EMBA Networking: Do the Math

EMBA Networking: Do the Math

Ask anyone thinking about joining any form of MBA program about what he or she hopes to get out of that experience and you will likely hear something about being part of a great alumni network close to the top of that list. That makes sense: networking opens doors, creates connections, and can lead to great career opportunities more effectively then just cold calling. So, if networking is a valuable goal for an MBA experience, why is that so many Executive MBA candidates seem overly focused on the people who will constitute their future classmates rather than the entire alumni network into which they can connect as a graduate?

I offer that observation as someone associated with Executive MBA programs, as a professor and program administrator, for 18 years and at four different universities. As you might imagine, over this time I have had the chance to speak with thousands (no kidding) of people interested in joining an EMBA program. Very consistently in these conversations, when the topic of networking is raised, the instinct of people looking at EMBA programs is to focus on the backgrounds of their potential classmates rather than the entire alumni network.

To demonstrate just how limited that frame of reference really is, here is the math I would share with people looking at the Cornell Executive MBA program when I was Associate Dean of Executive Education at the Johnson School (note: there are two EMBA programs at Cornell and this is one of them): there are about 250,000 living alumni of Cornell University around the world and the incoming Cornell EMBA class will have around 70 participants. (i.e., about 0.028% of the total alumni network). It should be obvious that the attractive networking resource is the entire alumni network, not just the tiny sliver that is one’s classmates.

While these are the Cornell numbers, every EMBA program can offer a similar comparison to underscore what should be the compelling characteristic of the alumni network a graduate joins: size. The typical mid-30’s EMBA student will spend about 20 months with his or her cohort in the program and then spend the next 30 years of his or her active career as an alumni of the university. As is the case with the Cornell numbers, a university alumni network is likely thousands of times larger than one cohort in an EMBA program. The likelihood that a classmate may turn out to be the right connection for your specific career advancement goals is much lower than finding that right connection in the much larger pool of university alumni.

To be fair, interest in the backgrounds of the classmates with whom you will navigate any MBA experience is not trivial. In an Executive MBA program in particular, where participants typically bring 10-15 years of organizational experience with them to class, the peer-to-peer learning that can take place is an important part of the overall experience. What is important to keep in mind, however, is not to confuse classmates’ contribution to the learning process with the key characteristics of a strong alumni network. These are, in fact, two separate considerations.

This issue grows in significance for candidates considering technology-facilitated Executive MBA programs. I have often heard candidates considering Executive MBA options express reluctance about joining a program with an online or videoconferencing facilitated learning model because of the lack of “networking opportunities.” Once again, do the math: as a participant in this kind of program you may spend little to no time in the same physical classroom as classmates but, ultimately, the benefits of networking are measured by the overall size of the community you get to join. Regardless of whether your MBA experience was in a traditional classroom or online, the vast majority of the alumni network are not people with whom you ever studied.

Here’s one final observation about MBA programs and networking: the benefits of being part of a great alumni network are not something that can be enjoyed passively. In interviewing applicants for both MBA and Executive MBA programs over the years, I always have a follow-up question for any applicant who mentions the importance of networking as a goal in earning an MBA. By definition, applicants to MBA programs already have at least one university degree so this opens the door to asking about how they have engaged with the alumni network (or networks) to which they already belong. Overwhelmingly, the response to that question highlights little to no engagement or activity with this existing resource. Such a response always elicits advice from me that if they are sincere about seeking out the benefits of alumni networking as a goal from an MBA experience then they must be prepared to actively engage in this network.

Networking with alumni is a real benefit for MBA graduates. Do keep it in mind and analyze it when considering MBA program choices. Be sure to consider the entire network you get to join and do not confuse that entire network with the tiny subset of people with whom you will study.