To find out how difficult an MBA is, we spoke to a recent graduate of the VU Amsterdam MBA. He told us about the most challenging aspects of his MBA, how he overcame them, and why the rewards outweighed the challenges.
One of the biggest challenges of an MBA is the demand it places on your time. MBA candidates either have to juggle their studies alongside their current jobs or, in the case of a full-time program, step aside from their careers entirely. Understandably, that presents a significant obstacle to prospective MBA students.
When MBA student Adam Schoska started looking for a program, he had just bought a house in the Netherlands with his wife and was still working full-time. That meant he had to find a part-time program close to his home, which he could complete reasonably quickly. He says the program length was “one of the most important things” in his search. (02:23)
A shorter MBA also meant Adam could direct all of his energy into the program and, in his words, “give it everything.” For this reason, the 18-month, part-time MBA in International Business at VU Amsterdam was perfect for him.
His classes took place once a month from Thursday-Saturday, which gave him the flexibility he needed to continue working full-time. Meanwhile, the school’s Amsterdam campus was within commuting distance of his home.
The next challenge was actually fitting the MBA around his current commitments.
There’s no getting around it – Adam found the learning curve of his MBA a steep one. Not so much because of the course content, but because of the short timescales and strict deadlines he suddenly confronted.
“You can have a period where you really do not have time in private. Or you are on a business trip, and then you still need to deliver a paper. Or you need to work on a group assignment with your peers. Those deadlines are deadlines – they are not flexible,” he says. (08:59)
Nevertheless, as the VU Amsterdam MBA progressed, Adam found a way of balancing his studies with his other commitments in life. Sure, there were still hectic periods of intense studying during his program, but over time he found that they were less frequent. It was all about learning how to manage his time effectively.
“I remember days where I stopped working at five o’clock, I turned off my laptop, took out the private one and started writing a paper. That will happen, but it’s not like every day is like this. You have busy periods, and you have periods where you can actually feel a bit more calm and chill,” Adam says. (08:29)
Finding a program that fits your work and personal life is one thing. Actually going out there and doing it is another thing entirely. The second step is much scarier. You are forced to leave your comfort zone and take on a huge new challenge in life. According to Adam, the chance to leave his comfort zone has helped him grow.
“Right now I’m totally out of my comfort zone, and I think that’s a good thing,” he explains. Of course, you can always go back to it, “but then it’s good to kick yourself out of the comfort zone again. Then you try to accomplish things and, you know, you can just try to grow.” (05:36)
An MBA is all about figuring out if the rewards outweigh the challenges. Although it was difficult for Adam to leave his comfort zone and comfortable job, the personal development that came alongside meant it was completely worth it.
An MBA comes with many challenges, and Adam believes the key to overcoming them is dividing the program into “smaller steps.” This made him realize that the finish line was much closer than he thought. “It suddenly becomes doable. And then it motivates you more to achieve that goal and to graduate.” (11:28)
During his MBA at VU Amsterdam, Adam was forced to juggle many things in his life – “everything’s basically full-time,” he admits. Yet, that experience has given Adam greater confidence in his ability to take on multiple challenges at the same time.
“Then you realize, ‘Ok, I’m confident, because I know I can do that.’ And then you start thinking about life differently. You start to risk more – or you think it’s a risk, but actually it’s not, because you have proven that you can manage multiple topics at the same time.” (04:22)
An MBA is demanding. You’re leaving your comfort zone and entering an alien environment, suddenly facing tight deadlines and intense study periods. But as Adam found out, overcoming these challenges helped him grow as a person and gave him the confidence to take more risks in life.
It showed him that once you’ve done an MBA, you can do anything.
If you want to learn more about studying the VU Amsterdam MBA, feel free to reach out to one of our MBA ambassadors.
