# MBA Programme Plan: [Your name, school and class year] > A term-by-term plan for the whole MBA: courses, clubs, recruiting, leadership roles, an exchange, money and > wellbeing, with the trade-offs made on purpose instead of by default. It is written for the two-year full-time > programme (four terms with a summer internship between the years) and shows how to adapt it to a one-year or an > executive MBA. It is for admitted students before day one and current students re-planning at the end of each term. > Source basis: the programme structure common to leading international MBA programmes (core year, summer > internship, elective year), the experiential learning cycle of Kolb (1984) for the term reviews and the time and > energy trade-offs students report across programmes. Replace every [bracketed] value and every row marked > *Example*. This is a planning aid, not financial or legal advice, and it is not affiliated with any school. ## Contents 1. Document control 2. Goals for the programme 3. Principles for making trade-offs 4. Programme structure and the term grid 5. Courses 6. Clubs and community 7. Recruiting calendar 8. Leadership roles 9. Exchange and global experience 10. Finances across terms 11. Weekly time budget 12. Wellbeing and relationships 13. Term review and re-planning 14. Adapting the plan: one-year and executive MBA 15. Risks and contingencies 16. Quality checklist 17. Common mistakes 18. Self-test 19. Sources and further reading 20. Answer key 21. Revision history 22. Standard and licence note ## Document control | Field | Value | |---|---| | Document ID | [MBA-PLAN-001] | | Owner | [Your name] | | School and programme | [School A, two-year full-time MBA] | | T (first day) | [YYYY-MM-DD], *Example*: 2028-08-21 | | Term system | [Semesters / quarters / modules], *Example*: four semesters, summer between years | | Expected graduation | [YYYY-MM], *Example*: 2030-05 | | Post-MBA goal (current version) | [Function, industry, region] | | Linked documents | mba/mba-journey-roadmap, mba/mba-master-checklist | | Version | [0.1] | | Last reviewed | YYYY-MM-DD (end of [term]) | | Reviewed by | [Mentor, second-year student or career coach] | ## Goals for the programme Write three to five goals that you could check at graduation. Each goal names what you will have, not what you will try. Goals change during the programme, and that is fine; the plan records the change and the reason. | ID | Goal | Type | Evidence at graduation | Linked rows in the term grid | |---|---|---|---|---| | G-01 *(Example)* | Accept a full-time product management offer in a climate technology company in Europe | Career | signed offer | REC rows T1 to T3, CRS-04, CLB-02 | | G-02 *(Example)* | Be able to build and defend a three-statement model and a DCF without help | Learning | elective project graded, model shared with a mentor | CRS-01, CRS-05 | | G-03 *(Example)* | Lead a team of 10 or more peers through a full cycle | Leadership | conference co-chair role delivered | LDR-01 | | G-04 *(Example)* | Keep sleep at seven hours or more on at least five nights a week | Wellbeing | habit tracker | WEL-01 | | G-05 | [Your goal] | [Type] | [Evidence] | [Rows] | The "will not do" list. Write three things you will deliberately not do, even if they are attractive, because they would take the hours your goals need. *Example*: "I will not join more than three clubs. I will not run for a club president role in the first term. I will not recruit for investment banking, because it is not my goal." 1. [ ] 2. [ ] 3. [ ] ## Principles for making trade-offs MBA students often describe the programme as a choice among academics, recruiting, social life and sleep, with time for only some of them in any given week. The principles below make the choice deliberate. 1. **Goals before options.** Every new commitment must serve a goal in the table above or replace something that does. If it serves no goal, it goes on the "will not do" list. 2. **Recruiting has a calendar; the rest can flex.** Recruiting deadlines for internships are fixed and, in some industries, early in the first year. Plan academics and clubs around them, not the other way round. 3. **Depth beats breadth.** Two clubs in which you do real work and one leadership role give you stories and skills; eight memberships give you a calendar. 4. **The core is the foundation.** Core courses are the base for every elective and every interview. Do not let recruiting push core preparation below the level needed to contribute in case discussions. 5. **Protect the non-negotiables.** Sleep, health and the people closest to you have a floor. Write it down in the weekly time budget. 6. **Re-plan by term, not by week.** Weekly changes are normal; changing the whole plan every week is not. The term review is the place to change direction. 7. **Opportunity cost is real.** Each hour and each dollar has an alternative use. When you add something, name what it replaces. ## Programme structure and the term grid The *Example* below assumes a two-year programme with four semesters (T1 and T2 in the first year, T3 and T4 in the second) and a summer internship between the years. Quarter or module systems have more, shorter terms: add columns. ```mermaid flowchart LR P["Pre-term
T-3 to T"] --> T1["T1 core
T to T+4"] T1 --> T2["T2 core and
internship recruiting
T+4 to T+9"] T2 --> S["Summer internship
T+9 to T+12"] S --> T3["T3 electives,
leadership, exchange option
T+12 to T+16"] T3 --> T4["T4 electives,
capstone, transition
T+16 to T+21"] T1 -. "term review" .-> T2 T2 -. "term review" .-> T3 T3 -. "term review" .-> T4 ``` | Area | Pre-term | T1 | T2 | Summer | T3 | T4 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Courses | pre-MBA primers | core (CRS-01, CRS-02) | core (CRS-03) | none | electives (CRS-04, CRS-05) | electives, capstone (CRS-06) | | Clubs | choose 2 to 3 | CLB-01, CLB-02 join | CLB-02 active | none | CLB-02 lead | CLB-03 | | Recruiting | plan, resume | REC-01 to REC-03 | REC-04, REC-05 | REC-06 | REC-07 if needed | REC-08 | | Leadership | none | none | stand for LDR-01 | none | LDR-01 | LDR-01 hand-over, LDR-02 | | Exchange and global | research | EXC-01 decide | EXC-02 apply | none | exchange option | global trip option | | Money | FIN-01 | FIN-02 | FIN-03 | FIN-04 | FIN-05 | FIN-06 | | Wellbeing | WEL-01 set routine | WEL-01, WEL-02 | WEL-03 | WEL-01 | WEL-01 | WEL-04 | ## Courses | ID | Term | Course or block | Why (goal) | Template | Notes | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | CRS-01 *(Example)* | T1 | Core: financial accounting, microeconomics, decision analytics, leadership | G-02 | mba/mba-core-curriculum-map | pre-MBA primers done before T | | CRS-02 *(Example)* | T1 | Core: marketing, operations, strategy | G-01 | mba/mba-marketing-guide, mba/mba-operations-guide, mba/mba-strategy-guide | case-heavy term, plan preparation hours | | CRS-03 *(Example)* | T2 | Core: corporate finance, managerial accounting, macroeconomics, negotiation, ethics | G-02 | mba/mba-corporate-finance-guide | internship interviews peak this term, so front-load preparation | | CRS-04 *(Example)* | T3 | Electives: product management, technology strategy, energy markets | G-01 | mba/mba-elective-concentration-plan | concentration in technology | | CRS-05 *(Example)* | T3 | Elective: advanced financial modelling | G-02 | mba/mba-elective-concentration-plan | heavy workload, pair with lighter course | | CRS-06 *(Example)* | T4 | Electives plus field project or capstone | G-01 | mba/mba-field-project-sow, mba/mba-capstone-project-report | client in target industry | | CRS-07 | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | Questions to answer before you fill the electives: - Which core courses can you waive by exam or prior degree, and is waiving wise if the course is also where your section learns together? - Which electives are popular enough to need a bid or lottery, and how many points or priorities do you have? - Which electives build the skills your target employers test in interviews or expect in the first year? - Where can you balance a heavy quantitative elective with a lighter one in the same term? - Is a concentration or major required, useful on the resume, or only a constraint? ## Clubs and community | ID | Club or community | Reason (career, skill, wellbeing) | Term joined | Commitment hours per week | Role path | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | CLB-01 *(Example)* | Product and technology club | career (G-01) | T1 | 2 | member, then workshop lead in T3 | | CLB-02 *(Example)* | Energy and climate club | career (G-01) and skill | T1 | 2 | member, co-chair of annual conference (LDR-01) | | CLB-03 *(Example)* | Running club | wellbeing (G-04) | T1 | 2 | member | | CLB-04 | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | A rule of thumb many students use is two career clubs plus one interest club in the first term, then fewer and deeper roles in the second year. Count the hours in the weekly time budget; club hours rise sharply around conferences and treks. ## Recruiting calendar Recruiting timing is the least flexible part of the plan. In two-year programmes the summer internship is the main route to a full-time offer for many students, so most internship recruiting happens in the first year. Some industries move earlier than others: investment banking networking often starts before or at T, consulting applications commonly fall in the first two terms, and technology and many other industries recruit later and more continuously. Check your career centre's calendar for your class. | ID | When | Activity | Template | Status | |---|---|---|---|---| | REC-01 *(Example)* | Pre-term to T+1 | define target industry, function, region and a list of 20 to 30 companies | mba/mba-recruiting-plan | [ ] | | REC-02 *(Example)* | T to T+3 | networking: alumni and company events, coffee chats | mba/mba-networking-tracker, mba/mba-coffee-chat-notes | [ ] | | REC-03 *(Example)* | T+1 to T+4 | interview preparation by track; behavioural stories | mba/mba-product-interview-prep, mba/mba-fit-stories | [ ] | | REC-04 *(Example)* | T+3 to T+6 | applications and first-round interviews | mba/mba-recruiting-plan | [ ] | | REC-05 *(Example)* | T+5 to T+8 | offers, decision, Gate 6 | mba/mba-offer-negotiation | [ ] | | REC-06 *(Example)* | T+9 to T+12 | internship delivered, return offer | mba/mba-internship-plan, mba/mba-internship-final-presentation | [ ] | | REC-07 *(Example)* | T+12 to T+16 | full-time search if no accepted return offer | mba/mba-recruiting-plan | [ ] | | REC-08 *(Example)* | T+16 to T+21 | offer accepted, start date and relocation set | mba/mba-offer-negotiation, career/offer-comparison | [ ] | For consulting add mba/mba-case-interview-prep, mba/mba-market-sizing-drills and mba/mba-case-practice-log; for banking and private equity add mba/mba-banking-technical-prep and mba/mba-paper-lbo. ## Leadership roles | ID | Role | Term | What it lets me practise | Evidence it creates | Hours per week | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | LDR-01 *(Example)* | Co-chair, annual energy and climate conference | T3 to T4 | leading peers without authority, sponsor negotiation, budget | 400 attendees, budget met, team feedback | 6 to 10, peaks before the event | | LDR-02 *(Example)* | Teaching assistant for decision analytics | T4 | explaining technical ideas, coaching | course evaluations | 4 | | LDR-03 | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | Questions: Which role will give you a story for the interviews you will have in the future? Which role would you do even with no title? Who will give you honest feedback on how you led (mba/mba-leadership-360-reflection)? ## Exchange and global experience | ID | Option | Term | Fit with goals | Effect on recruiting | Credit and cost check | Decision | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | EXC-01 *(Example)* | Exchange term at a partner school in Europe | T3 | supports G-01 (European market) | full-time search abroad is harder; acceptable only with a signed return offer | credits transfer per registrar; extra living and travel cost estimated in FIN-05 | decide by T+5 | | EXC-02 *(Example)* | Global immersion trip in T4 | T4 | market exposure | none | trip fee in FIN-06 | apply in T2 | | EXC-03 | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | Plan the detail with mba/mba-exchange-semester-plan and mba/mba-global-immersion-plan. International students: check whether an exchange term affects visa status or work authorisation, on official sources and with the international student office, before you commit. ## Finances across terms The *Example* below is a fictional budget for a two-year programme at School A, in USD, computed term by term. Living costs use USD 3,300 a month (1 month pre-term, 4 months in T1, 5 in T2, 3 in the summer, 4 in T3, 5 in T4). | Item (USD) | Pre | T1 | T2 | Summer | T3 | T4 | Total | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Tuition and fees | 0 | 44,000 | 44,000 | 0 | 45,500 | 45,500 | 179,000 | | Living | 3,300 | 13,200 | 16,500 | 9,900 | 13,200 | 16,500 | 72,600 | | Moving and housing set-up | 4,500 | 0 | 0 | 4,000 | 0 | 0 | 8,500 | | Books, software, laptop | 1,800 | 600 | 600 | 0 | 400 | 400 | 3,800 | | Recruiting and travel | 0 | 2,500 | 1,500 | 0 | 1,500 | 500 | 6,000 | | Clubs, treks, conferences | 0 | 1,200 | 2,800 | 0 | 1,000 | 3,500 | 8,500 | | **Total cost** | **9,600** | **61,500** | **65,400** | **13,900** | **61,600** | **66,400** | **278,400** | | Scholarship | 0 | 15,000 | 15,000 | 0 | 15,000 | 15,000 | 60,000 | | Internship net pay | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27,000 | 0 | 0 | 27,000 | | **Total income** | **0** | **15,000** | **15,000** | **27,000** | **15,000** | **15,000** | **87,000** | | **Net need** | **9,600** | **46,500** | **50,400** | **-13,100** | **46,600** | **51,400** | **191,400** | | Cumulative net need | 9,600 | 56,100 | 106,500 | 93,400 | 140,000 | 191,400 | | Excel set-up (items in rows 2 to 7, terms in columns B to G): total cost for a term `=SUM(B2:B7)`; total for a row `=SUM(B2:G2)`; net need `=B8-B11` where row 8 is total cost and row 11 total income; cumulative net need in C13 `=B13+C12` with B13 `=B12`. Reading the *Example*: - Tuition and fees are 64.3% of total cost (179,000 of 278,400); living costs are the second largest item. - The summer internship turns the net need negative for that period (-13,100), but it does not cover a term. - Net need over the programme is USD 191,400. With USD 60,000 of savings the remaining gap is USD 131,400. As of October 2026, new US federal borrowers in a graduate (non-professional) programme are limited to USD 20,500 a year and USD 100,000 in total in Direct Unsubsidized Loans (within a USD 257,500 lifetime limit), and Grad PLUS is closed to new borrowers from 1 July 2026 (US Department of Education; check https://studentaid.gov before you rely on it). A gap of this size therefore raises questions for the funding plan: other loan sources and their terms, more scholarship, sponsorship, lower costs. List them in mba/mba-funding-scholarship-plan; this template does not recommend any of them. - Spending peaks in the terms with treks and trips (T2, T4); decide early which of those you will do. ```vega-lite { "$schema": "https://vega.github.io/schema/vega-lite/v5.json", "description": "Example programme cost by term and category, USD, fictional School A", "width": "container", "height": 260, "data": {"values": [ {"term": "Pre", "category": "Tuition and fees", "usd": 0}, {"term": "Pre", "category": "Living", "usd": 3300}, {"term": "Pre", "category": "Moving and housing set-up", "usd": 4500}, {"term": "Pre", "category": "Books, software, laptop", "usd": 1800}, {"term": "Pre", "category": "Recruiting and travel", "usd": 0}, {"term": "Pre", "category": "Clubs, treks, conferences", "usd": 0}, {"term": "T1", "category": "Tuition and fees", "usd": 44000}, {"term": "T1", "category": "Living", "usd": 13200}, {"term": "T1", "category": "Moving and housing set-up", "usd": 0}, {"term": "T1", "category": "Books, software, laptop", "usd": 600}, {"term": "T1", "category": "Recruiting and travel", "usd": 2500}, {"term": "T1", "category": "Clubs, treks, conferences", "usd": 1200}, {"term": "T2", "category": "Tuition and fees", "usd": 44000}, {"term": "T2", "category": "Living", "usd": 16500}, {"term": "T2", "category": "Moving and housing set-up", "usd": 0}, {"term": "T2", "category": "Books, software, laptop", "usd": 600}, {"term": "T2", "category": "Recruiting and travel", "usd": 1500}, {"term": "T2", "category": "Clubs, treks, conferences", "usd": 2800}, {"term": "Summer", "category": "Tuition and fees", "usd": 0}, {"term": "Summer", "category": "Living", "usd": 9900}, {"term": "Summer", "category": "Moving and housing set-up", "usd": 4000}, {"term": "Summer", "category": "Books, software, laptop", "usd": 0}, {"term": "Summer", "category": "Recruiting and travel", "usd": 0}, {"term": "Summer", "category": "Clubs, treks, conferences", "usd": 0}, {"term": "T3", "category": "Tuition and fees", "usd": 45500}, {"term": "T3", "category": "Living", "usd": 13200}, {"term": "T3", "category": "Moving and housing set-up", "usd": 0}, {"term": "T3", "category": "Books, software, laptop", "usd": 400}, {"term": "T3", "category": "Recruiting and travel", "usd": 1500}, {"term": "T3", "category": "Clubs, treks, conferences", "usd": 1000}, {"term": "T4", "category": "Tuition and fees", "usd": 45500}, {"term": "T4", "category": "Living", "usd": 16500}, {"term": "T4", "category": "Moving and housing set-up", "usd": 0}, {"term": "T4", "category": "Books, software, laptop", "usd": 400}, {"term": "T4", "category": "Recruiting and travel", "usd": 500}, {"term": "T4", "category": "Clubs, treks, conferences", "usd": 3500} ]}, "mark": "bar", "encoding": { "x": {"field": "term", "type": "nominal", "sort": ["Pre", "T1", "T2", "Summer", "T3", "T4"], "title": "Term"}, "y": {"field": "usd", "type": "quantitative", "aggregate": "sum", "title": "Cost (USD)"}, "color": {"field": "category", "type": "nominal", "title": "Category"}, "tooltip": [ {"field": "term", "type": "nominal"}, {"field": "category", "type": "nominal"}, {"field": "usd", "type": "quantitative", "format": ","} ] } } ``` Money rows for the term grid: | ID | Term | Action | Template | |---|---|---|---| | FIN-01 *(Example)* | Pre-term | full budget set, aid and loan paperwork done as the school instructs | mba/mba-budget-during-program | | FIN-02 *(Example)* | T1 | track actual spending against budget monthly | mba/mba-budget-during-program, personal/budget | | FIN-03 *(Example)* | T2 | decide which treks or trips to take; re-check scholarship renewal conditions | mba/mba-funding-scholarship-plan | | FIN-04 *(Example)* | Summer | set aside internship net pay for T3 | mba/mba-budget-during-program | | FIN-05 *(Example)* | T3 | exchange cost check; second-year aid confirmed | mba/mba-exchange-semester-plan | | FIN-06 *(Example)* | T4 | repayment plan drafted before the grace period ends | mba/mba-loan-repayment-plan | ## Weekly time budget The *Example* below shows how one student's average week shifts across terms. Each column sums to 168 hours. | Hours per week | T1 | T2 | T3 | T4 | |---|---|---|---|---| | Classes | 15 | 15 | 15 | 12 | | Case and course preparation | 18 | 16 | 12 | 10 | | Learning team and projects | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | | Recruiting | 12 | 8 | 4 | 2 | | Clubs and leadership role | 4 | 5 | 8 | 7 | | Social and community | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | | Exercise | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | | Sleep (8 hours a night) | 56 | 56 | 56 | 56 | | Personal, admin, family, commute | 46 | 50 | 53 | 59 | | **Total** | **168** | **168** | **168** | **168** | Academic hours (classes, preparation and team work) fall from 38 in T1 to 28 in T4, while clubs and leadership rise from 4 to 7 and peak at 8 in T3. Check in Excel with `=SUM(B2:B10)`, which must return 168 for each column. My weekly time budget: | Hours per week | Pre-term | T1 | T2 | Summer | T3 | T4 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Classes and preparation | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | | Recruiting | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | | Clubs and leadership | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | | Social and community | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | | Exercise and sleep | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | | Family, personal, admin | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | ## Wellbeing and relationships | ID | Area | Floor I protect | Early warning sign | What I do then | Who notices | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | WEL-01 *(Example)* | Sleep | 7 hours on 5 nights a week | three short nights in a row | cancel the next optional event | partner, habit tracker | | WEL-02 *(Example)* | Exercise | 3 sessions a week | no session for 7 days | book a running club session | running club | | WEL-03 *(Example)* | Relationships | one protected evening a week with partner or family | protected evening missed twice | move a club meeting | partner | | WEL-04 *(Example)* | Mental health | weekly check-in with myself in the learning journal | low mood for two weeks | book the school's counselling service | learning team, counsellor | | WEL-05 | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | Know where the school's student support, counselling and health services are before you need them, and note emergency contacts in the plan. Use personal/habit-tracker and personal/weekly-review for routines and mba/mba-learning-journal for reflection. ## Term review and re-planning The review follows Kolb's (1984) experiential learning cycle: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation and active experimentation. In practice: ```mermaid flowchart LR E["1 Experience:
what happened this term"] --> R["2 Reflect:
what worked, what did not, why"] R --> C["3 Conclude:
what I now believe about my goals and habits"] C --> A["4 Act:
changes to the next term's grid"] A --> E ``` | Step | Questions | My answer | |---|---|---| | 1 Experience | Which goals moved forward? Where did my hours actually go compared with the time budget? What did I spend compared with the budget? | [ ] | | 2 Reflect | What surprised me? Which commitment gave the most for its hours, and which the least? What feedback did I receive (mba/mba-peer-feedback)? | [ ] | | 3 Conclude | Is my post-MBA goal still the same? What do I now know about how I work best? | [ ] | | 4 Act | What will I add, drop and change in the next term's grid? Which "will not do" item do I need to repeat to myself? | [ ] | Record each review in the revision history with the term name. ## Adapting the plan: one-year and executive MBA | Section | One-year full-time | Executive MBA | |---|---|---| | Term grid | two to four shorter terms, no summer internship; add a pre-term column for recruiting | study weeks or weekends over about 18 to 24 months while working; columns by term or module | | Courses | core compressed into the first half; electives in the second | core and electives in modules; check attendance rules for each module | | Clubs | fewer, chosen for the career goal | optional; often a small number of executive clubs or class activities | | Recruiting | starts at or before T; plan networking before arrival | usually inside your employer or as a planned move; school career services differ | | Leadership | short roles (one term or one event) | leadership at work through the strategic project (mba/emba-strategic-project) | | Exchange | short electives abroad or none | global modules or residencies | | Finances | one year of tuition and living, no internship income | tuition often shared with a sponsor; read any repayment clause (mba/emba-sponsorship-proposal) | | Wellbeing | very intense pace | the triple load of work, study and family is the main risk; plan family time first | ## Risks and contingencies | ID | Risk | Likelihood | Effect | Trigger | Response | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | RSK-01 *(Example)* | No internship offer in the target industry by T+8 | medium | G-01 delayed | no offer by the end of T2 | accept an adjacent role or a short project; widen the list; talk to the career centre | | RSK-02 *(Example)* | Core course grade at risk | low | stress, recruiting impact where grades are disclosed | below-average midterm | office hours, study group, reduce club hours for four weeks | | RSK-03 *(Example)* | Spending above budget by more than 10% in a term | medium | larger gap in the funding plan | monthly check in FIN-02 | cut optional trips first; review funding plan | | RSK-04 | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | ## Quality checklist - [ ] Three to five goals, each with evidence at graduation. - [ ] A "will not do" list with three items. - [ ] Every row in the term grid links to a goal. - [ ] Recruiting dates come from the career centre calendar for my class, not from memory. - [ ] The time budget sums to 168 hours in each term column. - [ ] The budget covers the whole programme and is checked against the school's published cost of attendance. - [ ] The funding gap, if any, has a list of questions in mba/mba-funding-scholarship-plan. - [ ] Wellbeing floors are written and someone else knows them. - [ ] Exchange and visa questions have been checked with official sources and the international student office. - [ ] A term review is scheduled for the last week of each term. ## Common mistakes | Mistake | Effect | Better habit | |---|---|---| | Joining every club in week one | no time for depth; dues and event costs add up | two career clubs and one interest club, review in T2 | | Planning the first year only | second-year costs, exchange and recruiting are a surprise | plan all terms, re-plan each term | | Letting recruiting crowd out core preparation | weak case contributions and gaps that show in electives | protect preparation hours in the time budget | | Choosing electives by reputation alone | skills do not match the goal | link each elective to a goal | | Taking a leadership role for the title | little to show and little learned | choose roles with a team, a deadline and a result | | Ignoring the summer gap in money | treks and relocation for the internship strain cash | budget the summer separately | | Planning an exchange without checking recruiting | full-time search from abroad is harder | decide exchange after the return-offer picture is clear | | No wellbeing floor | sleep and relationships absorb every overrun | write floors and early warning signs | | Re-planning every week | constant churn, no learning | change direction at the term review | | Copying a classmate's plan | their goals and constraints differ | start from your own goals table | ## Self-test 1. Why does the plan start with goals and a "will not do" list? 2. In the *Example* budget, what share of total cost is tuition and fees? 3. What is the net need for the summer in the *Example*, and why is it negative? 4. With USD 60,000 of savings, what gap remains in the *Example*, and what dated fact makes that gap worth examining? 5. Name the four steps of the term review and the model they come from. 6. How many hours must each column of the weekly time budget sum to, and what Excel formula checks it? 7. Which part of the plan is least flexible, and why? 8. Name two differences between this plan for a two-year and an executive MBA. ## Sources and further reading - Kolb, D. A. (1984). *Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development*. Prentice Hall. - US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid. Loan limit changes effective 1 July 2026, https://studentaid.gov and https://fsapartners.ed.gov (checked 2026-10-28). - Your school's published cost of attendance, academic calendar, course catalogue, career centre calendar and student support pages. - Further reading (by name only): Newport, C. (2016). *Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World*. Grand Central Publishing, on protecting time for demanding work. ## Answer key 1. Every option is attractive in the first weeks; goals give a test for each commitment and the "will not do" list protects the hours the goals need. 2. 64.3% (USD 179,000 of USD 278,400). 3. USD -13,100: internship net pay (27,000) exceeds summer costs (13,900), so the summer reduces the cumulative net need from 106,500 to 93,400. 4. USD 131,400 (191,400 minus 60,000). As of October 2026, new US federal graduate (non-professional) borrowers are limited to USD 20,500 a year and USD 100,000 in total in Direct Unsubsidized Loans, with Grad PLUS closed to new borrowers from 1 July 2026; check studentaid.gov. 5. Experience, reflect, conclude, act: Kolb's (1984) experiential learning cycle (concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation, active experimentation). 6. 168 hours; `=SUM(B2:B10)` for each term column. 7. Recruiting, because internship and full-time recruiting deadlines are set by employers and the career centre and, in some industries, fall very early in the first year. 8. Any two: no summer internship; study alongside a job; employer sponsorship and repayment clauses; recruiting mostly inside the employer; a strategic project for one's own organisation; family time as the main wellbeing risk. ## Revision history | Version | Date | Author | Change | |---|---|---|---| | 0.1 | YYYY-MM-DD | [Name] | First version before T | | [0.2] | YYYY-MM-DD | [Name] | [T1 review: dropped one club, moved recruiting hours] | ## Standard and licence note Structure aligned with the programme structure common to leading international MBA programmes and with Kolb's (1984) experiential learning cycle; loan facts checked on US Department of Education pages in October 2026. The text, plan structure and fictional examples are original. No school has endorsed this template and it is not affiliated with any school. Check your school's current calendar, cost of attendance and the official loan pages before you rely on them. Template licence: MIT.