<p>If you could go back to school, what would you do differently?</p>
<p>Nothing. No regrets. I’m in school for my MBA and the difference is, I drink less and study more. I’m closer to the Profs and I do extra reading. I also practice what I’m learning as I learn it. But I never look back and hold regrets. Life is too short; and there’s too much to do now, and to prepare for tomorrow.</p>
<p>Tortfeasor - Thank you for your input. What was your major in school? How are you preparing for the outside world, Jobs? What are your study habits now?</p>
<p>In undergrad it was Finance and International Business Administration. I graduated in '98.</p>
<p>I’m self employed. I own a registered investment advisory firm. I do personal finance, pension consulting and corporate finance as a venture capital consultant. My MBA is for a stronger credential. My corporate finance activities are international in emerging and developing economies. My work resembles Private Equity or Merchant Banking but it isn’t because I don’t broker or deal securities. I can advise on securities or trade on a customers behalf. I plan to get a series 3 in the fall because I have clients who may want to trade commodities and forex. At that point I may wind up looking a lot like a Hedge fund but not really because my focus will remain on international VC.</p>
<p>I don’t really need the MBA so I suppose it’s more of a vanity degree. Some cultures prefer to work with people with MBA’s and CEO titles. Plus, I’m learning a lot. I don’t know everything, and I have forgotten quite a bit.</p>
<p>I put in about 6-8 hours study a week. The tempo for school is pretty fast. It’s designed for working professionals. That’s on top of maybe 60 - 70 hours or more in my business. It’s tough to go over 70 and since I don’t have a boss I don’t see why I should. We do a 5 - 8 page paper a week and read at least 2 chapters of our text a week. Grad school is different from undergrad so it is not a place to skip the readings unless you want to look like an idiot in class. The professors do call you out and will embarrass you if you’re not prepared. I have 1 class a week which lasts 4.5 hours. So in total, school takes 10-12 hours a week. The last week of each class may take up to 20 hours because of the term papers. We have 7 weeks per class which gives us 6 weeks to prepare term papers. The last 2 weeks for me do go into the 80-90 hour week range because my business is a priority over my GPA. I have a 3.6 something right now but it could disappear any day. We also have presentations to do with our papers. It sound like a pain because it is. Those are the hoops.</p>
<p>I love business so its fun and it applies to my work so it’s not like school is really getting in the way. I have classmates that are looking for work and so if I have a position that opens up I may consider them. Grad school is really a long interview. Everyone you’re in contact with is evaluating you. These are my colleagues and may work with me, for me, or over me after school. The only scary part about that is you have to be nice and tactful no matter how much you hate your classmates. Even if you don’t ever deal with them someone watching how you handle yourself may show up down the line. </p>
<p>B-School is different from other grad schools. I know because I did law school and 1 graduate economics class (Macro analysis). The work load is lighter, the math is simple. It’s more about team work and learning how to collaborate. I’m doing an MBA with a Finance Certificate. The certificate covers securities analysis, M&A, and IB plus 6 credits of my MBA. Total 36 + 9 or 45 credits.</p>
<p>I still may want to go and get the MA in econ because I love that stuff. I’m also considering some Adjunct Prof. work after I graduate. I may express my interest to the dean next year… If my GPA is still high.</p>