Homework

Now that I have some spare time (not much), I will take the chance to write my first post in english, so I can practice a little bit and make it a habit.

These last few weeks I´ve been (I still am) loaded with work. I am trying to finish the final project for my Masters in Pharmaceutical Sciences, which is about anti-TNF drugs and their toxicity when used to treat rheumatologic disorders, and that will take me until late june to fully complete. Besides that, I am also doing a another small research project about hemorrhagic strokes suffered by haemophiliac patients and how they were treated, which I intend to present to the Annual Congress of the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy. Given the fact that, because of all this, I spend almost 12 hours everyday at the hospital (without taking into account the days I am actually on call), there is not much time left for any other thing right now.

Fortunately, last week I did have enough time  to continue my research on MBA-related subjects.  Everyone who I have talked to about have made a very clear point that a deep knowledge about every school I intend to apply is essential. You have to know what they offer (curriculum, career services, clubs…) and the philosophy of the school (is it competitive/collaborative?, is it a tight-knit community?…). It is also recommended to get to talk with students or alumni so they can provide first-hand opinions, information about student life, how classes are taught and graded …  Of course, you must also look into recent employment reports (the schools release them) for you to know  which companies recruit at that particular school, and which are the top-hiring companies or industries (there may be schools with a very clear orientation towards a certain industry). It is also important to consider the geografical area you may want to work after you finish the MBA, because if you want to work in the US, you will more likely secure a job there coming from an american school.

Given all this, I´ve started to gather all the information I find about some schools I am interested in. Of course the first source of information is always their website, where you can find everything regarding the program, curriculum, fees & financial aid, application process… Another good source is the student blog (many of the schools have one), where current student share their experiences on the program and outside the classroom. I would also strongly recommend to read the blog of an actual student of one of those schools (ridworld – MBA en Chicago Booth) that I´ve found to be very useful, since many questions I wanted to ask have already been answered through reading it (in fact, I am starting my research with Booth because of what I have already learned there and given the fact that it is the school that I know more about right now, which is still little).

Another matter I will focus in while I´m trying to learn a little bit more about those business schools are the different scholarship programs available to study an MBA. Of course the schools have their own scholarship and loan programs, but it is a must to investigate what other organizations offer this kind of aid, since an MBA is very expensive and getting the funds to pay can be difficult. As there are many different kind of scholarships offered by many institutions under also different conditions, It will take time to get to know many of them and select at least a few to apply to when the time comes (and also meet some of their conditions since, for example, you have to submit your GMAT and TOEFL scores when applying), so it is a good idea to start looking into it soon, the same as with the schools.

Finally, at the same time, I have to start preparing myself to the GMAT course I intend to take next august. I need to refresh my basic high school math, because although I have always been very good at math, there are many concepts I have not used for years. I also need to get my english ready (reading, listening…) since the classes are taught in english.

Let´s hope I can get everything done on time!