Is work experience really necessary to get into a top MBA program?

<p>My friend was recently admitted to Stanford MBA. He has no work experience, but is, of course, an outstanding candidate otherwise.</p>

<p>How do top MBA programs value work as a CPA for a few years? Also, is it common for CPAs to go back to school to get their MBA and work in finance, and is the prior work as a CPA a good foundation for a career in IB? Would not working in IB before getting your MBA work against someone who was a CPA beforehand?</p>

<p>Is all work experience regarded the same?
For example, someone working in a scientific/engineering field for 3-5 years might not have been given a decent amount of management responsibility. Would a pharmacist who wants to switch careers have a hard time explaining why he/she would want an MBA? Would the pharmacist be at a disadvantage because he/she had little business related experience to share?</p>

<p>i want to get an mba right after undergrad..here's why;
i am a chemical engineering student at a top 15 engineering school.with an alright Gpa 3.5(i have taken several honors courses)...i'm currently a junior. i have never really wanted to be a chemical engineer- but i love curriculum and solving tough problems...i feel its made me a lot sharper than i was when i was say, a freshman.</p>

<p>i have always had a passion for music(i produce my own music--hip hop, rock, rnb...i'm pretty versatile). my goal is to become a recording artist and have my own record label. i feel like i know everything there is to know about the music and entertainment industry....however i know nothing about business. Do you guys think i have a pretty good reason to attend a top mba school right after undergrad?</p>

<p>Is your major a big deal for getting accepted?</p>

<p>You are not the only one thinking about going from professional school to business school. I am thinking about same thing.. I am on my way to get MD and i'll have my degree in less than 2 years... I have same problem no work experience in business world. But in medical school last two years, you are working with different kind of doctors (ex surgeons, internal med, cardiologist, family physician etc.) for clinical rotations. I wonder if that counts as professional work experience.. You are in professional environment in hospital and dealing with doctors and patients everyday.... Does MD or JD will give us better chance to get into top business schools ?? I am sure with professional degree your chance of getting higher GMAT score increases 700+. I cant say for JD but after going through thousands of exams for MD this GMAT doesnt look bad at all or comparing with USMLE and I'm sure license test for JD is hard... please post reply if you know anything about top business schools right after MD without work experience..</p>

<p>hi there everyone.... i really need hep and advice especially from sakky. he seems to know a lot. i just graduated from college in december 07 and havent really found a good job even though i work now.its something small/hr.i intend to start business school in fall of 09 but i have no real work experience. i wana go to a good school like georgetown but im afraid they wont take me kos i have no work experience. im still tryin 2 geta job. my undergrad degree was in mktg. and finance. someone pls. advice me</p>

<p>if an individual has a low GPA (2.9) but 3 years of work experience in a state government, how important will the GMAT score be, and should the person look at top 50 schools, top 25 schools, top 10 even? with that kind of background</p>

<p>It depends on so many factors. What did you major in (did you major in a difficult subject like Physics, Engineering or Economics)? What college did you attend (is it known for being tough on grades)? Did you have a 2.9 GPA throughout or did you have a lower GPA to start with and a higher GPA your last couple of years? What ECs did you participate in? What did you do during your three years? Did you get promotted? Your GMAT will obviously play an important role, as will your essays, your interviews and your recommendations.</p>

<p>Well I think in respect to the GPA it fluctuated throughout the 4 years, my Bachelors was in Computer Information Systems. I currently work for the department of Treasury for my state government not working with computers but rather as an Investigator for the Taxation department, and yes I have been promoted. I have not yet taken the GMAT because I am still undecided as to MBA vs JD. Any ideas?</p>

<p>Work experience is the MOST important thing to get into a top school MBA. You would have to be a genious with amazing GPA, GMAT and essays to get into a top school with two year work experience. One of the most important things in an MBA program is networking; being able to be a person that can share his connections and knowledge with his/her peers. It would be difficult for a person with 2 years work experience to have relevant work connections and knowledge. I would say ideally 5 years experience is what you should shoot for.</p>

<p>If you make that much a week you should try to see if they can make that summer position permanent!</p>

<p>Hi, I'm looking at top 20 part-time MBA programs and was wondering what you thought my chances of getting in are?</p>

<p>-finished undergrad in 3.5 years
-Finance major GPA 3.8-3.9
-math minor
-cum GPA 3.5-3.6 (I'm not done till December 08 so idk what it will be when I graduate)
- Internships at PHH Mortgages, Merrill Lynch, JPMorgan Chase
- Worked at Johnson and Johnson for over a year
- Was involved in Phi Beta Lambda early in college but stopped when I started working.
- Scored a 680 on my GMAT's with little time to study (taking them again at the end of summer so hopefully my score will break 700)</p>

<p>The school's that I am really looking at are Drexel, Villanova, and NYU. </p>

<p>How much does me not having work "real" work experience hurt me since most of these jobs were part time or internships?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>
[quote]
How much does me not having work "real" work experience hurt me since most of these jobs were part time or internships?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Apparently greatly as two of the schools you mentioned are not even ranked among the top 65 full time programs by USNews (that is as low as the US News rankings go). I realize you are considering part time programs, but if you want to land a top job or a high salary, you are doing yourself a disservice by taking part time rankings seriously.</p>

<p>Your undergrad record looks very good, and it would be a shame for you to go for your MBA now when you could work for a few years and get into a top program.</p>

<p>Hi,
yes if you want to get top MBA Program then you have to take work experience, and work experience is depending on what type of program chosen by you, if you chose Finance Program than you have at least 2 years experience.</p>

<p>Best luck.</p>

<hr>

<p>Accredited</a> MBA Programs </p>

<p>" Whenever you want to know how rich you are, don't count your money; just drop a tear from your eye and see how many hands are there to wipe it."</p>

<p>I am currently a senior electrical engineering major with a 3.64 GPA. I took the GMAT this summer and scored a 690 (I might retake to break 700). Also, I have some leadership experience within my fraternity as well as other clubs at my university. I really want to get my MBA right after I get my undergraduate degree. I am concerned that going into the engineering field won't provide the valuable type of work experience that MBA programs look for. For instance, I worked for a major semiconductor manufacturer this summer as a design intern and the guys who had been working there full time for years were just sitting in front of a computer screen designing circuits with no real opportunities to show leadership or advance in the company. I am feeling like working in a situation like that for 2 years would almost be counterproductive.</p>

<p>I have two questions:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I know that my chances of getting into a top 10 MBA program are slim to none without work experience. However, what is the likelihood that I can get into a top 50 program? I am from the northeast so I have been looking at schools like Boston College, Boston University, University of Maryland, and Penn State University.</p></li>
<li><p>If I do decide to work after I graduate from undergraduate college what are some other options for an engineering major besides working in an engineering related field that will give me the type of work experience that top MBA programs will look for?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thanks for the help!</p>

<p>very useful forum... and a very relevant discussion...</p>

<p>to start off, a brief overview of my profile :</p>

<p>GMAT : 680
Education : Engineering (E&C)
Aggregate Score : 79%
Work experience : 1yr 2 months so far (2 yrs by July 2009), at an automobile software MNC.
Additionally, worked with my Dad for sometime during my undergraduation days in our family business</p>

<p>I am looking at the MBA Fall 2009 intake, and had a few questions to the experts here :</p>

<ol>
<li>What kind of universities could I look at ? Which countries may I target based on profiles admitted in the past ?</li>
<li>Will my contribution to my dad's business be considered ? (Since my post-graduate work-ex is not much, so will it kind of compensate atleast ?)</li>
<li>Will my chances increase if I wait for another year ? If yes, by how much, since I will still be below the average work-ex for most univs (which just seems to increase every year) ?</li>
<li>Will my post-MBA job opportunities be affected because of my pre-MBA work-ex, even if I do manage to get admit into a good college ? (especially with the current market behavior)</li>
<li>I have no international exposure as of now, but my company may plan to send me to Germany within the next year. Will this carry some weightage in my profile ?</li>
<li>From a few trusted sources, it has been heard that the average GMAT scores for Indians is higher than for others, because of the huge competition among similar profiles. So, do you think I retake my GMAT or invest this time and effort in the application process, and into strenghtening my overall profile ?</li>
</ol>

<p>It is because of a few personal reasons that I was looking to go immediately. I do not doubt the fact that I am mature enough to handle the pressure of an intense MBA course, but it is my quantity of work-ex that may be a cause of concern. It will be very difficult for me to squeeze out another year of wait, but if it actually makes a difference between a mediocre university and a good university, I will have to give it a second thought.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance.</p>

<ul>
<li>Bikerguy</li>
</ul>

<p>In terms of work experience, how much does co-op matter? Will I be able to go to a top MBA program after graduation with about a 1.5 years of co-op?</p>

<p>I found a site that can be of some help regarding these basic criteria of acceptance. it is pretty rough and takes 1 day to answer but it is ok.
mbaChances.com</a> 2008</p>

<p>bikerguy, your profile is not very good right now. You need to work a couple more years showing progressive work experience.</p>

<p>Javous, generally pre-graduate work experience doesn't count (perhaps you can spin it). Right now admission into MBA programs is very difficult so you better have a damn good profile to get into a top school with only 1.5 yrs of post grad work experience.</p>