Since winning the Tanaka Business School Ideas Challenge in December with my sister, I've been thinking about applying for an MBA. I definitely only want to study for one year, rather than two. It shouldn't really be suprising, but the most interesting source of information I've found is blogs, for example Un Film Snob Pour Martiens and Brit-Chick MBA. Overall it seems like a lot of work and possibly quite rewarding. A good start for AcmeCorp?
Some MBA programs here (Harvard, Wharton) are geared for training and/or grooming the executive ranks in big business. A good deal of Wharton grads, for example, don't care at all about the curriculum -- they're there for the networking opportunities five and ten years hence. Some employers hire Wharton grads by the dozen because of the prestige, intimidation and networking opportunities they bring.
Some MBA programs, like Stern at NYU, are actually about learning the what it takes to run a business successfully. Part of the curriculum is writing a business plan and building that business before you graduate. There graduation rate is noticably lower than other top schools, because many students drop out to run their businesses full time.
Other programs, like UCLA (?), recognize that the true purpose of an MBA is networking, so the course work focuses a lot on team building and group activities. Other programs focus on a set of skills; I worked with a Babson MBA once who talked about how the Babson curriculum focuses on cultivating a sense of entrepreneurship.
So, what do you want to get out of an MBA program?
