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Sitting exams, completing essays, briefing referees and attending interviews clearly weren't enough tasks to start the MBA. After being accepted and about 8 weeks prior to commencing the semester, I was given a set of tutorials and exams on required "pre-MBA" material. I was completely mistaken to think I could finish those quickly...
Since finding out that I was accepted into Columbia, I've had a pretty relaxed time. Not only physically, but emotionally. Having the relief of knowing that I was accepted into Columbia removes one of the anxieties that one feels when applying to these high calibre schools. It was interesting to note that at the start of June, I was provided with access to Columbia's Pre-MBA course, which proved to be a sign of things to come! The email simply stated that the course would be required to be completed by all and as a minimum would take about 25 hours, but potentially more. While I have traditionally thought that Americans were notorious for gross exageration, this email was a chronic understatement of the effort involved. The course itself consisted of vocabulary modules, mathematics modules, accounting, Excel and Finance sections. This was over and above some additional required readings. Some of it proved to be quite interesting, while some other parts became quite tedious. In the end, it took about 40-50 hrs spread out over about 5 weeks to do the required work. I sincerely believe that part of the role of the Pre-MBA program is to prepare yourself for the concept of studying at school again. For me, it's been 10 years since I last studied at university, so perhaps my brain needed a bit of a kick-start. In 2 years, we'll know if it worked or not! |
