Pursuing a Business Degree in Today’s Economic Climate

With the first signs of the economy beginning to rise up and find it’s way to recovery (knock on wood), there isn’t a better time to pursue a business degree than now. Capitalism is blooming, and securing your place in the market of higher learning is essential if you are to swim and not sink. If the Ken Fisher article on Capitalism isn’t enough to motivate you to get on board the higher learning train, than I don’t know what will. As one of America’s brightest minds, it is your calling and moral obligation to invest in your future so that you may in turn invest in improving America’s economy, and the lives of your community members. The following article will examine the best schools in America for obtaining an undergraduate degree in business, as well as the coveted MBA, and pinpoint some things you can do to help secure your place in them.

Only the Best

According to an article published by Forbes on the best business schools, Harvard has come in at number one for the first time since 2003 as taking the best seat in the house for obtaining an MBA, leaving the old front runner Stanford in the number two spot. Although B-rated business schools are a good way to jump-start your career and will save you money on tuition, the article advices to go for the top schools—as they will pay off in the long run. According to Forbes, hiring has picked up and now 57% of graduates have job offers lined up before even completing their degrees. Attending a B-rated school like UCLA is still commendable and is a worthy institution, but when it comes time to find employment and see a return on your educational investment, people with degrees from top-rated universities will likely get the first offers, and you certainly don’t want to rely on their crumbs to survive. Other top-ranking universities include University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Wharton, Columbia, Dartmouth, Northwestern Kellogg, Cornell, Darden, MIT, Yale, Duke, and Berkley. Applying to all of these schools is a wise choice, and enrolling in any one of them will definitely set you on the path to leading a successful career while empowering you to give back to the economy.

Good Grades Just Don’t Seal the Deal 

Although grades are the first thing an admission’s board will look at, there are other determining factors that play heavy roles. After all, thousands of students are getting good grades and are applying to top schools. You need to set yourself apart by trying to accomplish as many of the following as possible during your high school and, yes, even your undergraduate career:

·      Try to get published in an academic journal
·      Get an internship
·      Volunteer for a worthy organization or cause
·      Be active in campus sports
·      Join academic clubs and try to form one yourself
·      Run for a seat in student politics (class president won’t hurt)
·      Be a mentor

By engaging in as many of these points as you can, you will be showing the admissions board that you are a go-getter, pro-active, and that you fulfill the fabric of the morally sound that they covet and look for in their student body. Remember, after you graduate you will be carrying your university’s name with you and will be representing them as an illuminist. So for this reason alone they look for students who are likely to go above and beyond after graduating.

Get Motivated

Now that you have a good list of universities to keep on the backburner, and an idea of things you can do in your academic and social life to provide an extra insurance policy when it comes time to “wowing “the admissions board, get motivated and pursue your dreams. Our economic climate is showing signs of improvement, more jobs are opening up, and perhaps someday you will be in a position to hire others and fill some seats yourself.