Why I Dropped Out of an MBA at UCLA
A look behind the reasons to do an MBA in 2023. Or not to do.
It’s been a month since I last wrote a blog post. I have avoided writing when I shouldn’t have. Some Stress. Lack of Motivation. A bunch of other excuses. But, I am forcing myself to write now. I do love writing and how it makes me feel. I also thought I could share the story of how I pondered over a huge decision I had to make -
To drop out of my MBA or not to?
Two months ago, I had an option to switch to a full-time program at UCLA Anderson and that would have honestly been an easy option. I had just gotten laid off and an MBA would have both bought me time and a student visa, but I had to take several practical things into consideration - cost, relocation to LA, visa changes, what happens after, etc. The biggest question I had to tackle was whether it was worth it for me. What was the real benefit to doing a full-time MBA at UCLA? I found that right now, it was not enough of a sell for me to throw >100k at it.
This week, I had to again decide if I should continue with the part-time program (FEMBA), the one I had originally applied to last year. And once again, I tried my best to consider it holistically. As an Asian, it is drilled into our conscience that more the degrees, the better. The more you study, the more accomplished you will be. BUT, if there’s anything I have learnt from my layoff experience it is this: in this age and economy, nothing is guaranteed. And I had to truly, deeply examine what I wanted to do with my life and career.
As a person obsessed with data and evidence based decision making, I decided to rely on any concrete information I can find to make my decision. I had to force myself to think it through and not let any emotions sway my decision. I still don’t know if I made the right call, but I am convinced that at least I tried my hardest to think about it. And as to whether it was the right decision or not - I guess, as usual, only time will tell.
One
Let me go back to the beginning - Why did I want to do an MBA a year or so ago? For context, when I first started thinking of doing an MBA, I had been an AI software developer who wanted to switch to management and the product side of things. In many of the college essays they asked what my short term goal using the MBA would be and I had answered that it was to switch into Program / Product Management.
Well, I’ve done that already, on my own. So, at least with regards to my short term goal, an MBA no longer made sense.
Two
The other main reason was the COST. I can’t believe how much universities are charging for the degree. Even part-time / hybrid courses, like FEMBA, which would mostly be conducted online shamelessly put forth the same price tag as a full-time MBA. That didn’t sit well with me from the beginning, and since I had a scholarship and employee sponsorship, I had thought it would be okay. But, silver lining, losing my source of income turned out to be a much needed reality check for me.
If your company sponsors it, then I would say go for it. Otherwise, one has to really think about it. An MBA costs 2x-4x what an average person in the US earns in a year.1 And in 2023, with inflation, layoffs, taxes, and high uncertainty I did not want to take the risk of throwing my money at a degree that may or may not help me.
Three
I asked several graduates why they chose to do an MBA and almost all of them said “for the connections”. No one apparently cares about the learning or what is actually taught. In hindsight, I was probably a bit naive but that was a watershed moment for me. Though when I thought about it more, it made some sense. One of my primary hesitancies with an MBA had been a fear of being out of place. Historically, these institutions have been classist, elitist and actively promote the transfer and maintenance of power within the same circles. If an outsider has to break through, maybe the networking opportunities provided by an MBA can help.
In my case, I am still someone who is deeply uncomfortable by the transactional nature of these connections. I knew that I would hesitate to “lean in“ and would probably not make any proper connections at their events. Besides, now that we have social media, LinkedIn and the million conferences that take place every year. I think that if one tries hard enough we can build genuine relationships without the need for an MBA.
Four
The dismal lack of opportunities for the batch that graduated in June 2023. I know this because I live right opposite MIT Sloan and some of the recent graduates were my neighbors. They told me mildly alarming tales of how the majority of their classmates had not landed jobs at the time of graduation and those who did had starting dates sometime in 2024. If a full-time student from MIT was struggling, no way was it worth moving across the country to Anderson.
Five
An outdated curriculum. I found that across the schools, that I got accepted into, only Berkeley has modernized its curriculum to reflect the fast-paced diverse and dynamic world we live in now. I was also primarily interested in learning about the circular economy and how to build sustainable and equitable business practices. Unfortunately, none of these schools provided enough resources nor do enough research on these timely topics.
In my recent research, I have also come across stories of how one-dimensional business schools in the US can be. By maintaining the same focus on bottom line and creating shareholder value, some of these schools are losing the opportunity to upgrade and place the MBA in a context worthy of the 2020s. We need future CEOs and businesspeople to gain a more holistic worldview that builds upon a sum of our existential parts - social, political, economical, environmental, post-colonial impacts - by which one can build businesses that can both thrive and contribute to larger parts of society and not just cater to a powerful few.
Six
Finally, when I shared my current woeful circumstances with the admissions and the career center at UCLA I was met with an astonishing lack of empathy. I realized sadly that I was not going to get much help from their side until I paid the first semester fee. I should have known better right? The MBA schools in the US are the very belly of the capitalistic beast after all2. But as a human who expects some humanity in return, it was disappointing. It was another shocking encounter for me with a system that remains rigid and unaccommodating of people with different needs and backgrounds. Diversity-washing indeed.
In The End….
I decided to drop out. I feel confident that given my current personal and professional circumstances it was the right call. And the fact that I had so much time to think about it really made me grasp at the roots of why an MBA at UCLA. If ever I do choose an MBA in the future, it would be at a school where the Green and Sustainable Economy is prioritized and not a place that holds a beacon to practices that we all should rightly move on from.
Disclaimer: This post is based solely on my opinion and my experience. Different people have different reasons to do an MBA and each person should make the choice according to their own needs and circumstances.
For more on the current disappointing limits of an MBA at a top US school - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/05/opinion/business-schools-capitalism-mba.html