Return on Investment on your MBA

For every Jobs (Apple) there is a Donald Trump (The Trump Organization) / Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook) / Warren Buffet (Berkshire Hathaway) and closer to home, Anand Mahindra (Mahindra & Mahindra). While the list of the former cluster may dwindle, that of the second lot, armed with an MBA from a top school, continues to swell.Return on investment

Child prodigies like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg are rare and difficult to cultivate using traditional education methods – ask Harvard, they tried! If you believe you belong to their tribe, I urge you not to read ahead. However, if you like me, believe you have academic prowess and more importantly have the drive to create impact, read on.
Return on investment
Why do you need an MBA if you want to be an entrepreneur?

This question tops the list of FAQs as students embark on their exploratory journey towards higher education and begin evaluating an MBA.

I am a Harvard Business School graduate and founder of a boutique admissions advisory, ReachIvy. Two years at business school made me dismiss any doubts I had about the efficacy of an MBA, given the high costs and time invested in it.

First, the cultural experience is unprecedented – one gets to experience a ‘flat-world’. My home aptly has a moniker of an international hostel, as friends stop by from across the globe. Also, I believe that a lot of learning happens during travels. Most top Business schools, organize trips to various parts of the world to learn from first-hand cultural and professional experiences.

Moreover, at school, I had access to some of the finest minds in the world. Nobel prize laureates and industry experts made up the faculty and the diversity of classmates was baffling. As Dr. Dipak Jain, former dean, INSEAD mentioned at a ReachIvy event, “Having global experience is a necessity and an entry barrier to top schools. Hence, the difference is the quality of classmates. When you are at Stanford, Princeton, all of them are so brilliant.” Learning from other classmates who started their businesses is an asset when starting your entrepreneurial venture. I had access to an eclectic mix of experiences and got a deep insight across several industries and functions in the short span of two years. Faculty, students, investors, and industry experts help you ideate further, making the foundations of your business model almost watertight. Business school can help you get a head start with your idea. You can examine various business models and experiment within the safe walls of the school by participating in the myriad B-plan competitions hosted on several campuses.

Lastly, the professional network that I became a part of is colossal. In ReachIvy’s Speaker Series, LBS alum Pratik Agarwal, VP Corporate Strategy at Vedanta Resources rightly points out “In a business that I started I found that one of my potential customers who runs one of the largest broadband businesses is a classmate of mine.” Similarly, my professional network is very connected and supportive when I reach out to them; I always get a response.

It has now been three years since I graduated and I continue to appreciate and understand the value of my degree every day.

The article has been written by Vibha Kagzi.

Vibha is the CEO and Founder of ReachIvy, a boutique educational advisory that helps aspiring students get accepted into top-ranked educational institutions globally.

Vibha holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science from Carnegie Mellon University. She has also pursued courses at the University of California, Berkeley, the London School of Economics and the Indian School of Business.

ReachIvy offers college application resume writing services to aspiring students willing to study abroad.

ReachIvy sincerely hopes that this article serves as a critical tool to increase your knowledge base. For study abroad consultation or career counselling with ReachIvy, Submit a Query now! Also, review our resources section to access our free premium content..
Return on investment
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