The Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a rigorous program of study. While other typical MSc degrees require 30-40 credits, MBAs require 50-60 credits over the course of two years. To graduate from the Global MBA Program at The George Washington University you need 55 credits. That means the program is heavily loaded with classes, all of which require dedication, focus and class participation.
Despite the heavy academic requirements, the most important lessons from an MBA are not learned in class, but rather outside of them. This is when the real magic happens.
In order to give you a thorough and objective description, I surveyed several of my class peers and combined their opinions and experiences in order to share with you four key lessons learned outside the classroom during an MBA.
1. Team-work
Developing teamwork skills is a major part of the value you will get from an MBA.
At George Washington, we had an elective class called “Leading Teams” which most students chose to enroll in. The reason for the overwhelming interest was that classes, competitions, club involvement, and extracurricular activities all involve teamwork. You will almost never work with the same team twice and each team member will have their own preferred style of working.
Through teamwork you learn how to assert your position and also how compromise in all areas where a decision needs to be made: separating roles and responsibilities, selecting fonts and graphics to use in a presentation, creating a meeting agenda, deciding on a meeting place and time, you get the idea.
As they say, “There is no I in TEAM”, which means you have to understand and accommodate your teammates’ needs in order to move towards the achievement of a common goal together.
How to successfully work in teams was one of my biggest takeaways from the MBA program, and a skill that is applicable to all areas of life.
2. Time management
During the MBA program, besides attending classes and completing assignments, students also get involved in clubs, competitions, alumni meetings and informational interviews, all while applying for internships and jobs. In order to take on all of these responsibilities, one has to develop outstanding time management skills.
During these times your best friend will become Google Calendar. By setting daily reminders you can automate the process, and ensure that you don’t double book yourself and are always where you need to be. Before deciding on a meeting time with someone you will literally have to check your calendar to see when you have free time and which activities are flexible. Once you set something in your Calendar, it has to be followed through since the rest of your time will be scheduled for other things.
3. Cultural awareness
With almost half of my MBA class consisting of international student, I was exposed to more than 30 different backgrounds. I learned what Taiwanese desserts taste like, how huge and diverse India actually is, and how people in Uzbekistan celebrate weddings. I also learned that cultures have more similarities than differences, and we all tend to laugh at the same jokes.
At the same time, by travelling and consulting abroad, you can learn about ways of conducting business in different continents. You will become more culturally aware of how huge the world is, but at the same time how small it may sometimes be. You may find similarities with a tour guide you meet in Peru and learn how wrong stereotypes often are. Being culturally aware allows you to develop a global mindset, to learn something from everyone you meet and to become a citizen of the world.
4. Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable
Throughout the entire MBA program you will get pushed to try new things that you may not have done before, such as organizing events, giving speeches, participating in competitions, or making the first step in approaching someone at an event. You will get pulled in a lot of directions, and there will be no time to worry if you are uncomfortable. As you are constantly pushed or pulled out of your comfort zone, that feeling of being uncomfortable will become familiar and normal. You will no longer fear talking to anyone, you will take initiative, and become persistent in pursing your goals.
That is the biggest gift the MBA program gives you – getting used to being uncomfortable.
Final thoughts
An MBA equips you with a lot of academic knowledge that is applied in business, such as the 4Ps of Marketing (product, price, place, and promotion) and McKinsey’s 7S Framework (structure, strategy, systems, skills, style, staff and shared values).
While the ideas you learn inside the classroom may be quickly forgotten, the soft skills you pick up along the way will stay with you throughout your life.
Tringa Krasniqi holds an MBA degree from The George Washington University. She is the founder and consultant at Ivy Journey, an educational consulting firm for gaining admission to universities and winning scholarships.
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