If you are considering an MBA, Paul Ollinger wants you to know what he didn’t before attending the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. One of the first 250 employees at Facebook, Ollinger wrote a letter to his 25-year-old self — now available as a book. You Should Totally Get an MBA: A Comedian’s Guide to Top U.S. Business Schools is hot off the press and available through Amazon.
A stand-up comedian who estimates he’s performed 600 times and made 5000 sales calls, Ollinger uses humor to give an overview of how to navigate the admissions process. He also provides an insider’s take on the student culture of business schools — a world I have observed while working in close proximity to Wharton, Tuck and Darden. (Caveat: I don’t recommend applying, employer hiring, or making any graduate school decisions by rankings alone. There are also many great business school programs not covered in this book.)
I went to undergrad with Ollinger and find the book to be a good read whether an MBA program is in your future or your rearview mirror. As a long-time career advisor to undergrads, I’ll leave out the parts that would make my mother say “why don’t you choose another word or describe this in another way?” My recommendation is not an endorsement of the humor but I suspect that it will be the spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down for many an aspiring applicant. Here are three takeaways worth sharing, though you should buy the book for specifics.
- You really need to know and be able to say why you are applying to get in the door. “To make more money” doesn’t work with an AdCom (admissions committee); though Ollinger provides alternative ways to phrase this goal.
- As in stand-up comedy, timing is everything. Many top-ranked MBA programs are designed specifically for 20-somethings with work experience. Wait too long to apply and you may need to queue up for an executive MBA program instead.
- Timing also matters when it comes to asking for recommendations and telling your co-workers and Facebook friends that b-school is in your future plans.
- Don’t overlook the importance of the GMAT in the admission process. Ollinger retook the test and demonstrates why you should take it seriously. He also provides a frank overview of when your score dictates that you should retake it or rethink your target school list.
The book also includes a guide to the MBA vernacular and tongue-in-cheek reviews of many programs. I learned that I’m a Poet, or a non-math person in the eyes of the business school community, despite my recent Khan Academy mastery of 125 6th grade math skills. I have no plans for an MBA but recommend that you read this book if you enjoy stand-up and are thinking about b-school.
If you want to see Ollinger in action, check out his videos and advice on Poets and Quants.
