"ALTHOUGH IN RARE instances it is possible to get into an MBA program immediately after college, that is not the typical route. Most MBA hopefuls need to gain work experience in order to become competitive candidates for business school, some admissions experts say.
Stacy Blackman, a former U.S. News contributor and president of Stacy Blackman Consulting, notes that highly selective MBA programs strive to admit individuals who are very accomplished within the workplace. The most impressive MBA candidates are those who already qualify as “top performers” and have received “fast promotions,” she wrote in an email.
MBA admissions officials like to see evidence of growth, discipline and leadership when they examine a candidate’s resume. People who plan to pursue an MBA degree should seek employment “that would give them the opportunity to grow and show their individual strengths,” Chris Wszalek, executive director of graduate admissions and student recruitment at Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management in New York, wrote in an email." …
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/top-business-schools/articles/how-much-work-experience-do-i-need-for-mba-programs
This article contains lots of valuable information for future applicants to MBA programs. Nevertheless, the article is written in a fashion designed to encourage readers to seek the assistance of a professional educational consultant. Worthwhile, but costly.
The use of the word “rare” should be qualified to inform readers that work experience is not a requirement for admission to an MBA program. There are about 470 fully accredited MBA programs in the US. Probably about 85% will admit applicants to their fulltime MBA program with little to no post undergraduate degree work experience. Why ? Because full-time MBA programs need students and revenue.
Many MBA programs report that the average age of entrants to their full-time programs are 24 years old or 25 years old. This indicates that many are entering the full-time MBA program with one (1) year or less of post undergraduate work experience.
The article is followed by charts of the 25 top MBA programs showing average age and average post undergraduate work experience of entrants into the respective programs. It was refreshing to see that several of the 25 full-time MBA programs reported the average age of entrants as age 29, rather than as less experienced 25 year olds.