Fortune magazine had an article on why an MBA may not be worth it. Some of it is based on Pheffer and Fong's 2002 paper on business school success. The argument one often hears is that the sort of people who attend a top MBA program would do well regardless of whether they went to business school or took another path. I think that might be true for entrepreneurs, but many other jobs require the hard skills learned in a strenuous MBA program. For example, it would be very difficult for me to get a consultant position at Bain or associate position at Goldman Sachs after leaving the military, regardless of leadership experience.

I think MBA studies are a great fit for military officers in particular. We don't know much about finance and such. I expect to greatly benefit on a professional and personal level from an MBA at Wharton. Does that sound like an admissions essay? I can't wait to be inundated with business knowledge. Except statistics. I think I can wait a bit longer to be inundated with statistics.