Help! I just got into my MBA, how do I prep?
By: Allison Rein
First of all, congratulations! This is a big accomplishment, and taking this step forward you are setting yourself up for a completely different career path than what you’ve experienced to date as a nurse, or clinician.
In this guide, I’ve broken down what I believe are the key things all clinicians should do once they’ve gotten into business school.
1. Confirm Acceptance
The very first thing you’ll be thinking about is whether to accept or reject the offer. This is a big decision and frequently MBA schools will time-bound their offers, meaning you have about 2 weeks to confirm your acceptance. Here are a few key things to consider.
a. Other Schools
What other schools have you applied to? When do you expect to hear back from them? If this school is your top choice, then you don’t have to worry about this. If it’s not, consider reaching out to your top choice school to let them know you have an offer, and when you need to accept that offer by. This might help them accelerate your application through their internal processes, and confirm whether you can expect an offer from them or not.
If you’re not sure if this school is a great fit for you or not, ask them if they can connect you with a current student or recent alumni. Use this opportunity to learn about what to expect, what the culture is like, and find out if this is the right school for you! Reach out within our Scrubs to Suits community to speak with other nurses who attended this school.
If you’ve decided this is the school you want, move on to the next step.
b. Negotiate Scholarships
Something that does not come naturally to nurses is negotiating for a scholarship! In your MBA, you will likely take an entire class around negotiations. Your school is expecting you to negotiate or ask for a scholarship. Make sure you are polite and professional, but it never hurts to ask your school if there are scholarships available to you given your unique situation, and what financial assistance there may be. There are great YouTube videos with negotiation tips, check those out for reference. Remember, it never hurts to ask!
Once you are happy with your school, and potentially your scholarship, you are well aligned to accept the offer.
2. Logistics
Starting an MBA is an exciting time, but there are a lot of logistical challenges to consider. If your MBA is in person, you may need to consider moving, quitting or going casual at your job, and how this will impact your partner or family.
a. Moving
Moving for school can be fun! Investigate what area the school is in, and do your research on where you would like to live. I recommend not living with a classmate that you haven’t met yet – if you have to live with a stranger, live with another Masters degree student, but one that’s in a different program! If you want to live with an MBA student, make sure you meet them in advance to ensure you get along well. You will spend a lot of time together in class, so also being together at home may be too much.
b. Job
I went casual when I started my MBA, and then didn’t work a single shift. I didn’t have time in my 1 year MBA to work and also get the most out of the MBA possible. An important part of the MBA is getting to know your classmates and spending time with them in a casual setting. If you can financially afford to do so, do not work during your 1 year MBA.
If you are doing a two-year MBA, you may have a bit more free time. Discuss this with your application advisor, ask them if there’s any students from previous classes, they can put you in touch with! Or, reach out on Scrubs to Suits and we will try to connect you with someone who is also a nurse who did an MBA at the school you will be going to – they will be an invaluable resource for you!
3. Nursing License
Keep it. At least while you’re in school. You don’t know what job you’ll end up in post-MBA, but many jobs will see it as beneficial if you keep your license and can still say “I’m an RN”. Post-school, some jobs will even pay for your annual renewal of your license!
4. Learning Prep
This is what I was most concerned about when starting my MBA. I thought nurses did not do MBAs and that everyone would have a business background except me. I was wrong. Regardless of where you do your MBA, there will be others in your class that do not have business backgrounds.
I recommend asking your school what courses they can recommend for you! Mine recommended MBA Math (linked here) and offered a pre-MBA week right before classes started to cover basics. I found both resources very useful!
One area I recommend for all nurses is Excel. Get yourself excel and practice playing around there. Do simple addition, multiplication and learn basic excel functions. There are great YouTube and Udemy courses on these topics. Ask your school if they offer a free Udemy or LinkedIn Learning account that you can activate now to start practicing.
Most importantly, when classes start, don’t be afraid to ask questions – go to the professor after class or during breaks, ask classmates for help, and even go to the program administration if needed. There is no shame in this – we all struggle in different areas. Ask for the support you need. Be prepared to work hard and put in the time. If you do that, you will succeed.
Community Question: What other resources can you recommend for new MBA students?
