Why LGO? Why now?

Why LGO (http://lgo.mit.edu)?
I think this question can be divided into two questions: Why a full-time MBA and why MIT LGO?
Why a full-time MBA?

To provide a little background, last year (Fall 2011) while applying to GE I was also applying to full time MBA programs. I had gotten into Northwestern's MMM program (MBA/MS Engineering management) and was sorely tempted to take that offer rather than GE. What turned me aside was that I thought at the time that I wanted to dedicate my career to the energy industry. Moving to GE in Houston seemed like a no-brainer at the time rather than taking time off to go to school.

When I started at GE (April 2012) I thought that I wanted to work in Energy. Through the Junior Officer Leadership Program (JOLP) at GE I was planning on experiencing working in various business functions to gain a broad background in how a large industrial business operates. During my time at GE I realized that I had holes in my business know-how. Also, even though GE is not a top-MBA recruiter, many of the executives at GE had an MBA. After realizing that I did want to pursue an MBA, I had to decide between going full-time (and leaving GE) or going part-time while working.

I applied to and was accepted into UT Austin's part-time MBA program in Houston and was preparing to join the class of 2014. Before classes started, I realized that I wanted to pursue a full-time program rather than a part-time program. I ultimately decided that if I was going to get an MBA I should go full time and try to go to the best fit program I could. I did not want to ever regret my decisions, and I am sure I would have regretted not pursuing a full-time MBA later on in my career.

Two years during this stage of my career seems like a long time to take off, but I think in the big picture it is not that long. I have heard numerous people further on in their career tell me that they wish they would have taken time off to go to school (and a few who were glad they went part-time as well) and really immerse themselves in an MBA program. Having 100% post 9/11 GI Bill helps with the cost of school (I will only have to cover living expenses).

Why LGO over other MBA programs?
After I decided to pursue a full-time MBA I had to think about which schools to apply to. What helped me with this decision-making process was that at GE I had a chance to interact with colleagues in many different functions. While working as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt I found that I enjoyed working on process improvement. This translates pretty well into MBA programs focused on Operations.

The main two programs that came to mind when I thought of Operations was Northwestern's MMM program and MIT's LGO program. I applied to both programs and was accepted by both. Deciding between the two programs was very difficult for me. At Northwestern I would have had more freedom to pursue different internships (MIT LGO internships are primarily with partner companies), in addition to living close to my wife's family. In the end I chose MIT LGO because of the strength of the overall program. The business programs are peer programs, but MIT's engineering school is arguably better than Northwestern's.

Also, another large draw towards picking MIT LGO was that the program was so closely tied in with industry partners (called 'partner companies' at MIT LGO). The list of partner companies included most of the companies I would like to work for post-MBA (http://lgo.mit.edu/partner-companies/partners/) so having a guaranteed internship with one of the partner companies and exclusive recruiting with them sounded like a great deal. Many of the partner companies exclusively recruit from MIT LGO for their post-MBA operations roles. Also, it did not hurt that I would not have to pay any tuition at MIT (LGO has a generous fellowship) compared to having to pay around $20k at Northwestern.