<p>I'm graduating from college this semester with my industrial engineering degree from a solid but definitely not prestigious large state university. My GPA looks like it'll by around 3.86 - 3.90. I'm confident I can get as high a score as I need to on the GMAT by preparing enough. I'm interested in attending a top business school, like Wharton, Stanford, Harvard, or another top 5 or 10 school. I'm wondering what types of work experience are my best bets. I know that these schools really look for leadership in your work experience and they take people from all types of jobs, and they like people to know that business schools aren't full of just investment bankers and consultants. The companies I've been talking with (including some offers) include Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Exxon Mobile, and other such large companies. Do you think it's going to be harder for me to get into a top business school if I work for a company like these, as opposed to say, a consulting firm? I'm wondering if I should really try to get a job at, say, Deloitte or BAH or other consulting firm if I hope to get into a top MBA school. Any ideas you have I much appreciate, and thanks in advance.</p>
<p>If you are in a business role or a leadership role in any of these large and renowned companies, that is a very good start and gives you great experience, training and future opportunities. A key is that you are working in the department for which the company is renowned; for example, being an engineer and team leader at Lockheed Martin is perfect, but why work in their finance department over a financial institution? The brand only really extends to cover the company's known speciality. For example, if you work in IT for Goldman Sachs then no one is going to mistake you for one of their much-valued finance anaylsts.</p>
<p>Essentially, go and do a job which you will enjoy and thus do well in. An undergrad job is a great place to get a feel for an industry, and if you were to go to Exxon (for example) and love the work, then an MBA might not be necessary. However, working well in any of these sorts of companies will provide a great building block for your MBA application and future career. Please let us know how you go.</p>