Over the past week or so, I’ve been reading quite a few articles regarding the worth of college and MBA programs in particular. I can respect and see the perspective of those that say that an MBA degree is overrated. However the ongoing theme of these conversations is return on investment (ROI), using a very quantitative approach to their analysis. However such research is far from comprehensive, and in many cases only refers to a [...]

When I decided to go to West Virginia University, it was a very haphazard decision. I had applied, I was accepted, and it had a decent reputation…so I enrolled. To be fair, I at least took a tour of the place before paying my first tuition payment. But I did not look into the culture or environment of the school or Morgantown all that much. I didn’t see the need to. After all, my hometown [...]

I remember when I first made the decision to apply to MBA programs; there was that looming fear of studying for and taking the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). Sure there was the option to apply to programs that did not require the GMAT, but I did not want to limit my options needlessly. On the other hand, there seemed to be a lot of people out there  stressing out about scoring well on the [...]

MBA programs are big on collaboration (a.k.a. “group work”). Online MBA programs are not an exception to this rule. But online MBA programs do present some challenges when it comes to group work. However if you are able to work through these challenges, you’ll gain some valuable skills in leadership and team building. Building a successful group (or team) is the first step towards effective collaboration. From the beginning, you should strive to get to [...]

One of the most popular arguments against online MBA programs is the lack of opportunity to network with your program peers. In my opinion, the need to network within your MBA program is subjective and variable; and I also have no way to compare the two experiences (online vs. face-to-face) firsthand. But I will share some tips that I got hip to a bit later in my MBA program that can help significantly in regards [...]

Now that more and more high school graduates are going to college, it seems that the pressure is on to find that ‘perfect’ college — you know, the one that will land you the greatest chance of landing a job? Well the thing is that there is no shortage of higher education options out there. So the major task at hand is selecting one ‘winner’ out of the entire lot. Every person is different, so [...]

I am the proud holder of a liberal arts degree — a major-less one at that. However I never envy STEM program graduates in spite of all of the talk nowadays about how important it is to go to college and major in something “practical”. My response to such naysayers is twofold: 1) 70-90% of what you study in college does not directly prepare you for what you will be doing as part of your [...]

First of all, I would like to say “congratulations” to the Mountaineers on an amazing victory over Clemson last night! Without a doubt, college athletic programs add a lot to a college’s brand, like it or not. They also help to bring a school’s name out into the spotlight, which in turn helps to bolster its clout when listed on the resumes of its alumni (again like it or not). In a purely logical world, colleges would [...]

While this post is mainly targeted towards nontraditional college students, this information can really help anyone who is in college and struggling in regards to making progress towards completing their degree.  In my opinion, there are 5 main barriers that seem to be the most common in regards to preventing people from earning their college degrees. They are: logistics, finances, academics, social issues, and losing sight of your goals. The following tips will address these issues [...]

It’s hard to believe that a little over two years ago, I first enrolled in my MBA program (and I was absolutely terrified about my ability to succeed). Now, 30 credits later, it’s very interesting to see how my perspective has changed. While some courses have been more difficult than others, the MBA coursework at Lutgert is definitely not impossible. But the ongoing challenge has been time management, communication, and relevancy. Being in an online [...]