College Reviews

Congratulations! If you are starting your MBA program soon. I can bet you are very excited and looking forward to it. Just like you I was also looking for the greatest MBA experience possible. At the same time, I was also concerned about the amount of time it is going to take, how much effort it will required and how I can make the best use of my time and resources to balance my three lives school, work and personal. I have a good news and I have a bad news.

Lets start with the bad news first. The bad news is that you will have to work your butt off, yes that is right, your butt off to join the ranks of an MBA. That is the only way you will get a chance to meet and join this exclusive gang of some of the brightest in your area and the busienss world.

Now the good news. I have most if not all the ingredients which you will need to be successful in an MBA program. So here we go (Drum Roll!):

Before The ProgramBelow is a list of things you can do to better manage your life and succesfully complete your MBA program.

1. Plan Your Finances: Make sure that you have fully planned your finances e.g. credit cards, bills, mortgage, taxes, tution etc. The last thing you want to do is fall back in your finances while taking a Finance course at UW. If you need to refinance your home, buy a new one, get new credit cards or a new automobile you should rather do it now than later because you won't have enough time.

Useful Resources

Financial Planning Books
  
Ernst & Young's Personal Financial Planning Guide
  
Rattiner's Financial Planning Bible: The Advisor's Advisor

If you are an Amazon.com shopper you can also buy these or your other financial planning books from their Financial Planning section.

Credit Cards
Orchard Bank Master Card
Discover Platinum Gas Card
American Express : Platinum Cash Rebate Credit Card
US Bank World Perks Visa Card
GM Master Card

Real Estate / Buying A Home / Finding an Apartment
Home Gain

Zip Realty

ForSaleByOwner.com

Apartments.com



Mortgage / Refinance / Home Equity Loans
Lending Tree

America's Lending Partners.

E-Loan


Auto Buying
Automotive.com

DealerDirectAmerica.com

Edmunds.com

Experían Automotive: AutoCheck® Vehicle History Reports

SmartAutowarranty.com - Extended Warranty


Auto Loan / Refinance
Capital One Auto Finance
1-800-Auto-Loan

City Financial Auto
My Auto Loan
Harbor Credit

Auto / Health / Home Insurance
Insurance.com

InsuranceTracker

InsureMe.com

eHealthInsurance

21st Century Insurance Company


Credit Monitoring / Reports
myFICO.com
Online Credit Info
Equifax

High Interest Savings Account
Search the web and see if you can find a high interest savings accounts.

Sending / Receiving Money or Making Donations
Western Union
Xoom.com Money Transfer
PayPal


2. Spend Time with Family and Friends:
Before you start the program you should spend time with your family and friends. Because once you are in the program there will be a very little time for it. Take them out on weekend trips and weeknight dine outs. Take a vacation. Whatever you do make sure to take a lot of pictures of this family time to cherish throughout the program. If you are in the need to buy a digital camera you can go to Kodak or WolfCamera.com
. To develop these pics you can go to Snapfish or Photoworks.com. You can get family T-Shirts, Calendars and Mugs there too. Hey wouldn't that be a great gift for kids from mom or dad before they started there MBA program? Also, make your family understand that why you will be so busy and communitcate openly.


Useful Resources

Local Activities, Restaurants, Theme Parks
Restaurant.com Gift Certificates: Save up to 60% off your next meal!

Entertainment.com

Six Flags Amusement Parks

StubHub.com - The Safe Way to Buy & Sell Tickets Online

WeHaveSeats.com
TicketsNow - Sports, Concerts, Theatre tickets


Camp Club USA

Backcountry.com

RealArcade - GamePass

WildGames.com
Rhapsody

Apple iTunes


If you are single then see if you can find a date, friend or a companion from the Lovers Point to spend some time with you.


Vacations and Out Of Town Visits

Expedia.com
Travelocity

Kayak
CheapTickets.com
The New York Pass--Admission to 40 of New York City's top attractions

Rail Europe: The Only way to Travel in Europe



3. Delegate and Shop Online:
So that while you are busy with your MBA program you don't fall behind on things such as yard maintenance, home improvement and shopping for yourself and your family. It is strongly recommended that you should delegate whatever tasks you can and shop online to save time and ofcourse money.

Useful Resources
Home Improvement / Maintenance
Service Magic
Reliable Remodeler

National Contractors.com


Online Shopping

Children
Babies R Us
The Baby Outlet
Visit Baby Wise

BabyUniverse.Com


Teens
Gap.com

OldNavy.com

Pacific Sunwear


Women
BareNecessities.com
Avenue.com
ESPRIT US Online shop

dELiA*s
Jewelry Television™


Men
Jos. A. Bank

WildTies.com

Dr. Jays.com


Sandals and Shoes
Shoes.com!

ShoeBuy.com

Teva.com

Zappos.com

Adidas
Mason Shoes


Footlocker.com


Groceries & Wines
SafeWay.com

Peapod.com

Vons.com

Marks & Spencer

Wine.com
Mr. Beer - Beer Making Kits



Pet Care and Food
PetCraze.com

Petco.com

PetSmart
Dog.com - Discount Pet Supplies

Pet Insurance



Other Stuff and Household Items
Online Coupons
ToolKing.com

Yardiac.com

LNT.com
Walmart.com
Overstock.com
SmartBargains:  Fine Dining

4. Orientation:
Most of the MBA orientation are held at a retreatyour area. This will be your first opportunity to get to know your study group and your classmates. There will be some fun classes, food to eat, and beer and wine to drink. In the evening you can drive with your classmates to a nearby attraction and enjoy the night life. Believe me it is a lot of fun. If you decide to stay somewhere else you can book a room by calling 1-800-780-5733 Discount Code 175574.



5. Getting Ready for the Class:
Below is the list of items which is stongly recommended to have when your classes begins:

Text Books: Abebooks.com is a good resource to buy text books.

Notebooks and Pens: Even though we are part of the paperless society but there will be times when you will need to take notes using pen and paper. You can buy them from Staples Office Supplies or Office Depot.

Laptop Computer: A laptop computer with the wireless lan card is highly recommended. You will have a free access to the wirless network. Most of the assignments will be submitted online as well. It is also recommended that you should have a Cruzer drive to back up your assignments. You can get both from Buy.com
or Crucial.com




6. In Class Best Practices:
MBA classe are a lot of fun and can be a great learning experience. Below are some of the best practices:
Pre-Class Readings and Assignments If you are serious about learning and acing your classes you should do your pre-class readings and assignments. If you fail to do so, in most of the cases what professors will be discussing would be Greek to you even though they would be speaking english. Ideally you will be spending about 20 hours or more per week on preparing for your classes.

Active Participation Unlike your grade school teachers, MBA professors love to have their students argue oops! engage in discussions. As a matter of fact most of the classes will have 1/3 of the grade assigned to class participation. More you are engaged you have better odds in getting that grade. Irrespecive of how boring the class may seem, pay attention.

Homeworks / Group AssignmentsMake sure to turn in your homeworks and group assignments on time. If you are falling behind for some reason you should let your teammates and professors know. Your professors are in the business of teaching you not failing you. They will understand and will give you additional time.

Team MeetingsYou will be staying with the same or a different team for the full program. And it will be full of surprises. You will deal with various personalities. Lets just put it this way that it is an opportunity for trying out a few future co-workers and see if you ever want to work with them or not. Make sure to have a social chit chat at the beginning or end of the meeting. But at the same time stay with the objective of learning. Spend most of the time working on assignments instead of personal chit chat. You can meet either at a coffee shop or library. Someone's house is a great idea too but it might be a big hassle for them. If you see someone in the team not pulling their weight you should encourage them to do so. After all your grades heavily relies on the team performance than your own indvidual performance. May be go to a ball game or movie with them once in a while. Try not engage in any other kind of relationship during the course as it can become a distraction. Thank them frequently for their support. Cell Phones and emails are the best way to stay in touch as you may end up communicating several times during the week. If you don't have a cell phone or need a new one you can view various rate plans and buy one at LetsTalk.com.

7. In Class Bad Practices:
You should avoid the practices below:
Surfing the Web While no one is going to police you, you should avoid surfing the web during the lecture. This way not only you are not participating but also missing out on a learning opportunity. Every class costs about $500 + your time. Make a good use of it.

Taking Classes Lightly Often times folks think that classes such as Leadership and Organization Change Managment are nothing but fluff. But these are the kind of classes which are going to teach you the stuff which you can use to successfully lead any organization anywhere in the world. Also classes like Internationl Business sound like fluff as well. Afterall why do really care why an Asian home has big walls and an American home has a full front yard. But in a country full of diversity and in an industry where outsourcing is very prominent, understanding othe cultures can be very helpful to achieve your goals.

Asking Too Many Questions or Talking Non-Sense It is one thing to ask question and participate. But just asking too many questions or talking non-sense is not only waste of your time but also your classmates. If you have additional questions you can speak to your professor after the class.


8. Outside Class Best Practices:
Network Network Network As a TMMBA student you will have the opportunity to network with some of the brightest. Also the quarterly networking events at Columbia Tower and UW Campus will be great opportunities. That is where I had an opportunity to meet some of the local business leaders. Make sure to attend those events. Also see if you can have a weekly beer bash in a nearby bar to mingle with your classmates. If you don't drink, you can still go there and have an orange juice. Another way to network is by throwing a party at your place. You can buy all the party supplies and get some ideas from PartyDango.com This network may land you your next job.

Family Don't forget to remind your family that how thankful you are to them for their support. Whenever you get a chance go for an outing or a vacation. If you have a significant other don't forget to Buy Roses for them. If you are single, find a weekend date.

Stay Healthy Stay Fit Exercise atleast 2-3 times a week to stay fit. With a healthy body you will always have an active mind something you must have to successfully finish this program. I had gained about 20 pounds while in the program but then lost 30 towards the end of it simply with exercise and diet. My classmates can verify that for you. You may not have time to go to the gym. But you can buy a treadmill and other fitness equipment from MegaFitness.com!
or WorkoutWarehouse.com
. If you need nutritional suppliments you can get those from Bodybuilding.com. If you need to lose weight South Beach Diet
, Diet-to-Go
, or Diet.com
. For other healthcare products such as headaches you can go to Drugstore.com.

Time Management Time management is also a very critical factor during an MBA program. Make sure you have a Week Planner or a PDA to manage your schedule and appointments. Update your schedule as the changes come. You can buy a PDA from Sony store redirect
or Geeks.com
.


9. Job Search:
As you are near the program completion you will be probably looking for a new job or completely switching careers. Below are some of the tips:

Be Realistic
Don't expect a huge pay hike or promotion right after the program. This is a long term investment and it may take you up to 5 years to really start getting a bang for your bucks.

Update Your Resume
Update your resume. You are about to make a shift from a techie to a business leader. You should make sure that your resume reflects that. You should consult the in house career consultant to get an advice and have them review your resume. The service they offer is for free.

Finding A Job
Start looking for a job either with yoru current employer or a new one. Go to job fairs and tell people in your network and class that you are looking for a job. Internet sites such as 6FigureJobs, Monster.com
and HotJobs.com
are great resources to find MBA jobs.

10. After The Program:
Be ProudOnce you are done with the program, be very proud of yourself. Stay in touch with your classmates and professors and continue on building the network.
Student LoansIf it makes economic sense, consider consolidating student loans. See if Next Student or Student Assistance Foundation can help you with it.