The MBA Paradox

I have finally fallen into the trap and will most probably be joining either Duke or UNC for an MBA, starting fall 2008. During the process of applying to schools, I spent 2-3 days doing some research on internet, mainly forums and blogs, to find out what goes on in minds of other people while deciding about quitting their cushy jobs to go back to school for an MBA. I found out that there is a huge, cult-like presence of starry-eyed MBA aspirants and B-school students on the internet. I am intrigued and amused by the intensity of MBA bloggers and their readers alike.

What I found very singular is that most people applying to top 10-20 schools seem totally consumed by the idea of doing an MBA. I find it funny that while 9 out of 10 aspirants are clearly pursuing the MBA dream to make more money and feel more important, they try to confuse the issue by needless philosophizing. Is it shameful to say that I want an MBA because I think it will help me make more money and climb the corporate ladder faster and farther? Absolutely not, I think. But many of the MBA worshipers like to say that "MBA is more than just education", as if all other degrees are utterly useless. They talk about little things in their business schools (such as a room, a club, a professor etc.) as if they are talking about Mecca or Vatican City. One blogger spent an entire post explaining that "there is nothing you cannot achieve without an MBA", while the other 999 posts on her blog were just day-by-day account of her GMAT and MBA-application preparation. My whole point is: I don't understand why so many MBA applicants are so much obsessed by the thought that MBA is the greatest thing in their lives, and measure their self-worth wholly by the number of offers or 'dings' they receive!

While many MBA dreamers claim that they are risk-takers and are ready to quit their jobs and take huge loans to pursue their 'dream', i believe in many ways, we are also risk-averters. That is why we seek the security and launching pad provided by a top 20 school. The real risk-takers, outside of military and social service, are entrepreneurs because they are risking a lot against very uncertain outcomes. A Harvard or a Sloan applicant is really risking nothing by accepting an admission offer, in fact it is the other way around.

Again, most people who pursue MBA are an ambitious and smart lot, who are either dissatisfied or bored with their present careers, and there is no problem in that. What puzzles me is that why do so many of them get uncomfortable with this reality and instead of talking straight, try to give the whole MBA thing so much spin and seek a higher meaning in it?