5 MBA Myths Debunked(?)

December 5, 2011 by



GMAT BlogThe Business section of the Huffington Post ran an article on Nov. 2 entitled “5 myths about MBAs.”  Naturally, such a provocative title got me reading.  I find the title provocative for a few reasons: (1) I have an MBA; (2) based on personal experience, it is very hard to find neutral or otherwise indifferent feelings regarding the MBA as a degree and those people who possess one (M-B-A is a polarizing three-letter combo); and (3) a lot of the stuff I’ve heard, read, and even thought myself before getting the degree was/is pretty darn far off the mark.  So does this article help?  Well, you be the judge, but here’s what I think:

People use heuristics to filter through a perpetual information barrage that would otherwise leave us drooling on the floor.  These mental shortcuts allow us to make quick judgments and decisions in order to move through the sea of stimuli we continually face every minute of every day.  One go-to heuristic for assessing people is stereotyping.   We all do it.  We take a broad brush and use it to paint a monochrome picture of groups of individuals whom are lumped together based on some shared aspect/characteristic/attribute.

Most commonly, race comes to mind whenever the word stereotype enters the conversation.  However, that is far from the only instance in which we stereotype our fellow humans.  For example, what do you think of people who work for Google?  Thoughts on the Occupy Wall Street protesters?  How about Tea Partiers?  The Y-Generation?  Baby Boomers?  Teenagers?  Old people?  The poor?  The wealthy?

While heuristics are helpful, they can give way to unfounded, unsupported, non-representative, erroneous conclusions about large swaths of humankind.  The article, “5 myths about MBAs,” attempts to reveal truth and dispel assumption.  This is a good thing, especially in light of some of the stuff happening around the world right now.

What’s important is that we avoid making generalizations (and taking the bait when they are made about us), particularly insidious ones that cultivate contempt.  What’s also important is that those of us in the “MBA Club,” make sure we unfailingly add credibility to the education and what we do with it.

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Lucas WeingartenAbout Lucas Weingarten
Lucas Weingarten teaches students how to beat the GMAT, GRE, and LSAT for Kaplan Test Prep and is proud to have earned “elite instructor” status. Lucas writes extensively for Kaplan’s GMAT blog (http://blog.kaplangmat.com/), and in addition to the GMAT and business school as primary subject matter, he regularly explores topics within higher education, economic systems, sustainability, and current events. Lucas spent his formative years in North Carolina and currently resides in Milwaukee, WI, though he has not yet found the part of the world wherein to bury his roots. He has an MBA with a dual concentration in entrepreneurship and finance from DePaul University in Chicago and is fortunate to have secured an adjunct teaching position there out of the department of management. Family, friends, and a seemingly endless stream of new hobbies keep Lucas busy and happy outside of the classroom. You can reach out any time by email (lucas.weingarten@kaplan.com) or through the comments thread after his blog posts.

  • Sarah

    Hello,
    I am Sarah. Though I am preparing for GRE, I found this article very useful.
    I am from arts background and find Quant very challenging. I found this online resource http://www.wiziq.com/course/2526-improve-your-gre-quantitative-score . What do you suggest, How should I start with my Quant preparation? Please help me with it.

    Thanks
    Sarah.