<p>We all know that is very hard to enter MBA straight after the undergraduate study. It is important to have several years of work experience in order to be accepted by top graduate program. But what if I decide to go to Northeastern University which has best Co-op programs? which allows students to study for six month and work for another six. Does it mean that graduate schools will look at Co-op as a work experience and will accept me without 2-3 years of working? </p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Is that even true? I think a good number of people get accepted into MBA programs w/o several years of work. Maybe I'm way off though...</p>
<p>Everyone on this forum says that it is very important to have work experience in order to have a good chances at the top undergraduate programs, so that’s why I this question. </p>
<p>Can anyone confirm or deny ferrisbueller's information?</p>
<p>B u m p(ost)</p>
<p>
[quote]
Everyone on this forum says that it is very important to have work experience in order to have a good chances at the top undergraduate programs
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You mean graduate programs I guess.
I have no personal experiences with that, but even Princeton tells its undergraduates that top graduate programs expect several years of working experience.</p>
<p>But let's look at it from another perspective: what would you gain by entering an MBA program right out of school if you already majored in business as an undergraduate? A BBA (or BSBA) implies that you know the most important business concepts and that you can apply them to practical business situations, which in turn implies that you are well qualified for a job in business.
When you get to a point in your career where it is hard to advance because you are lacking some highly specialised business knowledge, THEN is the right time to pursue an MBA.
It might be hard to justify on your business school applications why you want to get an MBA right out of school without bluntly saying "paychecks". </p>
<p>The situation is different when you don't study business but liberal arts as an undergraduate and then decide to go into business (and have done a few significant internships). You need at least some basic training in business to get a reasonable job, so that would be a good reason to apply to MBA programs right out of school.</p>
<p>Btw, it is said that most businesses prefer to hire Northeastern graduates over Wharton graduates, the reason being that many Wharton graduates seem to expect sky-high salaries and a CEO position with minimal working experience just because they attended "the best undergraduate business school in the country" when in fact graduates of other business schools can do the same job just as well. </p>
<p>Or are you hoping to impress employers in your home country by getting a brand-name MBA in the States?</p>
<p>Northeastern's co-ops are real jobs. Seems to me that would count - for a lot. You graduate with 18 months of work experience.</p>
<p>
[quote]
While some top schools will consider students with little or no work experience, the vast majority of business school candidates have already served tours of duty in the workforce by the time they start working toward their MBA. Students at most business schools have an average of three to five years of work experience, and many schools strictly adhere to a two-year minimum. In fact, almost 80 percent of business students have three or more years of work experience.
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<p>Thank you b@r!um you AGAIN gave me very helpful advice. :)
Thanks weenie.</p>
<p>One of the reasons that the top business schools virtually require several years of work experience before admission is to boost their competitive ratings. How does that work, you ask? Well the top MBA programs are rated, among other things, by average starting salary of their graduates. What is the easiest way to increase the average starting salary of your graduates? Require more work experience before you start the program. An MBA who had 5 years of work experience, with a track record of advancement and accomplishments will almost always command a premium over a similar graduate who has little experience.</p>
<p>This was related to me about 12 years ago by a professor at Wharton.</p>
<p>This is a general symptom of the problem of distinquishing value added from average output. The market value of graduates of MBA programs that require many years of experience is clearly higher, but how much of the higher starting salary comes from having more experienced students and graduates, and how much comes from having a really good program (value added)? There is the same problem when comparing high schools by average SAT scores and placement at top colleges. How much of what you are measuring is the result of the school, and how much comes from the kids and their families?</p>
<p>And what do you think about Bentley's 5 year program? No gmat, no work experience, only one more year and you have MBA.</p>