<p>I`ve read on numerous TOP 10 MBA admission sites that they do admit a significant number of kids straight out of college. I know they must be having a lot of leadership roles and high GPA and stuff but other than that exactly what sort of statistics do these kids have, and what sort of activities do they pursue in college that helps them get straight into a top mba programme?</p>
<p>"they do admit a significant number of kids straight out of college"</p>
<p>I find it hard to believe that any top 10 bschools website has said that they accept a SIGNIFICANT number of kids straight out of college. First of all many employers view these graduates as second rate as business is not theoretical its practical. If you have never done a deal, placed a trade, gave a presentation to clients you arent going to have the same skills as someone who has a few years experience. Secondly it just plain doesnt happen. One here and one there of course that can happen. But I am 99.999999% sure that you are overexaggerating when you say you saw someplace write a "SIGNIFICANT" number is admitted straight from undergrad.</p>
<p>Post the link.</p>
<p>well, doofis, mahras is right. maybe you could in the 80's, but today work experience is highly valued and goes beyond what any grade point or test score could ever suggest.</p>
<p>At wharton, it says that 99% of their incoming class had full-time work experience. The 1% is probably the 3 kids that submatriculated from wharton UG this year. </p>
<p>stanford accepts a good amount straight from undergrad.</p>
<p>Okay I probably took that 1% as "SIGNIFICANT", but it still leaves my question unaswered. What sort of extraordinary accomplishments do they really have?</p>
<p>I knew a girl from college who went straight into the MBA program at UCLA Anderson. She had a 4.0 GPA in Economics with a 760 GMAT. I don't know what her EC's were, though.</p>
<p>I know one guy who went straight from college into the MBA programs at MIT-Sloan, Wharton, and Chicago (he chose Sloan). And he came from a no-name college with mediocre grades and a GMAT score of only about 600 or so. He was also not a URM. </p>
<p>Unbelievable? Well, consider the circumstances. This guy went to undergrad at a no-name state school, where basically, he did nothing but party for 2 years, and his academic performance was paltry to say the least. Realizing that he needed to shape up (and also because his Dad cut off financial support because of his goofing off), he dropped out and joined the Navy, and eventually became a decorated Navy Seal, and participated in the 2003 war in Iraq. When his tour was up, he went back to his old undergrad school and finished his degree, and then immediately applied to, and was admitted to Sloan. His undergrad GPA was still mediocre because of all the bad grades he got in the past. And he did, technically speaking, come "straight out" of undergrad, meaning that there was no gap between his undergrad and his B-school years. However, I think we can all agree that from a life experience, leadership, personal character, personal discipline, and a maturity standpoint, he was a top-notch candidate.</p>
<p>that might count as work experience.</p>
<p>"I knew a girl from college who went straight into the MBA program at UCLA Anderson. She had a 4.0 GPA in Economics with a 760 GMAT."</p>
<p>Just curious, where did she go for undergrad?</p>
<p>She went to Irvine</p>
<p>Doofis, going to an MBA program straight after college is usually a waste of time and money and defeats the purpose of the program. In some exceptional cases, it makes sense, but in most cases, it is useless. More important than your degree will be your work experience prior to your degree. Companies hire MBAs because of their degree..but also because of their track record in the workplace prior to getting their MBAs.</p>
<p>I largely agree with Alexandre, but with one wrinkle. If a top-10 B-school were to accept you right after undergrad, I'd probably have to say that you should go for it, unless you have a stellar job waiting for you right after graduation. I agree that you'd probably not get much out of the program because you most likely won't have the real-world experience that will really help you to maximize your B-school experience. But, so what? You might only be getting a 'partial'-B-school education, but that's probably better than what you'd be getting out of most entry-level jobs. </p>
<p>Again, I would emphasize, that is the case unless you happen to get one of those killer job offers. I know plenty of guys who, upon getting their bachelor's, ended up in stupid jobs that they hated, doing low-level tasks and not being given much of an opportunity to develop or learn. Those guys, I think I'm safe to say, would have been better off going to a top-flight B-school not because they would have gotten a whole lot out of B-school, but simply because it's better than the job they have right now. </p>
<p>The kicker is that it's probably not up to you. The fact is, it is extremely difficult to get admitted to a top-flight B-school without solid real-world experience. Hey, if some elite B-school is stupid enough to admit you without any real-world experience, then you should probably take it. Yet the fact is, they are probably not going to admit you.</p>
<p>I've spent a lot of time positioning myself to be one of the few who is accepted, and work experience is most certainly my weak point. To offset that weakness I've been running my own business for the past few years. Do you think that running a small business while in school could be enough given a strong resume in other areas?</p>
<p>PMichaud, as a recruiter, I would not hire an MBA with no significant corporate experience. MBAs (especially those from top programs) are hired at a starting salary of $80,000 - $90,000 with the explicit understanding that they will be heading projects almost immediately. The hope is that within a couple of years, they will be high level managers or even directors. That is why companies hire MBAs. If a company wants a high peforming individual contributor, it is best served hiring an undergrad. It is cheaper and the ego is easier to keep in check.</p>
<p>I want to start my own business anyway, so whether I look good to a corporate recruiter really isn't important to me. What I'd like to know if whether I'll have to work after undergrad for a couple years before I do what I actually WANT to do.</p>
<p>PMichaud, it really depends on the type of business you intend to start. In some cases, especially consulting and finance, real world experience is necessary to develop the contacts and skills to succeed. In other cases, real world experience is not as important. But getting into a top MBA program straight out of college is unlikely, so make sure you look for a job and apply for MBA programs at the same time.</p>
<p>Having gone to b-school, I'd say that having some real world experience under your belt really does make a difference. </p>
<p>I remember way back thinking about appying to b-school straight out of undergrad, but decided against it - it was the right choice, the things I learned about myself and my professional goals during the time I worked and before going to b-school were critical things I would never have known had I gone straight to b-school.</p>
<p>Further, b-school is a bit different than Med school or even Law school for several reasons: </p>
<p>1) "theory" does translate into "practice" more so in Med / Law then it does in business;
2) nearly all of your peers at Med / Law will have come straight from undergrad (i.e. there is a much more even / "level" playing field there);
3) in b-school, one learns as much (if not more) from their peers as they do from the professors - because it is your peers who are facing real world management issues and you have a wealth of information / experience to tap from - from every imaginable industry / region... you want to be able to contribute your fair share in that intellectual exchange
4) the "softer" subjects are almost always going to be the classes where you will look back and use more than any other (this is a comment I've heard time and time again) - "softer" subjects include (negotiations, organizational behavior, etc.) vs. "harder" subjects (such as corporate finance / accounting) - i.e. the "softer" subjects will be issues that one will have faced in the "real" world and therefore, when one enters b-school, they will know which particular topics they wish to focus on / strengthen (as opposed to leaving b-school with no real experience, entering the work force and thinking "gee, I wish I could go back and focus on these subjects...").</p>
<p>That said, if one were to be accepted into a top b-school straight from undergrad vs. accepting a top job offer, i'd be willing to bet that with the right dialogue with that b-school, they'd be willing to give that person a deferment (for at least a year maybe two) which, in turn, would give that student maximum flexibility :</p>
<ul>
<li>get some real work exp. under his/her belt</li>
<li>earn some bank (which could help towards paying for b-school)</li>
<li>possibility for company sponsorship (which is a win/win for everyone)</li>
</ul>
<p>What about the combined MD/MBA program? Technically, there is a (large) gap between UG and b-school. But, does this really count? I mean, you're still IN school. I would really like to be in one of these dual-degree things after UG, but I would not have any work experience prior to b-school. What's the deal here?</p>