Getting the most from an MBA involves much more than calculating the financial return on tuition. Alumni and business school advice shows how intentional networking, relationships with professors, thoughtful course choices, and active use of school resources can shape the long-term value of the experience. From preparing before classes begin to maintaining your alumni network after graduation, small choices can make a lasting difference.
Your MBA Is More Than the Tuition You Pay
An MBA is a large investment, but tuition is only one part of it. Your time is also limited, and how you use that time can have a direct effect on what you take from the program.
Amandeep K. Chawla, a 2024 graduate of Northwestern University: The Kellogg School of Management (US), found this out during her Executive MBA:
“It is not really two long years; you start, and it is over before you know it. I did not spend enough time connecting with the network because I always thought, ‘We have two years – that’s a lot of time.’”
Her point is important for any MBA candidate, whether the program lasts one year, two years, or longer. There is a temptation to postpone networking, career planning, or getting to know professors because there seems to be plenty of time. As MBA advisors, we recommend treating the program as a limited window instead. Decide early what you want from it: a move into a new industry, a stronger position in your current field, international experience, new business skills, or a broader professional network. Then use that goal to decide where your time should go.
The next step is to prepare before the program even begins.
Before the Start: How to Prepare the Ground
Preparation does not have to mean creating a rigid two-year plan. Instead, identify a few priorities and learn what resources the school offers before classes begin. Review clubs, career services, faculty interests, international opportunities, and alumni groups, and note which ones connect most closely with your goals.
“My advice would be to do your research. Know your goals and what you want to achieve after the MBA and plan for them to happen,” says Michelle Tang, Full-Time MBA at Imperial Business School (UK) and adds: “Build your connections even before the start of the program, which includes getting familiar with incoming and previous cohorts as early as possible – trust me this is very useful!”
Reaching out to future classmates can also make the transition easier and help you enter the program with relationships already forming.
During the Program: Make the Most of Your Time and Access
As KJ Brown, New York University: Stern School of Business (US) alumna, told Poets & Quants – sometimes seemingly small decisions can have a major effect on the MBA experience:
“If I could do one thing differently for my MBA experience, I wish that I would have taken advantage of office hours with my professors from the beginning. I leveraged my peers a great deal for support with challenging coursework. Once I started utilizing office hours with professors, I was blown away by how helpful they were and how much the faculty prioritized learning and development.”
MBA candidates often focus on the most visible parts of the program – classes, recruiting, clubs, and networking events, while overlooking resources that are easier to access.
Start with your professors. If a subject matters to your career plans, use office hours to ask questions, discuss an industry problem, or explore how an idea applies outside the classroom. These conversations can also help you build relationships with faculty who may later provide advice or recommendations.
Apply the same level of intention to electives. Choose courses that support the skills you need for your target role, rather than simply selecting the courses with the easiest workload. If you are moving into finance, for example, prioritize the financial skills you will need in interviews and on the job. If you want to work in technology, look for courses that strengthen your understanding of data, product development, or technology strategy.
Your alumni outreach should be just as specific. Instead of sending dozens of generic LinkedIn requests, ask your career office to identify three to five alumni in your target function, industry, or location. Research each person and request a short conversation with a clear purpose.
These choices also shape the relationships you build, which is why alumni advice is particularly useful when deciding how to spend your limited time.
Alumni Advice: Relationships, Presence, and Perspective
Ask any alumnus what they’d change and you will hear some version of “I would have paid closer attention to the moment.” Julian Sutton, a Deloitte hire who also graduated from New York University: Stern School of Business (US), agrees:
“Time flies in b-school. You blink and it’s over. So much is thrown at you right out of the gate, and it’s easy to get lost in the chaos. I’ve had such great experiences, met so many incredible people, and learned more than I ever could’ve imagined. If I started it all over, I would just savor each one of those moments even more.”
For an MBA candidate, that does not mean ignoring grades or career preparation. It means recognizing that some parts of the MBA cannot be easily recreated later.
Your classmates may become colleagues, business partners, clients, mentors, or friends. A professor may become a long-term adviser. A casual conversation with someone from another industry may change how you think about your own career. That is why relationship-building should not be treated as an activity separate from the MBA.
A useful habit is to leave some space in your schedule for unplanned conversations. These are small commitments, but they can widen your understanding of the people and industries around you.
After Graduation: Maintaining the Investment Long-Term
Lindsay McCurren provides a useful example of actually using her Harvard Business School (HBS) (US) alumni network after graduation. When she moved from BCG to PepsiCo, she contacted alumni who had reached her target companies and people who had achieved her longer-term career goals.
She says these conversations gave her “invaluable insights and connections that helped narrow down options and pushed me forward.”
“I also joined alumni events organized by the HBS Club of New York, which were helpful for networking and inspiration,” Lindsay says and adds: “I used HBS Career & Professional Development resources. I utilized their online content and also met with career coaches to discuss various aspects of my job search process.”
Common Mistakes That Devalue Your MBA Investment
The most expensive mistake isn’t always a poor elective choice; sometimes it’s isolation. Reflecting on his time at Indiana University Bloomington: Kelley School of Business (US), Cedrick Agorbia-Atta told Poets & Quants:
“It’s very easy to always stick to your small group of friends or to get lost in the monotonous cycle of going to class, working in temporary groups, and having short pleasant chats at social events,” he tells Poets & Quants. “What requires a lot of intentional effort is having a good 20-minute conversation with a school mate before a class starts, at a tailgate or during a happy hour. I wished I did this more to learn about who some of my classmates were, what truly brought them here and what their experience has been.”
That is a useful warning because an MBA cohort can become comfortable very quickly. You may naturally spend most of your time with people from the same industry, nationality, age group, or career path. While those relationships can be valuable, staying only within that circle limits what you can learn from the wider class.
Three other mistakes are worth avoiding.
- First, choosing electives simply because they offer an easy A.
- Second, joining too many clubs and spreading your time too thin.
- Third, allowing recruiting to consume the entire MBA experience.
Your career goals matter, but they should not prevent you from using the other resources you are paying for: professors, classmates, alumni, clubs, projects, and the wider school community.
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