[MBA] For the lucky few

The relationship between me and businessweek forums is like the one between an addict and his dealer. I know that it's not good for me but I keep going back. Sometimes however, you come across an interesting post. I am copy pasting one in its entirety below. The link to the entire discussion is here.

This is for those lucky souls (AxeChick, Le Optimiste etc.) who know where they will be going next fall (or earlier) and do not have to visit bweek forums anymore.

Top 10 things to do between now and October.

(10) Read novels, plays, or anything unrelated to business or engineering. It's good for your mind, good for your soul, and good for business (the more cosmopolitan and well-read you are, the better you'll be with clients; ignore this at your peril).

(9) Get married, if you haven't already. What are you waiting for? Hurry up!! Because once you become a consultant, your carnal activities will be over (unless you consider flying solo with the pay-per-view channels at the Holiday Inn "carnal").

(8) Learn how to dance. Whether it's salsa, merengue, hip hop, ballroom dancing, etc. it's just a good social skill. And business (read: consulting) is as much about social skills as it is about "analysis". If you think business is just about what happens in the office, go back to IT.

(7) Learn how to cook (or learn new dishes). If you don't learn now, you'll probably never get the opportunity to in the future. And it's a great life skill to have. Oh, and chicks dig it (disclaimer: I'm a horrible cook).

(6) Travel. No, not on business like a rent-a-geek. Take the opportunity to really travel. Go to the Galapagos. Machu Pichu. South Africa. Morroco. Prague. Southern coast of Portugal (absolutely beautiful -- the people and scenery). Unless if you have the social skills of a houseplant, you'll meet all kinds of interesting people along the way -- both locals and fellow travelers. How is this relevant to business? Open your mind, and your ass will follow. Again, the more you know about the world through REAL experience (and not just through what you've read in a book), the more you have to talk about, the better you'll do in consulting (there's an old interviewing yardstick in consulting called the "airplane test" -- i.e. assuming you've nailed the case interview and it's down to "fit", they want to know that they can sit in an airplane with you for 4 hours without running out of things to talk about with you.)

(5) Take some acting classes, or public speaking classes. Anyone can always improve upon their presentation/communication abilities. If you don't know how to speak to people, go back to IT. Consulting is as much about the "knowledge" as it is about "spin control" and "client relationships".

(4) Go on some wine tours. If you drink, learning about wine is almost a must in business. When you're dining with clients, you will look like a child or a fool if you have no idea about wines. You don't need to be a connessieur, but learn more than you think you know now. It helps. Plus, wine is good. (And if you're really in for a challenge, go on some Scotch tastings. Once you get hooked on Scotch, it will never let you go. In business, you'll meet quite a few Scotch drinkers and knowing your Scotch is always a good thing).

(3) Go golfing. If you golf, then I don't need to tell you this. If you don't golf, keep in mind that it's a popular sport amongst business folks (disclaimer: I suck at golf, never liked it, rarely play it, but understand its importance).

(2) Take this opportunity to switch to a Mac for b-school. I'm kidding (disclaimer: I'm a Mac user, and will always try to find ways to convince folks to switch to Mac).

(1) Relax, eager beaver. Go visit your family and friends. Find ingenious ways to torment your colleagues -- make fun of them. Pour salt in their coffee and be ready to take a picture of their reactions and post the pics all over the office. You will have plenty of opportunities to do the meet-and-greets with the consulting firms starting from virtually the FIRST DAY of school. As an engineer, you won't impress them with your smarts, but with your ability to be a well-rounded and well spoken individual (which is more rare amongst techies).

Alex Chu

www.mbaapply.com
alex@mbaapply.com
The MBA Field Guide (sample essays and more)