So, you’re thinking about business school. That’s great! As a consultant in the early stage of your career, you have been considering your options for career growth.

OK, so you’re ready to start applying. You’ll visit a couple of college Web sites and fill in an application online and you’ll pretty much be done, right? Think again. Business school is a big step, especially if you are planning on going to school full-time and taking a leave from the working world for two or more years. There’s a lot to consider and a lot to do to be ready for the application process. Did I say “process”? Yes, I did. It’s not just an application, but an entire process to maximize the quality of your experience and make the most of your investment.


What, there’s a process? Yes, there is a process. There’s a lot to be done. The application itself takes a lot of effort to be prepared properly. But most of all, knowing what you are doing and why you are doing it helps hone down the process and make it manageable. This is especially important to consultants and analysts who typically work long hours and don’t have significant extra time for researching and preparing. Being efficient in the process is of utmost importance.

There are many things to consider as you ramp into the process. Are you envisioning a career in finance or perhaps strategy? Are you going to B-school to arm yourself with more education in your field, or are you thinking of using your business school degree to make a career switch? Is there a dual degree that fits your goals and makes the most of your B-school dollars? How will you finance it?

So, where do you start? In brainstorming and articulating. I think that one of the most important first steps is to assess what makes you “tick” — in other words, to identify your interests and goals. Grab a piece of paper and a pen and have a personal brainstorming session about what you’re interested in and what your goals are for your education. Don’t forget not only to include the types of courses and focus of the curriculum but also to make sure to think about what you hope to get out of it socially and culturally. Another important aspect to ponder is your limitations or constraints. For example, put some thought into what you want to study, why you want to study it, who you want to be in your classes with, and what days/evenings of the week you have available to focus on your class work and homework. Also consider any geographic limitations that you may be stuck with.

Each business school has its own specific areas of focus and expertise and tends to attract a certain type of student population. If you articulate your interests, it is easier to match them to the profiles of the individual schools. Also, if you articulate your infrastructure needs and time availability, this will help you to filter out programs that won’t fit into your schedule.

  
Turning your goals into a school choice. Once you understand what your interests are, it is much easier to start shopping around for schools. There are many ways to get a feel for what is out there. For the first step, consider starting your research by talking to those at your workplace who have gotten their MBAs. I believe that it is always best to tap available professional knowledge from colleagues and senior management whom you respect or admire. Find out where they went, what they feel they got out of it, and what they know about business schools. If you are planning on staying with your company, find out what they value in an MBA and whether they will help finance the degree for you. But, by all means, don’t stop there. You want this to be your personal experience, so you need to internalize what you have learned so far and then continue your research.

Another obvious tool for researching business schools is the Internet. There are many useful Web sites and magazines that interview present students and alums and rate different schools. Businessweek.com, Vault.com, and Wetfeet.com, for example, create an intense comparison of schools and provide commentary from recent alums or present students. Of course, visit school Web sites and, most important, the schools themselves. Most schools have a program whereby you can sit in on a class or shadow a student. Be sure to attend information sessions. Many schools go on the road, so you can probably find an opportunity in a city near you.

When you’ve gotten a feel for the schools, sit back for a while. Ponder and consider all the things you have learned. Write down your thoughts and remaining unanswered questions. Then, walk away. Just let it all sit for a while.

Don’t forget the “click” factor: Listen to your heart. As you do your research, you may find that something just “clicks” with one of the schools. Culture and chemistry are key to an exciting and fulfilling B-school experience. As you create your list of criteria for your top-choice school, don’t forget to be sure to include the “click.” I’ll never forget researching top business schools and reading through the materials from MIT’s Sloan School. Something just “clicked.” I knew that it was the place I had to go. Although I applied to my three top-choice schools and strongly considered a competing school after my acceptances arrived, in the end it was the chemistry of MIT and its focus that pulled me in. And I never regretted my decision. It was the best professional experience of my life and I am still reaping the benefits and feeling that “click” 15 years after graduating!
 
What next? There’s still a lot left to the process. But once you have narrowed down your goals and school selections, this helps streamline the rest of the process. Having a feel for your goals will help you on many levels. For example, it helps you identify and choose appropriate recommenders as well as helps you pick essay topics that you can be passionate about.

All I have to do is ask my boss to write the recommendation, right? Well, maybe not. Choosing who is going to write your recommendation is another step worth investing your time in. It may seem a bit awkward approaching a busy project manager, client manager, or director, but this is the time to pull any strings you have. It is important to pick someone who understands the importance of your process and is willing to invest considerable time and energy in writing an upbeat and example-filled recommendation. A poorly written recommendation can have a tremendously detrimental effect on the results of your application. Considering that this is the one aspect of the process you do not have total control over, you want to be sure that you pick the best person to tell the most exciting, truthful, and realistic story about you.

Essays should take me a couple of hours, and then I’ll be done. Think again. The essays are really the vision into your personality, ambition, and capabilities. They deserve a significant investment in time both in thinking about what you are going to write and then in actually writing and proofing your work. Think about your experiences and which ones have had a positive impact on you. Don’t be afraid to include a negative experience too, but only if you can describe how it changed you and can provide an example of how you made good on that bad experience. Take your time with this part of the process; it can actually be fun and exciting.