Grad School immediately after Undergrad

[knixon157]

Hello Everyone,

I know this might be a common question on this forum, but this is my first time here. I am in an interesting situation in my undergraduate career. First I should explain that I am an athlete at Davenport University in Grand Rapids, MI. Many athletes go to school for 5 years and finish up their undergrad at the end of year 5. I am in my second year of college, but I will be graduating next spring at the end of year 3. I am a general business major and I plan on eventually getting my MBA. Since I will be graduating next year and I already used my red shirt, I will have 2 years of eligibility left upon receiving my bachelors degree. This is where my problem occurs. I would love to use up my eligibility, which is why I was considering starting graduate school immediately. I am curious on everyone's opinions on not having a break between undergrad and grad school. Please keep my situation in mind as well. Thank you all for your time! 

[Neist]

I'm going straight from undergrad to grad, but I don't compete as an athlete. I do one question, though.

How time-consuming is your sport? I know a lot college football players have every hour occupied; it's easily a full-time job. However, if you're involved in a sport that isn't as time consuming, then perhaps it would be okay, if for no other reason other than the fact that you've managed to graduate in three years while participating in that sport. That's a pretty heavy load.

Do you feel as if you need a break? 

[knixon157]

Just now, Neist said:

I'm going straight from undergrad to grad, but I don't compete as an athlete. I do one question, though.

How time-consuming is your sport? I know a lot college football players have every hour occupied; it's easily a full-time job. However, if you're involved in a sport that isn't as time consuming, then perhaps it would be okay, if for no other reason other than the fact that you've managed to graduate in three years while participating in that sport. That's a pretty heavy load.

Do you feel as if you need a break? 

It is an NAIA institution transitioning to D2. I am a wrestler, I achieved a 4.0 this fall. So it isn't quite as serious as perhaps D1 Football or Basketball.  I manage my time well between workouts and homework. I don't have a ton of social time left over after, but that is okay with me. I do not feel as if I will need a break. 

[Neist]

8 minutes ago, knixon157 said:

It is an NAIA institution transitioning to D2. I am a wrestler, I achieved a 4.0 this fall. So it isn't quite as serious as perhaps D1 Football or Basketball.  I manage my time well between workouts and homework. I don't have a ton of social time left over after, but that is okay with me. I do not feel as if I will need a break. 

I say go for it then.  As long as whatever MBA program you attend is aware of your obligations, I see no reason to need a break, and I see no reason why it doing both concurrently is necessarily stretching, especially considering how well you've done so far.

Of course, you shouldn't take my advice as gospel. Perhaps another can comment here for a better-rounded opinion.

Good luck!

[juilletmercredi]

Mmm, I have a different opinion. Two things.

One, the best MBA programs practically require their students to have gotten some work experience - usually at least 2 years - after college. There are many reasons for that. The business school curriculum is structured in a way that students with business experience benefit the most from coursework. Also, an MBA is a degree that prepares you for higher-level positions; few people want to hire an MBA with no work experience. With only three years of undergrad you also presumably have had less time to acquire internship and part-time work experience. So I'd plan to work for a few years before graduate school, especially for an MBA - at least two but ideally 3-5.

Two, I would not plan to go to a graduate program and try to play a sport. I would say if you want to use up your eligibility, spend an additional year in undergrad. Graduate school is time consuming. It's a lot of work. And you should be spending your time doing things that will increase your chances of launching your career after the program. Graduate professors will be much less tolerant of you having to miss a class because you are away at a tournament. And there's a lot of group work in business programs.

[scarvesandcardigans]

This is definitely a unique situation. I agree with both previous posters, to certain degrees. juilletmercredi makes a good case for the amount of time that you will spend as a graduate student actually performing graduate work. I can't speak to the degree of experience that MBA programs require, though. I'm also all for taking advantage of eligibility if you have it. Regarding the eligibility/workload/experience situation, have you spoken to an advisor in your program about this? They may be able to give you more information. But to answer your original question - if you have enough time management skill from your experiences as an athlete and a student, and if you don't feel that you will have any burnout, then I say see where you can go with it. Plenty of people go straight to graduate school after undergrad. Best of luck!

[CuddlyWingman]

Some great stuff here already, I'll chime in here as well.

The first question to ask yourself in this case, I think, is how you are going to fund your schooling. While it's entirely possible to balance sports, work, and school as an undergrad (I did it, too), grad school is a different monster. If you're lucky, you can get funding through a TA position, or some other work-study sort of situation. If not, and you don't have piles of cash lying around, then it's pretty likely that you'll be working at least one part-time job to get through. Not to mention, the grad courses that you will be taking are likely going to eat up far more of your time than undergrad. It's perfectly possible to go straight from undergrad to grad (most of my cohort did just that), but it will require you to analyze and adjust your priorities.

Best of luck!

[michelle_d]

I agree that juggling grad. school with a sport may be difficult, and the cost of the program is a factor.  It is also true that most MBA programs I know of are intended for people with work experience.  Are you also 100% committed to this as your career path?  I ask because I am finishing up a post-bacc degree this year, 10 years after my original BA because between those two programs saw my idea of my ideal job change radically based on work experience.  Had I gone on to a MA/MS right after college in 2007 I likely would not have been as happy as I am now that I have had time to fully consider the options open to me in my original field and my new field.  If you are fully certain of your career path, I would recommend possibly looking for MBA holders via LinkedIn or your school's alumni service, and getting their opinions on the matter.  As MBA holders, they can give you a good perspective on the use of the program straight from undergrad and the likely work load you can expect.

[Cheshire_Cat]

The nice thing about an MBA is that it is very broad, so it is less likely that you will be cornered into a disagreeable career.  But I agree with the poster who said that you may want to get some work experience first.  Unless you are an accounting major, then you need at least 150 hours for your CPA and you want to get that asap.

There are two types of MBAs, from what I can tell.  The type you will generally get at a balanced school is traditionally a degree for non-business undergrads to teach them business. If you have a business degree, this really doesnt add much to your knowledge.  It is basically your junior yeal all over again and gives you a basic overview of finance, accounting, econmics, ect.  Then there are executive MBA programs for business leaders, which are deeper and more useful for those with business undergrads, but they usually require 3+ years of experience.