining number and less common for MBA for experienced leaders and business professionals.

It was a lot of work (some courses more than others), but now I can say I felt it was worthwhile. During the program, at times I questioned the value.

I'm fortunate that my employer paid for the program for me. There are no guarantees of advancement with it and I don't feel there were any major epiphanies but it did help round out knowledge areas with greater depth than I had before. I went through the program with the goal of improving myself, and if that results in accelerated career progression -- that is a bonus.

Pretty much echo everything that has been said.

It's not a the type of degree while you're doing it and once completed you feel like you have made some major break through 'achievement unlocked' type epiphany.

Depending on your background it can introduce you to some disciplines that you have no exposure to and build a good basic foundation.

Going into it I had some expectations that it would help magically solve all future career choices but yea not exactly.

Job wise it hasn't done much for me but that's not the degree/school I attended etc related but more lack of my own indecision of what field + job I want to do. I'm sure once I'm in the field/job I want it will only be a huge plus.

In my case I'm still very happy I did it when I did (30-32) as there's no certainty going forward I would of made it back to school for another degree.