Navigating the MBA Process as a Woman
Samuel Adeoye: Lane is a community of MBA students who are enthusiastic and looking forward to leveraging the program for a more democratically and economically inclusive Africa. The existence of the MBA program is based on creating a community that can be able to make the continent is put in place, and empowering people can do this.
The program aims at increasing Africa’s representation of global MBA. Thus, the more leaders we create, the better positioned to grab any opportunity and better positions. As a team, we are to make sure that they are in the continent’s interest when decisions are being made. The MBA program vision is to produce an economically and politically inclusive Africa still perpetuating. It implies that anyone can rise as high as they wish to without being impeded due to circumstances and the environment perpetuated by oppressive leaders. We can do this by pointing out or identifying young people to support and execute practical ventures to drive Africa’s inclusive growth and development efficiently and sustainably.
We have aims and objectives, empowering young Africans by supporting them in top global MBA programs. This we do by connecting them to opportunities and knowledge bases that are esoteric to most people or rather oblivious to many people. We also aim to strengthen the existing communal connections amongst African MBA students by connecting most African MBA Business clubs across diverse top global MBA programs together. The more connections we have, the louder our voice can get and strategic we get.
We also aim to be a catalyst based on the financial independence of Africa by providing qualified African MBA enthusiasts, students, and alumni the access to networking with recruiters and incubation programs that usually ensure the continent’s regular source of income and eventual contribution. You can do this by joining African institutions. The second one is to ensure that the MBA education recognizes the talents and does more to get them. Lastly, it ensures a continual pipeline of promising MBA applicants by partnering with African institutions.
Chucks: When and why should you pursue an MBA? How does it help you achieve your goals as a woman?
Adedoyin Oyewole: I was passed up for a promotion, and I felt I needed something more. I always thought of doing a Ph.D., but I felt an MBA would be better for me, thinking of what I would do post MBA.
Omotayo Adeoye: I always felt like I needed a business degree because I felt I lacked something every time I applied for a job. I also got to a point in my career where I thought I’d learned a lot of skills, but almost every job I was applying to get a Masters and that was why I applied for the MBA program.
Abimbola Orekoya: I had MSC already, but after working for a while, I felt I could do more, so I went for a project management course. However, I still didn’t feel content and sought advice from my friends pursuing the MBA program. After some doubts, I got introduced to LANE. Fortunately, that was the best place for me to be, and I was happy I could freely share my background, and the MBA school was all into diversity and different people relating with each other.
Chucks: How has considering an MBA affected the aspects of your life?
Omotayo Adeoye: When applying for the MBA program, I was single, and I thought of getting married before traveling to pursue the MBA program. However, I didn’t have time for dating because I was always studying, and the COVID-19 pandemic had also struck.
Adedoyin Oyewole: It was during the COVID period, and we were not going out anyway. My baby was six months old when I was preparing for my GRE, and it was pretty challenging. I also had to communicate with my spouse immediately, so I decided to go for an MBA. We both had Masters, and one of my fears was that he would ask why I was doing an MBA, yet I had a Masters. He wasn’t interested in moving to the US, which was the greatest issue because we would be away from each other for like two years. However, we concluded after communicating. I also had to balance work and parenting while preparing for the GRE. I even had to slot my interviews at midnight when everybody was sleeping.
Abimbola Orekoya: I started this journey in 2019, and I knew I could not do the studies independently. So I went for a coaching class, and the class was very far from my home. I had to get a tutor to coach me for the exam, and while I was preparing for the exams, I had already discussed it with my spouse. We needed support because we couldn’t handle all the work on our own since we also had a kid. We had to get a maid to take care of our child while I studied. For a person who has a family, all you need is support.
Ola A: What challenges did you face on your journey?
Abimbola Orekoya: At times, I could not get to my house on time from the center because there was a hold-up in Lagos, yet I had to go back to the center the next day. Along the way, I also had issues with my essays and my post-MBA goals, and all I could do was seek advice from those who had gone through the program. At times I also had to go for essay coaching since my essay writing wasn’t that good, and I had to pay for the coaching. Also, before I got to paying application fees, I kept going back and forth to know how I could go about it. Finally, and fortunately, I got help with paying the fees.
Adedoyin Oyewole: One of the challenges I had was self-doubt, especially thinking of how I could handle my two kids. My work was also a significant challenge for me since it required a lot of effort and time. It wasn’t easy to combine that with family and studies, and it took a lot of effort and determination. Earlier on, someone advised me to take the GRE instead of GMAT. I got a lot of support from those who had already done the MBA and those in the process. In Abuja, there are only two to three lecture centers that were only open during the week, so I had to self-study.
I also got a private tutor who tutored me for two weeks until the COVID pandemic hit when she had to cut it short. The GRE was a significant challenge, and my essays were also not perfect, and the questions were very challenging.
Omotayo Adeoye: I did not have enough money for the application, and I had to wait for a year. I even wrote GMAT four times, and that cost a lot of money. Also, combining work with the GMAT and the exams was very stressful. Another stressful part was the essays, and the questions were very challenging.
Ola A: Role of Funding in the MBA admissions process
Adedoyin Oyewole: Before deciding to go for the MBA, I knew I didn’t have the money to pay the fees. I got admission into four different schools, and they all provided funding. As a woman, there is an advantage because of the scholarships.
Abimbola Orekoya: Before joining the MBA program, I got worried about the fees, which were too much compared to my salary. However, I would get encouragement from those who were in the program about the funding. After finding out about the funding, another issue was deciding which school to go for, considering the differences in funding options. You must also be familiar with the women in business groups and tell them about yourself as a woman.
Omotayo Adeoye: Whenever I wrote essays, I always mentioned that I am a female and all I’ve gone through. You should identify your advantage and use it everywhere to get whatever you want. I applied to four schools in the US, and I got into two of them. I got scholarships from the two following my application. Even after the scholarship, I still ask for more funding because it plays a significant role in my admission and studies. You should simply not consider how much it costs. Money will come soon.
Ola A: Do you think more women should pursue an MBA?
Omotayo Adeoye: Representation matters a lot, and an MBA is a springboard for top-level positions. Statistics also show that most business schools have 40 % of their students being women, especially African women.
Abimbola Orekoya: Many women would want to be in leadership, not only in Nigeria but also in Africa generally. Even the less educated women are hardworking and doing a lot for their families. Also, men are very encouraging to the women for matters to do with leadership and standing out for themselves. In the end, they would both benefit from such programs.
Adedoyin Oyewole: An MBA helps you break out of your comfort zone, and it is also essential to have a spouse that supports such. The women are also very supportive of other women going for such programs, and all you need is to reach out and make connections.
Ola A: What do you look forward to on your business school journey?
Abimbola Orekoya: First of all, I’m looking at meeting new people, working with different teams, sharing ideas with them, and learning more about the business school.
Adedoyin Oyewole: I’m looking forward to the change in environment and having peace of mind from work.
Ola A: Tips to recommend and practices to the panelist in LANE around being authentic and telling their story as a woman
Adedoyin Oyewole: It would be advisable to know what you want to do in the MBA and start early. I applied in round one in nine schools, and there are a lot of benefits to that. All you need to do is know more about the school and learn to be social and networking; thus, this will help you in the business field.
Omotayo Adeoye: You need to vary your story to fit the school that you are applying to, especially when writing the essay. Almost every school has the same types of questions, but they all expect you to answer the question differently. You should also be confident in yourself when writing your story, and you should show them exactly who you are. If you are a Nigerian female who has worked for a couple of years and wants to go for an MBA, the MBA schools are looking for diversities, and you should use that as an advantage.
Abimbola Orekoya: As for the tips, you should not leave money on the table. Make sure you join groups like the forums for MBA admission. The only way to go about these is by joining support groups. Talk about the challenges and failures you have felt and the lessons you have learned from them, and finally let them know your success too. It would help if you did not use a resume you got from a company back in your country for the resume.
Questions and answers
How do you get a waiver? At what point is a GRE or GMAT score enough for you to stop writing?
Adedoyin Oyewole: First, you need to start the application early, sign up for and attend the webinars. You can also send emails to the schools requesting fee waivers. That way, you will have chances of getting fee waivers. As for the scores, you can try the tests as much as you want if you are not content with the results.
Abimbola Orekoya: Basically, trying to attend the webinars and groups increases your chances of getting the waivers
Omotayo Adeoye: The GMAT is one part of the application, and you should consider the entire application, and having good scores matters. You can also change your strategy of studying to better your scores.
What should be the quality of your work experience before applying for the MBA?
Abimbola Orekoya: You should know your role in whatever place you are currently working at. In your resume, drop down your roles, skills, and anything that you have achieved. Your role must not have a specific official title, and you should not underplay your role regardless of how tiny it may be.
Omotayo Adeoye: Most schools have resume books, and you can find some of them online. You can go through them and search for how you can present your role. You can also look at the profiles, and probably you will find profiles similar to yours. This makes your application process easier.
What happens to your living expenses? Are there funds for the living expenses?
Abimbola Orekoya: There is an option for applying for loans, but you do not need to apply for a loan specifically for living expenses. The loaning organizations will only ask you about your scholarship.
Ola A: Prodigy does give loans for people who’ve got full tuition either via a scholarship or in any other way for the entire course of attendance. You can also find out whether your school has any partnership with the loaning companies.