decision making

You got into more than one school, congrats! Make sure you take a moment to celebrate your accomplishments. The MBA application process is intense, so you should feel proud to be on the other side of it! Now, how should you make a decision on where to go? Well, see some tips below:

1. Reground Yourself in What's Important to you

Remember the school research you did at the beginning of the process? Well, it's time to revisit it! Take a moment to reground yourself on what was important for you at the beginning of the process. Is location a deal-breaker for you? Are you interested in a program well-known for placing graduates in a specific industry or function? How much of a role does financial aid play in your decision? Whatever it may be, make sure to take some to think through what's important to you. Once you have your set of criteria, evaluate all of your options against it.

2. Involve others in your decision-making

If you're torn on deciding where to go, it might be useful to get others involved. Ideally, you would want to talk to a few groups of people, including but not limited to: family, friends, current students and alumni of the programs you've been admitted to. A great place to hear different perspectives might be your program's admitted students weekend. During these weekends, you'll get a better sense for the school's culture and whether or not you're a fit for the program. You'll also get to talk to current students, alumni, and even hear from your potential classmates on their own decision-making process.

3. Trust your gut

Because you've spent so much time researching and engaging with people from the programs you've been admitted to, you might have a clear idea of where you see yourself at this point. Of course, financials, location, class size, etc. are all factors you need to consider, but at the end of the day, make sure you go to the school that feels right for you. Envision yourself in all of these programs. Do any of them stand out to you? Does the idea of saying no to any of these schools stand out? If so, listen to it.

For more tips on how to make your decision, check out this post from Poets & Quants. For additional questions, please contact us.