Hello all. I’ve got an email below from a student at Cornell who is considering applying to the schools M.Eng program, but hopes to get an MBA in the future. Sounds similar to the reader whose email I addressed a few days ago, right? Well, this guy has a question about the type of extracurricular activities he should pursue during the rest of his time in college to position himself well for B-school. I like emails like this…short and sweet. 
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PH wrote:
“Dear Marquis,
First, I would like to thank you sincerely for your time and effort; I really do appreciate your endeavors and I find your blog an imperative resource that is a pleasure to read.
I am currently a student at Cornell University majoring in computer science and am considering applying early to Cornell’s M.Eng. in computer science as well. Lately, I have thought about getting an MBA—after some years of work experience—and have long pondered over what extracurricular activity to devote my efforts to in college in order to increase my chances of getting admitted to a top business school. I have considered founding a society promoting health and wellness in communities around the world, which is something I am very passionate about. Also, I have considered the debating team, DARPA Grand Challenge, and RoboCup. My question is: should I pursue an extracurricular that is related to my major or something that proves that I do not bear the alleged weaknesses of a software engineer (i.e. communication and leadership skills).
Again, thank you so very much for your time.
Yours,
PH”
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My response:
PH,
Thanks for checking out my blog and bringing your question to me. I’m always impressed whenever I see someone as young as you thinking so far ahead to applying to B-school. I wish i’d had such forethought 10+ years ago when I was an undergrad. I’m also impressed that you’re a Computer Science major who already knows that an MBA is in your future, so you’ll be able to make the right career choices early on to ease your transition into business school.
OK, now let’s get to your question…”should [you] pursue an extracurricular that is related to [your] major or something that proves that [you] do not bear the alleged weaknesses of a software engineer?”. This is a fantastic question, especially for someone who is aware of “the alleged weaknesses” of being a techie. In short, my response to your question is “it depends”….not, very helpful, right? Bear with me here because I think I’m onto something good
In my opinion, it is best to pursue extracurriculars that truly interest you and, if at all possible, focused on something related to one of your passions. Participating in an extracurricular where there is GENUINE interest likely will lead you to pursue opportunities for leadership and organizational contribution that would make your business school applications sparkle. I’d say that it’s better participate in one or two groups and have significant interest and impact than to just be a member of a bunch of organizations that you THINK would impress an MBA admissions director…plus, you’d probably enjoy those one or two groups more too.
Before leaving this issue, let’s think about how things could work out if you try to “game the system” by choosing activities based on their potential impact on your B-school applications. Let’s say that you pick a couple of activities that don’t interest you much, but look like a good match to your major. Over the remainder of your time in college, you put a lot of time into these activities, but you don’t have a great time doing so because your interest isn’t really there. Now, fast forward a few years to when you apply to business school…in those applications, you do your best to weave your total package together, including your extracurriculars, and don’t get accepted to any your schools. If this were to happen, you would have squandered the opportunity to participate in some fun college activities in favor of a plan that didn’t work out. Also, choosing activities that excite you might not necessarily get you accepted to business school, but, if the worse case happens, at least you would have enjoyed your extracuriculars in college, right? As always, this is the just the way I would look at all of this, but it might be helpful in your own framing of your situation.
Take care and good luck with the remainder of your undergraduate studies. As I said earlier, I love the fact that you’re thinking ahead, but don’t forget to make the most of your college years.
-Marquis
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PH wrote:
“Dear Marquis,
First, I would like to thank you sincerely for your time and effort; I really do appreciate your endeavors and I find your blog an imperative resource that is a pleasure to read.
I am currently a student at Cornell University majoring in computer science and am considering applying early to Cornell’s M.Eng. in computer science as well. Lately, I have thought about getting an MBA—after some years of work experience—and have long pondered over what extracurricular activity to devote my efforts to in college in order to increase my chances of getting admitted to a top business school. I have considered founding a society promoting health and wellness in communities around the world, which is something I am very passionate about. Also, I have considered the debating team, DARPA Grand Challenge, and RoboCup. My question is: should I pursue an extracurricular that is related to my major or something that proves that I do not bear the alleged weaknesses of a software engineer (i.e. communication and leadership skills).
Again, thank you so very much for your time.
Yours,
PH”
————
My response:
PH,
Thanks for checking out my blog and bringing your question to me. I’m always impressed whenever I see someone as young as you thinking so far ahead to applying to B-school. I wish i’d had such forethought 10+ years ago when I was an undergrad. I’m also impressed that you’re a Computer Science major who already knows that an MBA is in your future, so you’ll be able to make the right career choices early on to ease your transition into business school.
OK, now let’s get to your question…”should [you] pursue an extracurricular that is related to [your] major or something that proves that [you] do not bear the alleged weaknesses of a software engineer?”. This is a fantastic question, especially for someone who is aware of “the alleged weaknesses” of being a techie. In short, my response to your question is “it depends”….not, very helpful, right? Bear with me here because I think I’m onto something good
In my opinion, it is best to pursue extracurriculars that truly interest you and, if at all possible, focused on something related to one of your passions. Participating in an extracurricular where there is GENUINE interest likely will lead you to pursue opportunities for leadership and organizational contribution that would make your business school applications sparkle. I’d say that it’s better participate in one or two groups and have significant interest and impact than to just be a member of a bunch of organizations that you THINK would impress an MBA admissions director…plus, you’d probably enjoy those one or two groups more too. Before leaving this issue, let’s think about how things could work out if you try to “game the system” by choosing activities based on their potential impact on your B-school applications. Let’s say that you pick a couple of activities that don’t interest you much, but look like a good match to your major. Over the remainder of your time in college, you put a lot of time into these activities, but you don’t have a great time doing so because your interest isn’t really there. Now, fast forward a few years to when you apply to business school…in those applications, you do your best to weave your total package together, including your extracurriculars, and don’t get accepted to any your schools. If this were to happen, you would have squandered the opportunity to participate in some fun college activities in favor of a plan that didn’t work out. Also, choosing activities that excite you might not necessarily get you accepted to business school, but, if the worse case happens, at least you would have enjoyed your extracuriculars in college, right? As always, this is the just the way I would look at all of this, but it might be helpful in your own framing of your situation.
Take care and good luck with the remainder of your undergraduate studies. As I said earlier, I love the fact that you’re thinking ahead, but don’t forget to make the most of your college years.
-Marquis
