Thursday, December 10, 2009

Essential Tools for the MBA Student

So suppose you have posted an excellent score on the GMAT, written some fabulous essays (that are even mostly true), been accepted to an outstanding MBA program, mailed in your deposit, secured some gigantic student loans, and you've loaded up the truck to move. Given the impending impoverishment of your lifestyle is there anything that you can't do without? Absolutely. Every MBA student needs, at a minimum, the same four essential pieces of gear:

1. The laptop computer. Don't even think about a desktop; the lack of portability will hugely cramp your mobility when working in a group.

2. The financial calculator. Yes, you have that laptop. Yes, it has Excel. But it's annoying to have to pull out the laptop every time you need to multiply a string of numbers. Another excellent route is to just procure a software-based financial calculator for your handheld, and suddenly your PDA (or phone) can calculate the yield on a 10-year T-bill. That's slick.

3. The mobile telephone. If you don't have one yet, get one with good coverage both on campus and in the cities in which you plan to spend significant time job-hunting.

4. A subscription to a major business-related journal. This is absolutely indispensable if you are heading into a career in investment banking, but it's almost as important for everyone else.

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