I’m a 22 year old who is at a pretty good state school. I’m currently double majoring (BS) in biology (BA) in health sciences. For a long time I wanted to do vet school but I don’t have the competitive numbers nor do I think I have the discipline. My GPA is a 3.2. I have always enjoyed business and was thinking of getting an MBA after undergrad but I have no idea how to adult. My parents and sister are extremely successful people so it’s hard to go to them for advice or help. Besides the occasional nanny jobs I have no work experience. What could I even do with the under graduate degree Im going to have + an MBA? Do MBA programs even accept people with no work experience… I’ve read so many mixed things. I don’t even know where to start looking for internships or how to get my foot in the business world.
Most MBA programs do prefer that you have some work experience. I could see you long term working for a pharmaceutical company or a medical device company (like Medtronic or Boston Scientific) or a biotech company with those majors and an MBA.
I would go to the career center at your college. Ask them what jobs students with your undergrad major have gotten, and for help with your resume & interviewing skills. Ask what companies recruit on campus for your major, too.
MBAs can be expensive. Will your parents pay? If not, sometimes you can go at night and/or weekends and work during the day (I have a night MBA from my state flagship, and my degree days the same thing a “regular” MBA student’s degree does). Occasionally an employer will help pay some of the expense, too, but that isn’t too common.
Agreeing with @intparent- most MBAs strongly prefer that you have 2-3 years full time work experience (and the ‘good’ programs now require it) before you start the MBA.
Funnily enough, when I did mine I had 3 years of work experience but had never taken a business class, and about 1/4 of the class had business undergrad but no substantive work experience. I was pretty anxious about it at the beginning, but it became clear within a couple weeks that the experience mattered much more. Not only did I sail ahead of the ones with no experience during the program, but when we all met up again a couple of years after graduating, the ones who started with no experience said that they wished that they could do it all over again - that there was so much that they missed / didn’t get the benefit of because they didn’t have enough of a base to work from.
So, go down to the career center and see what you can get in the way of a job at a health science company. Fwiw, a low level job at a name brand company gives your CV some credibility, and the bigger companies are often good for promoting from within and/or providing up-skilling training (a question to ask when interviewing).
“most MBAs strongly prefer that you have 2-3 years full time work experience (and the ‘good’ programs now require it) before you start the MBA.” - collegemom3717
Yes, the great majority of MBA programs strongly prefer at least a couple years of work experience, but it’s not true that all of the “good” programs require it. Wharton is an elite program, but they state right on their website that they admit a small number of students each year with no work experience.
However, their academic performance, leadership ability and self-discipline would have to be superior. Since the OP has already indicated that his/her academic performance and discipline isn’t the best, he/she would have no chance of being admitted to one of the better MBA programs with no work experience. So Wharton would certainly be out of the question.
Kinda funny you come to an internet forum and ask not to be judged. I will tell you my experience…
Back in the dark ages, I went to an MBA school immediately after earning my BS. I dropped out of the program after a semester because it didn’t feel different than my undergrad (also business and from the same school). I went back 3-4 years later and finished part time. Part time with a full time job was hard to manage but, the lessons resonated and I earned nearly straight As after my return. I have been pretty successful, turned down a couple of opportunities to pursue the executive track and am currently a Global Marketing manager for a big life science company.
My brother and sister both went straight from a UC Econ BA to full time MBA and graduated on track. My brother is a SVP of huge bank and my sister worked in marketing for a tech firm you have heard of before deciding to stay at home with her kids.
There isn’t one path to success - and success looks very different to each of us.
Not sure where you are but. with a 3.2 and a solid GMAT, there are several Cal State schools that would be happy to have you. They tend to be well tied into their surrounding business community so, pick one near where you’d like to live afterward. SDSU, CSULB, SJSU and Sac State (my alma mater) ,all have solid programs near major employment centers.
Apply to several programs and interview for some jobs Sr year and see what happens.