I heard two very similar comments from MBA students in our program recently – each a smart, high-achieving young woman who is just completing our degree after two years of excellent performance.  The comments are very telling.

“Mary,” who worked as a marketing manager in the financial sector prior to enrolling in our MBA program:  ”I felt I might want to go to graduate school, but I never wanted an MBA.  I mean, all my colleagues had MBAs, and I looked around at them and thought, there is no way I want to be like them.”

“Elizabeth,” who has worked as a project and product manager for a global energy company for more than a decade:  ”I never wanted an MBA.  I don’t even like business!  I didn’t know there were alternative MBA programs out there.”

You have to ask yourself: are all the wrong people going to get MBA degrees, and all the right people staying away?

Present company excepted, of course…