I only applied to business schools, because I planned to get my MBA (Master of Business Administration). The first step is taking the GRE and/or the GMAT, though the GMAT is the main exam that business programs tend to look at. It was also much easier than the GRE, in my opinion. It is also a good idea to attend MBA fairs in order to meet admissions’ committee members from potential universities. Afterwards, the application itself is usually online, and requires a resume, answers to essay questions, letters of recommendation, and then typical application stuff such as GMAT/GRE scores, undergraduate transcripts, etc. Once your application is reviewed, you will most likely be contacted for an interview, after which you should receive an admissions decision. Every university has a different timeline for the decision process, but they are usually accommodating if you need your decision more quickly. For example, if you received an acceptance for University A and still have 2 weeks to officially enroll, but University B won’t give you a decision for 3 weeks, you could contact University B and they would probably expedite your admissions decision.

I took both the GRE and GMAT in August of 2017, before beginning my 3rd and final year at UCSD. I then proceeded to research schools and narrow down my list of potential programs.  During Fall quarter of 2017, I attended a few MBA fairs and networking events (mostly at Rady) in San Diego and spoke to admissions faculty from different universities. I reached out to a few people for letters of recommendation around late November, early December, once I finalized my list of potential schools and corresponding application deadlines. I also filled out all of the applications except for the essays and updated my resume and LinkedIn profile. I worked on my application essays throughout January and had all of my applications submitted by the end of the month. My recommendations were submitted soon afterwards. I received interview invitations by mid-February and had my interviews at the end of the month. I received a decision from each university about 2-3 weeks after the interview, and finally paid the enrollment deposit for Rady in the first week of April. 

Attending MBA fairs is extremely helpful because you can learn more about the admissions process and directly speak to admissions’ staff from potential universities, and also allows you to find schools to apply to. I attended the QS World MBA Tour when they were in San Diego, and they have MBA fairs all over the US that people can attend. Their website is also helpful for looking at possible schools, as well as the GMAT website. These sites let you filter out programs based on the criteria you want to focus on, and you can bookmark different schools for later review. I would also suggest looking around with Google to find possible fellowships and scholarships, and many universities provide application fee waivers for attending info sessions and events (both online and in person).

Resume workshops are also helpful, especially if you have never made a resume before (if this is you, know that you’re not alone). Many clubs on campus hold resume and interview workshops. The Career Center provides these as well, and even offers mock interviews for additional preparation. Take advantage of these resources, especially if you don’t really know what you’re doing. It’s a good idea to discuss your career options and proposed graduate school plans with your academic advisors and advisors in the Career Center as well, just so you can get some advice on whether or not your plans are the best fit for your future goals. 

I did have to be interviewed. I attended my Rady interview in person (since I live here), but the rest of my interviews were done online through video chat. The interview length and content will differ from school to school. It really depends on the school and what they are looking to glean from the interview.

The most prominent question was why I wanted to get an MBA now, straight after completing my bachelor’s degree, instead of working for a few years and then going back to school. Other questions I generally received across most interviews were: Tell me about yourself; Give me some examples of challenges that you experienced in your work (in my case, I referenced internships, volunteering, class projects, etc.) and how you overcame them; What can you contribute to the MBA cohort and what would you gain from this degree?; What are your short-term and long-term career plans after graduating with this degree?; How is an MBA necessary to help you accomplish those goals?; Walk me through your resume (here, you will also get more specific questions about your job experiences).; and What publications and other sources do you follow to keep up with the industry of your current/intended career?

I was not required to take any additional classes, most likely because of my minor in business. I would advise students considering a career in business taking a few classes at Rady, just to familiarize themselves with the field and the different career paths they could take. The new Business Psychology major will be especially useful for any psychology students that want to go further into business, because it essentially combines courses from the Social Psychology major and Business minor into one convenient package. Either way, taking a class or joining a lab in the field you plan to work in (if possible) is a good way to test the waters. This is how my plans went from a PhD in Clinical Psychology, to an M.S. in IO Psychology, and finally to an MBA. Taking PSYC 178 (Industrial Organizational Psychology) made me realize I definitely did not want to work in that field, while MGT 164 (Business and Organizational Leadership) and MGT 103 (Product Marketing and Management) made me excited to pursue an MBA and use my psychology knowledge in business.

My best advice would be to take advantage of cool opportunities that come your way, even if it doesn’t appear to be directly “psychology-related”. I have a lot of different experiences on my resume that I took part in just because they were interesting to me. For example, I scored an internship at a small gaming company because I loved their mobile games and decided to reach out to them. I was placed in their writing department, where I worked on game scripts and simultaneously helped with the social media and marketing team. I was able to combine my coding skills with my creative writing skills, all while learning about the role social media has in marketing. It made me realize that I want to specialize in digital marketing after I complete graduate school, and this never would have happened if I focused on finding “psychology internships”. The same should hold true for research as well. I currently work in a linguistics lab on campus (Language Production Lab), and the experience has unexpectedly given me ideas on research that I would like to conduct as an MBA student. There are so many different ways to use your psychology skills that are not limited to clinical and research fields, so take advantage of opportunities that you enjoy. They will give you a greater variety of skills that interact to make you more well-rounded overall and get you in touch with what does and doesn’t work for you. Plus, it’s more fun!

Also, keep your LinkedIn profile updated and include the link on your resume - it makes you appear more professional, and admissions officers will definitely take a look at it.