<p>I am at this critical decision time. I recently graduated out of the FSU college of business and was looking into applying into an M.B.A program right now giving myself a year to gain experience and save money for said M.B.A program. Of course this leaves me in the undesirable predicament of currently applying to an M.B.A with 0 years of post-graduate experience.</p>
<p>I ultimately would like to go to UT Austin, but will also like to apply to schools such as Chicago, NW, UCLA and UNC.</p>
<p>Laborously poring over these forums have left me feeling even more frustrated because I have found the common sentiments of posters to range from, 'You can apply straight out of college to top MBA's' to 'only apply to top schools with 3+ years work experience' to the median of 'only the most standout applicants should apply to top MBA's right out of undergrad'.</p>
<p>Now pretty much all of my desired schools are top-30 programs so I'm in straits figuring out what to do. May I please request the ever important guidance of strangers on the internet? Should I apply to those schools now or wait for a few years and establish myself in the workforce?</p>
<p>And yes the stats.</p>
<p>BS: Multinational Business Operations, Minor in Spanish (My spanish is 95% Fluent) from FSU
3.71 GPA, graduated magna cum laude</p>
<p>700 GMAT</p>
<p>Im very confident in my abilities as an ensayista so my essays will also be strong.</p>
<p>I have a niece who got a BA/MBA from a respectable, not stellar but really solid, school. She is really competent too. </p>
<p>What does she do now?</p>
<p>She’s a restaurant hostess. It’s an utter waste to get an MBA right after undergrad. Why do people say this? It is not because you aren’t talented. It is because you will probably be able to find some half-decent program willing to take you and your money and give you an MBA and you’ll get out of the program and be put in the same class as people with college degrees.</p>
<p>This is doubly true for someone who studied business as an undergrad. For god’s sake, go get some experience, do well, get some perspective, and then get an MBA much later.</p>
<p>Why does this question keep coming up?</p>
<p>I have a friend that went Ivy League undergrad, and got into Harvard for entry right after college. Why? Because he took time off in undergrad to move to Asia and start a business. He effectively had 2 years of intense work experience by the time he got his college degree. If you put yourself in that category and would be that revved up, go ahead and apply for a business program.</p>
<p>Heres the thing… I stated that I would be taking a year off between my Undergrad and MBA right? This september –> september.</p>
<p>Well in that year off I plan to move to the republic of Panama where I have connections to work either at a financial institution or at an NGO such as the UN or WFP (world food programme) so I technically will have 1 year of work experience, in the spanish language abroad no less, when I’m done with my MBA. A similar situation to your friend who did the Asia excursion. But why I’m frustrated is because at the time I’m applying to these schools I won’t officially have that year of experience, just that year pending, and I’m worried about being dismissed due to that.</p>
<p>a 3.71 GPA, 700 GMAT, Extremely strong essays, Being bilingual in English and Spanish, and 1 year of work experience in a prestigous NGO such as the United Nations.</p>
<p>Flatly and universally rejected by every single one of those MBA programs.</p>
<p>a 3.71 GPA, 700 GMAT, Extremely strong essays, Being bilingual in English and Spanish, and 1 year of work experience in a prestigous NGO such as the United Nations.</p>
<p>Flatly and universally rejected by every single one of those MBA programs.</p>
<p>I see. </p>
<hr>
<p>^^Unfortunately, that’s probably the most likely outcome. I went to Kellogg (also was admitted to Stanford and got a full tuition scholarship to Anderson (at UCLA)) and started business school with three years of top consulting firm experience and I was among the youngest of my classmates. Most with NGO experience had several years experience. Tons of people have high GPAs, high GMATs and are bilingual. I had 740 GMATs, 3.9 GPA (double major in Biology/Math from a top 10 liberal arts college), and great work experience and I don’t think I was a shoo-in. Business schools want to see that you have proven yourself (in the corp or NGO world) by getting promotions and being given increased responsibility. You’re also at somewhat of a disadvantage by having an undergrad in business…one of the things business schools ask is what business school can do for you. With no work experience and already having taken core business classes, business schools might not know what to do with you. You don’t need the degree for further education at this point (you have the basic business knowledge for entry level jobs) and you don’t have work experience to guide your career goals (i.e. so even if you say you want to be an i-banker, you haven’t worked in finance and may not even completely know what that means). </p>
<p>Another key point, the benefit that students get from business school classes is not limited to the material presented by the teacher, it’s also derived from the collective experiences of the students. You wouldn’t be able to offer as much (based on one year of experience). Business schools know this collective experience component is part of what people are buying when they go to business school and they form their class based on making sure there are diversity of experiences represented. </p>
<p>Finally, depending on your ultimate career goal, you could be limiting yourself by heading to business school too early. The few students in my class at Kellogg with 1-2 years of work experience did poorly in career placement.</p>
<p>This is why I posted on this forum. Thank you for this informative response detailing your own personal experiences. It is a bit disheartening to know I will be out of school longer than 1 year but at the same time I’m glad I will at least be doing what is correct… I am 100% confident that I will succeed in my work this year and garner increased responsibilites. However… how can you state that you weren’t a shoo-in after being admitted to 3 top-tier business schools?</p>
<p>I guess ultimately I will weigh my decisions. Consider staying in the workforce longer to 3-4 years instead, and most likely learn a third language. I realize this isnt supposed to factor in but my father is really pressing me to persue post-graduate studies immediately and since he financed more than 50% of my undergrad campaign it is exceedingly difficult to tell him otherwise.</p>
<p>I guess one other question I would like to ask is did you find it worth it to pull yourself out of the workforce after three years of establishing yourself to earn that M.B.A? Are you ultimately better off now than you would have been?</p>
<p>I guess one other question I would like to ask is did you find it worth it to pull yourself out of the workforce after three years of establishing yourself to earn that M.B.A? Are you ultimately better off now than you would have been? </p>
<hr>
<p>For me, it was definitely worth it. I left B-School at the height of the dotcom boom, so jobs were plentiful, but I really wanted to work at a particular type of start-up and the network I had from Kellogg was invaluable. Business school is a great way to enter a new field (for me it was moving from general management consulting to tech marketing) and many people use the summer to explore something new. It was also worth it to my family, as my husband left a great job at BCG to start his first software company and many of his initial VC contacts were ones that I had made through school and through my summer internship program with the Kauffman Foundation. I’m not currently working (I’m taking some time off with my kids while they’re young), but the pedigree and network are valuable when I pick up the occasional consulting project.</p>
<p>Having said all of that, I’m definitely one of those people who question the value of an MBA from a non-top 10 program (the difference between Top 5-10 and the next 10 is huge). Given that, I think you need to make sure your application shines and you don’t want to short-shrift the work experience piece. The only time I think non-Top 10 programs make sense is if you know you’re going to stay in a particular region, then a top regional program could make sense.</p>
<p>The only thing I’d emphasize to the OP is to avoid thinking of it as just “passing 3-4 years” and then you’ll get in. You need to show you accomplished something. One of the simplest things to do is join a firm that has a good rep and do well. Or show progression in something you did (like working in an NGO). It is not just a question of “marking time.”</p>
<p>Also tell your father what she said is true:</p>
<p>“Finally, depending on your ultimate career goal, you could be limiting yourself by heading to business school too early. The few students in my class at Kellogg with 1-2 years of work experience did poorly in career placement.”</p>
<p>Re-read this 5 times, and if necessary, get your father to read it. Companies hire on the basis of “has a Berkeley degree and 3 years consulting experience” in such and such industry or “has the Chicago MBA and has worked in finance internationally.” etc. The MBA itself doesn’t do it. It is not like law school in that regard.</p>
<p>I also agree regarding the top 10 observation. But I’d point out some MBA programs are in top 10 on some lists and not on others… So it’s possible that it is top 10-15 schools that are really differentiators. Don’t know the exact stats.</p>
<p>So guys, the general consensus is definitely not to major in Business administration or management major if I want to enroll in B-school after a while ?</p>
<p>to the OP, apply to half a dozen of the top 10 B-Schools. See what happens. If you don’t get accepted then continue working for a few years. Succeed. Then apply again.</p>
<p>from someone that attended a top 5 B-School straight out of college.</p>