From Karen Schweitzer,
Your Guide to Business School.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

Making the decision to attend business school is only half the battle; there are many other things that you will need to do to prepare yourself for the business school experience. This business school checklist below offers a quick run-through of almost every item that will need your attention.

Business School Checklist

What Do You Want to Do with Your Business School Degree?
Before you can choose a business school or make any other plans, you will need to decide what you plan to do with your business degree. Answer these three questions:

• What industries am I interested in?
• Which business field am I interested in?
• What kind of company would I like to work for?

Make a List of Potential Business School Programs
Once you have a firm, or at minimum, a hazy idea of what you would like to do with your business school degree, it's time to make a list of potential business schools that you are interested in attending. Here are three resources that can help you with the process:

• Business School Directory
• Best 237 Business Schools
• Business School Profiles

Research Your Business School Options
Nowadays, there are all sorts of business school programs to choose from. Do you want a part time program? A full time program? How about studying online? Before you can make a decision, you will need to take a look at all of the business school options available to you. To start, look over your list of potential business schools and find out what type of program each offers. Here are some other resources that may help:

• Choosing a Business School Program
• MS Degrees vs. MBA Degrees
• Online Business School Degrees

Make Comparisons
To choose the best business school, you will need to make some comparisons. Get out several sheets of paper and right down information about each business school's:

• Academics
• Faculty
• Class Size
• Teaching Method
• Program Reputation
• Selectivity
• Tuition Costs
• Financial Aid Packages
• Career Development/Internship Programs
• Career Placement Statistics

Narrow Down Your Business School Selections
After completing everything on the business school checklist, you should have been able to narrow down your business school selections to just five or six schools. Though you can apply to each one of these business schools, you will be much better off keeping it down to three or less. If you are having difficulty, consider visiting a few campuses, talking to alumni, or interviewing current students. This hands-on approach can usually help you find the business school best suited to your academic needs and career goals.