Career Investment Advisors
Week 1: The single most important thing you can do to make b-school a success
Helping you make the most of
your MBA experience
May 3, 2015
In this issue
Set MBA goals
Stay on track
Is consulting your goal?
To-dos this week
Missed last week?

Class of 2017 password: MBA2017
Can't access our Members Only resources?
Like us on Facebook to receive login credentials Like us on Facebook

  

While setting goals can sound easy, when faced with a blank page and a big question, students tell us that it is often hard - so much so that many never get around to setting them.

 

We want to make it easier!

 

This week, we'll share a couple of simple tools to set goals for your MBA. While you have a few months before your MBA experience starts, the most successful MBA students point to how they used their time leading up to school to focus their thinking, explore choices, and establish relationships. Setting clear goals is an essential step in making great use of this time.

 

Good luck with goal setting and have a great week,

 
Andrea & the 100 Week Sprint team

What do you REALLY want to achieve during business school?

 

This is the $500K question! Before the bills start coming (a time when students tell us that their perspective changes), it is helpful to figure out what you want out of your MBA experience.

 

Are there particular people you would like to get to know? Do you want to establish yourself as a leader in a specific industry? Are you hoping to deepen relationships in a specific geography? Want to make strides towards starting a new business?

 

If so, your goals might look like this:

  • Goal 1: Meet person by the end of my first semester.
  • Goal 2: Plan intensive experience in country - either an internship, group project or specific study experience, no later than halfway through my second year.
  • Goal 3: Decide which of my three business ideas to pursue, find at least one partner to get involved, and participate in the Venture Challenge to determine long-term viability of our plan. 

How to make it easier to set goals (and stay on track!) 

 

Got some goals in mind? Here are some tools to help you hone in on the specifics and help you think through what to prioritize before you enter the first few weeks (which is often a whirlwind of activities!) of your MBA experience.

  • Set your goals now. Use our simple MBA goal-setting tool to focus on what you want to achieve. Utilizing the SMARTŪ framework will help you to define goals and, ultimately, increase your chance of achieving them.
  • Need a jump-start on brainstorming goals? Check out our Mad Libs: MBA Goals worksheet! We've provided some suggestions to trigger thoughts about your own goals. It may seem like a lot at the moment, but you'll have all of two years to complete the ones you choose! 
  • Start working towards those goals! After you've set your goals, take some steps today to start working towards those goals. For example, if you're considering an industry change, explore pre-MBA internships and conduct industry research. 
  • Seek accountability for your goals. Goals are most effective if you have them visible throughout your day. Some 100 Week Sprint alumni have

    have commented on the value of sharing goals openly with a small group of 3-4 peers; just as a mastermind group can help a startup, a team that is designed to hold you accountable to your MBA goals can increase your likelihood of success.

Is consulting your goal?

 

Here's one quick way you can get fueled as you work towards your career goals! With our partners at Practico, we will be hosting a complimentary Consulting Chat to provide you with an overview of the consulting industry and MBA recruiting in particular. 

null

  • Click here to sign up for Thursday, May 14, 2015 at 4pm PST
  • Click here to sign up for for Thursday, May 21, 2015 at 4pm PST 

To-dos this week

 

With these stopwatches, get some ideas on quick activities you can do to further yourself along. 5 minutes is all it takes to make some progress - see below for this week's ideas!

 
Got 5 minutes? Print out our MBA Libs: MBA Goals worksheet to start setting some key deliverables.
Got 30 minutes? Look over our list of scholarships that you could be eligible for, pre-MBA internships, and other pre-school preparation resources that could jumpstart your MBA experience.

Got an hour? Set specific goals regarding organizations you want to join, the different sights and sounds in school's city, faculty members you want to connect with, events you want to attend, and more.


 

Have friends who are also starting an MBA this fall?

If you have friends or colleagues who are also starting business school this fall, click here to refer them to the
100 Week Sprint or encourage them to subscribe via our website.
Like us on Facebook Follow us on social media! Follow us on Twitter

Know other MBA students who would benefit from the 100 Week Sprint? Forward this email using the link below, or encourage them to subscribe themselves.