How to get into top MBA? -Please help.-

Graduate School Business School - MBA
1

<p>I am planning to start undergraduate studies this fall and I am probably going to major in engineering. I have a few questions.</p>

<p>I want to get a BS/MS in engineering(EE/MechE) and then get a degree from a top MBA program. (HYCSM, Hass, UCLA,USC, UChicago, NYU, to name a few)</p>

<li>Does it matter where I go for undergraduate? Will going to a “lesser school” be a disadvantage?</li>
<li>What will I need to be a competitive candidate?</li>
</ol>

<p>Please advise.</p>

<p>Thank you.</p>

2

<p>
[quote]

  1. Does it matter where I go for undergraduate? Will going to a "lesser school" be a disadvantage?
  2. What will I need to be a competitive candidate?

[/quote]

  1. It depends. If you are going to be a "liberal arts" major, going to a "lesser school" is going to put you at a disadvantage. If you are an engineering major, do well in school, and want to pursue a Master's, then it's probably not going to hurt you at all. In fact, relative to my peers that I graduated from HS (who all had better grades and stats than me) with I went to a "lesser school". They went to CMU, Columbia, NYU Stern, Dartmouth, Brown, etc. I chose Rutgers Pharmacy and guess what, as it stands right now I ended up WAY AHEAD of them financially.
  2. Look to the person to your left and your right. Then look at the person in front of you and in back of you. Be better than them.</p>
3

<p>Thank you.</p>

<p>Any additional comments appreciated.</p>

4

<p>To get into any of those top MBA programs you mentioned you are going to need previous work experience. Therefore, what UG school will matter to the extent that it determines what your work experience will be.</p>

5

<p>In addition to work experience, you'll also want the "right" work experience. Working for a consulting firm that has "connections" at Harvard (e.g. Bain) greatly increases your chances of admission. Those sort of firms will set you up with the "right" experience, get you the "right" references, and make sure the "right" people know who you are. All you need to do is work hard and score reasonably well on the GMAT. But you'll only have an opportunity at those firms from a very good undergraduate school with a great GPA.</p>

<p>If your experience is working for a small consulting firm in the middle of Iowa, you're going to have a more difficult time with admission than if you worked for a Fortune 100 company and had a reference from an alumnus high up in the company.</p>

6

<p>Here's what you do: breathe in, breathe out, relax. Enjoy college. </p>

<p>On the other hand, you'll want a high GPA and strong extracurriculars (business-related, leadership, community service) to get some kind of small internship freshman/sophomore summers, hopefully parlaying into a BB investment banking or big consulting firm internship junior summer, turning that into a full-time offer.</p>

<p>Once you have the offer, start studying for the GMAT and take it during senior year. Don't stop until you've over 700.</p>

<p>Then, excel at the FT job, do many deals and do them well or really excel at your consulting engagements, and apply near the end of your (usually) 2-year gig. </p>

<p>Not the only way to do it, but it's the well-worn path.</p>