Choosing an EMBA Program

Special guest writer Katie Casey talks to us about the process of choosing the right Executive MBA program for you.

When I began to think about pursuing an MBA, I was only looking for a full time MBA program and didn’t even consider an Executive MBA program. I thought EMBAs were for oId(er) and more important people. The fact that I wasn’t really interested in going to school and working at the same time also added to my ignoring EMBA options. I had seen others do the work/school balancing act and it didn’t seem like they were having any fun. I was 34 when I first made the decision to do an MBA and I still had the GMAT and school research ahead of me.

Studying for the GMAT was definitely not my favourite part of my MBA preparation; it was like pulling teeth to get me to sit down even for a half hour. The idea of re-learning high school maths made my skin crawl. If I had only known that I would end up doing an EMBA, I would have not bothered with the GMAT (ed note: check whith EMBA programs that are of interest to you as some may not require the GMAT). The test preparation is time consuming and, at least in my case, I didn’t have the patience to study as I once did in college or my twenties when I was studying for my CPA certification.

The age factor

I began to realise that by the time I would actually start an MBA program, I would be 35 or 36, so I was clearly above the average age of a full time MBA student by almost ten years. Yikes! After some deep reflection, I decided that even though I would be old for an MBA student, I was really focused on not working during the time I went back to school; I needed a break from the corporate world. I believed that I’d have to justify not working by going to school full time and continued to associate that with an MBA. I completely ignored EMBA programs, thinking the only possible profile for an EMBA student was working and doing the program at the same time, even though I knew that my age and work experience were a better match for the EMBA.

To add to all of my confusion, at my company the perception is that EMBAs are for people with a director title, at a minimum, and more often for divisional vice presidents and vice presidents. So my thinking, being a senior manager, was that there was no way I was senior enough for an EMBA. It was a true dilemma for me and I knew needed to get more information to make the wisest decision.

The other major point for me as I considered my MBA studies was that from the beginning, I was focused on going back to France, where I had studied in college. I knew my MBA studies would be a turning point in my career and I wanted to accomplish three things during this precious year away from work: 1) have an international experience to round out my resume 2) complete my MBA and 3) work on my French to potentially prepare for a volunteer stint in Africa.

An international aspect

For the business school itself I had two criteria: the first was that it be a school in France and the second was that it be a ranked school. If I was going to spend all this money on an advanced degree, I wanted to at least go somewhere people knew about. I was
equally concerned about going to a school in France that would not be recognised in the US, so for me it needed to be a prominent name.

I had often heard about the Business Week rankings, so I used those as a first source of schools to consider. I also purchased a book that listed MBAs by country. Then, I can’t remember how I first came across The Financial Times (FT) ranking, perhaps one of the French schools I researched was FT ranked, but they greatly influenced my decision-making process. I learned the FT rankings were especially important for European schools. I then began only considering French schools ranked in the FT. I then narrowed my
search to 13 schools throughout France.

Research Criteria

Next, I researched each school gathering the following info:
- Application deadline
- Start date
- Length of program
- Ranking
- Cost
- Internship / Project
- GMAT
- Course content (flexibility)

While I was researching, I took the GMAT and ended up getting a very average score. After looking at my number one EMBA program choice, their high GMAT score requirements and costly tuition led me to consider other schools as well. As part of my many business trips to Europe, I was able to visit schools and managed to see five of my top choices.

After meeting with the schools and coming to terms with my GMAT score I began working on applications and quickly realised the essays were a big part of the process. I struggled with writing about myself and my accomplishments. It was the first time I had to write about what I had done with my life beyond a simple biography. I considered getting some help and found a great consultant recommended by one of the MBA resource websites.

The lightbulb moment

As I began working with the consultant, he asked me if I had considered EMBA programs. He advised me that my profile was better suited for an EMBA and I might go crazy being with students 10 years younger and much less work experience. He really encouraged me to consider EMBA programs espite my desire not to work. In the end, I applied to one full time MBA program and two EMBA programs. After a deeper dive into the EMBA, I found out that both programs I applied to had some students taking a sabbatical to focus on their MBA among other things.

The EMBA programs I ultimately decided to apply to met the majority of my criteria. There are so many programs available, I think most people can find what they are looking for and what is most important to them. Once you anchor the two, three or four major criteria, the list of schools get s manageable enough to visit, meet with program people and do extensive research. I have already managed to secure my dream job in a humanitarian focused company in Africa and I know that my EMBA degree will continue to benefit me in multiple ways. Best of luck as you begin your EMBA quest.