Why I Chose to Pursue an MBA at Purdue

Friday, September 15, 2017

Like most individuals who have been working in industry for a few years, I was nervous about taking the leap toward pursuing a Full-Time MBA. I’m simply talking about whether or not to pursue an MBA, not to mention the type of schools I should be considering. Questions such as “Will the rate on return be worth it? Is business right for me? Will I make a good manager? Is the school right for me?” consumed every bit of my day-to-day thoughts. At the same time that I had all of these questions about B-School, I had a gut feeling that pursuing an MBA is what I needed to do. Purdue helped convince me of that.

One of the questions that surfaced in my mind when selecting Krannert for an MBA was “Is business right for me?” This alludes to the fact that my background isn’t business related. I was raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana and completed my undergraduate studies in mechanical engineering at Rose-Hulman which is two hours south of Purdue. After school, I worked for Ford as a manufacturing engineer for a year-and-a-half and then for Delphi as an on-site Ford resident system engineer for a year. The opportunity to work at a large corporate fortune 500 OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and one of the leading suppliers in innovative automotive electronics was immensely beneficial. However, I knew that I wanted to see technology and innovation from a “big picture” perspective as opposed to the fine details that engineers work with. I’ve always gravitated towards the Midwest, so it would be safe to say that I’ve heard of Purdue before. That brings me to my next question, “Is the school right for me?”

When I worked at Ford, I regularly met up with one of my close high school friends who also worked at Ford and graduated with his MBA from Purdue. We always discussed higher education and the upsides and downsides of pursuing full-time studies regardless of the Master’s degree field. We spoke about the obvious facts such as school ranking, school reputation, job potential and return on investment. Purdue’s MBA program is highly reputable and highly ranked for each of these areas I mentioned. So what makes it different from the other schools? My friend mentioned something that stuck with me. He told me that the two years he spent in the MBA program at Purdue were the best two years of his life. This left a huge impact on me, so I continued to pursue Purdue while looking other schools. During the application process for other MBA programs, I felt as if I were a piece of commodity only worth what I am able to return to the school after graduation. It was a bit discouraging. However, Purdue didn’t make me feel that way at all. Since the first day that I requested information to the day I received my offer letter, everyone who I was in contact with at Purdue was warm welcoming and friendly in nature. This impact made me realize that my friend was right.

Purdue’s MBA rank is highly competitive and the school has one of the highest return on investments in the nation. I knew that Purdue’s MBA program would assist in my success based on these facts alone, but the community that assisted me with the application process made me realize that these two years would also be the best years of my life. Since I’ve started here at Purdue, these beliefs have been reinforced daily. I’ve met some of the nicest and most intelligent individuals that I have encountered in my life thus far. I am more than excited to see where this experience takes me, and above all else, I am beyond ecstatic about my school selection.