MBA Pathways & Program Strategy
An MBA can serve very different purposes depending on where you are in your career and what you want the degree to help you accomplish. Before choosing schools, it’s important to determine which MBA pathway - Full-Time, Part-Time, or Executive - best aligns with your goals, experience, career stage, and circumstances. This package is designed for professionals who want an experienced perspective on that decision before committing significant time and resources to the application process. Before our session, you’ll provide your resume and complete a brief assessment covering your career progression, current responsibilities, leadership experience, goals, reasons for pursuing an MBA, timing, and programs you are considering. I’ll review everything in advance; my preparation time is not deducted from your 2.5 hours. During our session, we’ll start with what you want from an MBA and where you want it to take you. From there, we’ll evaluate how Full-Time, Part-Time, and Executive MBA options align with those objectives and consider factors such as career change, continued career progression, professional responsibilities, program experience, geography, timing, and other practical considerations. We’ll then identify the types of programs, and specific programs where appropriate, that warrant further exploration. You’ll leave with greater clarity about the MBA pathway that best fits what you want to accomplish, the programs worth considering, and your next steps. This package is for the professional asking: What do I want from an MBA and which pathway and programs can best help me get there?
What's included
Before our session, you’ll complete and submit information about your career, responsibilities, leadership, goals, MBA motivations, timing, and programs or formats you’re considering, and provide your resume. I’ll review everything in advance; my preparation is not deducted from your 2.5 hours. This allows us to spend the entire session evaluating your options. We’ll view your experience and goals in context of Part-Time, Executive, and Full-Time MBA programs and discuss which paths best fit where you are professionally and where you want to go next. This is for the person asking: What type of MBA should I pursue—and which programs make the most sense for me?
- I will provide a candidacy assessment through the lens of a former Part-Time MBA admissions director, including your professional experience, leadership, career progression, and accomplishments.
- We will discuss the differentiators of Part-Time compared to Executive compared to Full-Time MBA assessment based on your career stage, professional responsibilities, and goals.
- I will offer program and school-selection guidance to help identify options that align with what you want from the MBA experience.
- We will analyze your career goals and “why MBA / why now” development connecting where you are professionally with what you want the MBA to enable next.
- We will go over admissions positioning for an experienced professional, including how to communicate career progression, leadership, impact, and future potential.
- I will help you identify what you bring to the MBA classroom and community through your professional and personal experiences.
- You will leave the session with prioritized next steps for moving forward with your MBA strategy and applications.
Meet your expert
Donelle B.
11 Years Leading Kellogg Part-Time MBA Admissions
I spent 11 years leading admissions for Kellogg’s Part-Time MBA Program, where I recruited, interviewed, and evaluated candidates and helped build four incoming cohorts each year. That experience gave me a firsthand understanding of how admissions professionals assess not just individual parts of an application, but the strength and credibility of the candidate as a whole. Today, I bring that perspective to my work with MBA applicants. I help clients step back from the individual requirements of the application to understand what is distinctive about their candidacy, where questions or gaps may exist, and how their experience, goals, and reasons for pursuing an MBA fit together. My broader career has included leadership roles in higher education and my current work in workforce strategy and policy. Across these roles, I have spent my career evaluating, developing, and advising people at important points in their education and careers. My coaching style is thoughtful, candid, and highly individualized. My goal is not to manufacture a version of you that you think an admissions committee wants to see. It is to help you make sound strategic choices and present a clear and well-supported case for your MBA candidacy.
