Five Ways to Make the Most of Your MBA Experience

The MBA experience can be daunting, and when you’re completing this program online, it can be hard to know what to expect. MBA advice is a google search away, and a lot of it is generally useful. Keep up with your reading, schedule out your coursework so you have a dedicated time to do your work, communicate with your MBA cohort, and the list goes on.

Completing your MBA online is a different experience, and the advice to truly succeed needs to go beyond planning ahead and keeping up with your readings. We sought the advice of outstanding MBA graduate award winner, Allison Bradley and below we share some specific tips to make the most of your Online MBA experience.
 
 
 

1. Work Together: Remember, you’re a cohort of peers, not competitors. This group of people makes up your team, Bradley said: “If I knew someone was not fully grasping a concept, I wasn't going to let a team member fail if I could help them.” You may have competed for top rank in your undergraduate program, but in your MBA it’s important to collaborate and share information with each other, which translates to life in the business world.
2. Co-Lead: Bradley said that co-leading was one of the best things she learned to do. She noted that usually there’s one or two people who feel like they want to be the leader, but sharing the job means you get the experience of managing the group, and don’t feel the pressure of pulling everybody along with you. She also noted that another added benefit was “it also teaches you how to follow. There's always somebody bigger than you. Everybody has a boss, so even if you lead other people, you still have to follow somebody else.”
3. Keep your goals flexible: When she first entered the program, Bradley wanted to own her own business and focus on entrepreneurship. “As I progressed in the program, I thought owning my own business is not easy, but it did make me realize how well I do managing lots of projects and people at the same time,” she said. By keeping her career goals flexible, she found new strengths and was still able to make the most of her Online MBA experience and apply her learnings to a different career path.
4. Keep your support system close: Whether this means your family, friends, or classmates, you’ll need to have a solid group of people to lean on when things get tough. For Bradley, “Having the support group and support system that I had, it showed me, ‘These are the people that truly care about me and will always be there for me’.” She also leaned on smaller groups within her cohort and stressed that trust and collaboration beyond just assignments are key.
5. Apply your learnings: Learning through application has been shown to increase the retention of information, and Bradley made it her goal to apply her learnings as much as possible. “If you truly want to learn, not just get the grade or the MBA title, but if you truly want to learn what’s it like to level up your business career, this is the program for you,” she said.

If you’re ready to tackle an Online MBA and gain the skills and knowledge to achieve the future you’ve always envisioned for yourself, consider how CSUMB’s Online MBA program can help you reach those goals. Want to learn more?