Taking the MBA plunge

I made a life decision this week - I'm going to get an MBA. It's something I've been considering for quite some time. I don't want to stop working to go back to school full-time, so I'm going part-time. After working in marketing for a little while I've grown to really enjoy it and I want to learn more about business and marketing. It also helps that having an MBA would make my resume more attractive.

I briefly considered the online MBA program offered at my undergrad institution, but I think taking graduate level business courses is something that I need to be physically present for. I'm currently taking online classes, which I absolutely love because its very convenient for me, but I do miss the human interaction that being physically present in a class provides.

I'm ready to get the ball rolling. I have a few prerequisites I need to take, which I'll take online @ Santa Monica College. I need to sign up for the GMAT and start studying for the exam. So much to do, so little time. My goal is to start the program fall semester 2008.

I'm going to apply to the on-campus program at my undergrad. Some say that if you're going to get an MBA you should go for a prestigious school, but I think a degree is a degree no matter what the institution is. As long as it is accredited that's all that matters. A prominent alma mater seems to only really matter if you plan on working on Wall Street or becoming a lawyer. The fact that my degree would be from a not-very-well-known state public university is irrelevant. In addition, some of the "better" schools don't have what I'm looking for. I checked out programs at Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine, and neither institution offers an MBA with a marketing concentration. My undergrad has a very extensive marketing concentration, including courses in internet marketing and several courses in marketing management. It will be easy for me to get into the program, it's affordable, and its literally a ten minute drive away from my house. The naysayers can keep the hefty prestigious MBA program pricetag. BGI won't be incurring anymore student loan debt.

Peace!