The IESE MBA Class of 2022 is starting to fill up! For those who will be joining us in Barcelona next year, we are looking forward to welcoming you on campus. You’ve put in a lot of hard work to get to this point and this is only the beginning of your great new adventure!
Some of you might be wondering, what is the best way to start preparing for your IESE MBA over the next 9 months? Since we’ve been getting this question a lot, the MBA Admissions Team has put together some practical suggestions on how you can spend your time.
To get yourself ready for a global classroom setting, Director Pascal Michels (MBA 10) recommends reading the Economist. “You will definitely meet people from most of the countries or companies that are covered in this publication.” Reading the Financial Times can also be useful because this is a requirement for the Capital Markets class in the first term of the MBA. So you can consider getting into this habit early on!
If you are eager to get a jumpstart on your job search, Pascal suggests dedicating time to research companies that you may want to work for. This includes keeping an eye out on the latest news, going through annual reports, reading up on CEOs and connecting with any personal contacts you may have who work in your target companies. Start building up your list of dream companies so that when school starts, your efforts can be more targeted and impactful.
For those looking for some pre-MBA reading, here are career-related books that will come in handy:
- Career Anchors Self-Assessment by Edgar H. Schein & John Van Maanen
- Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
- The 2-Hour Job-Search by Steve Dalton
For more subject specific books, you can consider reviewing these:
- Case in Point: Complete Case Interview Preparation by Marc Cosentino
- Investment Banking: Valuation, Leveraged Buyouts, and Mergers and Acquisitions by Joshua Rosenbaum, Joshua Pearl
Associate Director Tomofumi Nishida (MBA 16) points out that in some regions such as Japan, MBA recruiters often host pre-MBA networking events. He encourages Japanese candidates to join these send-off parties, as it is a great way to highlight your profile to prospective employers and understand what types of opportunities are available to you.
Career changers can even consider doing a short pre-MBA internship of 2-4 weeks to make full use of the lead time and explore new career paths. However, this will depend on the type of experience you are looking for and if companies have any suitable projects for you to work on at the time. To do this, leverage your personal and IESE networks and start talking to your contacts to see what is possible.
Tomofumi also believes that international students could benefit from learning some Spanish before the intensive Business Spanish classes begin in August. Based on his own experience, he feels it can make the transition a little bit easier and more comfortable. Moreover, there are plenty of user-friendly apps out there such as Duo Lingo that can help you pick up some basic Spanish quickly.
But very importantly, Associate Director Natalia Antip (MBA 19) says make sure you get some good rest before the MBA begins. It will be very hectic once school starts so be sure to take care of both your physical and mental wellbeing. Finally, don’t forget to spend as much as time as possible with the precious people around you. The invaluable support provided by your family & friends is often a very critical part of a successful MBA as well.
For now, happy holidays to you and your loved ones! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
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