The MBA and Life Checklist: Choosing your MBA Program (Part 1)

Written by:
Kellogg
3 minute read

Chris and Jessica 10Yr Message

This is part one in a six part series. See part two, part three, part four, part five, part six.

If you are a person thinking about an MBA, here are six questions you might consider—and my personal experience in finding the answers at Kellogg.

It took a lot of time for me to make my decision to attend the Kellogg School of Management. It was time well spent, however, because it was a decision to align myself with a brand that will be with me for a lifetime. I suggest you craft a checklist of some of the elements that you are seeking that are essential for the school you want to attend. After all, this decision will be branded on you and you on it, for years to come.

Here is the first question I asked before coming to Kellogg and as I approach graduation, a report on the answers that I found:

Are you being challenged to reach for greatness?

What do world class faculty expect of you, and how do they relate to you? There should be an air of expectation that this is where you grow as a person and develop the skills to accomplish your dreams, change the world and lead at the highest levels. This is a high standard. It is a message we hear consistently from Dean Blount at events like the Brave Leader Series, but you should also hear it every day inside the classroom. The message should be clear, that being good enough is not nearly enough. Kellogg can help you find your greatness. Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to gain the skills with Excel, PowerPoint and Stata, perhaps to become a senior consultant or an associate marketing manager. But for Kellogg students that is for starters. The challenge is to find what lies beyond.

Check back tomorrow and every day this week for the rest of Christopher’s checklist!

Christopher Alexander ’14 is a 2008 graduate of Morehouse College and is in his second year of the 2Y MBA Program at Kellogg. His focus is on the Marketing and Management and Organizations curriculum. After graduation Chris will be heading back to Deloitte Consulting’s Strategy and Operations group. He will be based in Seattle, along with his fiancé and Kellogg classmate Jessica Lane ’14. Chris is very active on Kellogg’s campus, primarily as outgoing co-president of the Black Management Association, an admissions interviewer and a member of the class gift committee. Chris originally hails from Roxbury, NJ.