Chris Vogel (MBA ’26)
In this series, current BC MBA students share their motivations for pursuing an MBA, how they assessed factors like return on investment, and the steps they took towards starting their application process.
Today, we feature Chris Vogel, who received his BS in Finance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2024.
How long did it take you to decide on an MBA?
I started looking into it about 18 months before I started the program. I really set my eyes on it last fall after attending a virtual information session and reaching out to some alumni of the program.
How did you know an MBA was the right degree for you?
I was choosing between three degrees when looking at grad schools: MBA, MSF, or JD. I decided that an MBA had the widest range of applications and opened the most career doors and the other ones felt more limited in scope. In addition, I had some aspects of various business subjects in my resume, but needed something to tie them together.
How did you calculate return on investment for your degree?
I was fortunate to receive a merit scholarship to cover a significant amount of tuition. After that, the connections I’d make in the cohort and outside of it, the information I’d learn, and the likely increased salary coming out made the cost in terms of tuition and two years of time worth it.
How much time did you spend on the search and application process?
Search, almost zero once I decided on an MBA. Boston College was the only school I applied to and honestly the only one I considered. I knew if I was doing grad school it was always going to be BC. In terms of application, most of it I got done in a weekend, but it took me weeks of working on and off to do the supplemental essay because I wanted to perfect it.