# Taking an MBA degree with social anxiety



## Lelsey (Feb 7, 2011)

I am about to enroll into MBA in one of the top 5 universities (in the US, in case anyone is wondering). But can't shake the feeling that doing MBA with social anxiety is a huge mistake... so far i have managed to skip ALL of the networking events organized around me, did not even dare to post anything to the class facebook group, not even asking questions... I don't know a single soul in that school, nor in the city that i am moving to.. and this definitely is not helping..

I'm scared ****less that i will wind up with a 200k loan and no way to pay it off... not to mention 2 miserable years among 1000 of other classmates who will promptly ignore me like what happened during my BA... am i making the worst mistake here? would appreciate some opinions on this..


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## Jammer25 (Feb 22, 2014)

Academically and in terms of finding work, I did perfectly fine. I managed to work off a good chunk of tuition and expenses during school, and after graduating I gained employment in the field I studied.

In terms of networking and making friends/connections, I finished my MBA with a few people I still talk to. I went to one or two networking events in the 2 years I was there, and they were a disaster for me. I hardly spoke in class except for presentations, which strangely enough I was very good at. I didn't really talk to people in general about class or studying, aside from group projects. 

In general, I was fairly isolated during my MBA years. My SA was the major factor in not networking as much as I could've or should've, but the experience wasn't "bad" for the most part. Most people didn't really care as long as you got your work done, and done well.

The thing about an MBA is that a lot of students are already working professionals. It's not so much about "making friends" as it is making connections, so in that sense networking can serve you well and can be essential. But if you go into a field like accounting or finance (as I did), you should be able to find work more easily compared to a concentration like marketing. (Don't take this as an excuse not to network, though.)

If an MBA is something you really want, don't let potential experiences or assumptions stop you. Especially from a top school.


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## Lelsey (Feb 7, 2011)

@Jammer25 .. hey thanks a lot for replying. Glad to know that i am not the only one struggling with this. 

Truth be told, i have never considered MBA previously due to my issues with SA. Though after years (7 to be exact) of fumbling around trying to change jobs, reapplying to other more "SA friendly" field without much success, including 1 attempt to go back to university for a different bachelor degree, i realized i have no other option but to take MBA as a form of "career switcher". 

I am looking at accounting/ finance too so what you said is really encouraging.. on the other hand, i have issues with public speaking/ presentation. 

The fact that i got admitted in a top school was a surprise, but top school comes with huge financial burden, and unofficial "requirements" for activities and all. I am feeling absolutely overwhelmed with all the pre-school activities around (all are unofficial school events by the way, all self-org by other future students) and how impressively outgoing everyone else appears to be. This freaked me out.. a lot... 

which school did you go to by the way? If you don't mind me asking. do you have finance/accounting background before starting your MBA? I am looking to switch career, hence i know no one in these fields right now. And without networking, post MBA job searching doesn't look good to me at all...... i still have time to quit if i want to.. i'm gonna fail my original objective of changing job but at least i wont end up in huge debt....


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