<p>Right now, I'm planning on majoring in EECS at MIT (I'm a freshman). I'm just wondering what sort of GPA I'd need to get into a top B-School coming from this department (I really don't want to be an engineer my whole life, but I do plan on working as one for a number of years after graduating.)</p>
<p>There isn't a GPA that will guarantee you anything. The UG GPA is just one of a number of factors that B-Schools consider when choosing among applicants. Usually if you have a 3.5-ish GPA, then it's not something you have to worry about. Throw in the fact that you're an engineer at MIT and you can probably afford to be lower than that.</p>
<p>A lot of people on this board say work experience and personal qualities outweigh your GPA.</p>
<p>Unlike for law or med-school, GPA is only a minor consideration in getting into B-school. Plenty of people get into top B-schools with quite mediocre GPA's. The keys are your work experience and leadership qualities.</p>
<p>Good to hear, I just heard someone mention on the other board that around 3.3 is the minimum. Just needed to verify.</p>
<p>I wouldn't even say 3.3 is a minimum. I know people who got into elite B-schools (even the special 'elite' programs within the B-schools) that have far lower GPA's than that. Heck, I know one guy who's going to HBS whose GPA probably hovers somewhere around a 2.5 </p>
<p>It's the experience and leadership that counts. That guy with the 2.5 served for many years as a decorated officer in the Special Forces, most recently in Iraq. So I think it's safe to say that he knows a thing or two about leadership.</p>
<p>What kind of work experience would be significant? Like becoming some sort of manager, or trading stocks?? what?</p>
<p>Something that shows that you've either reached management level, or have that potential. </p>
<p>Some common career paths to get into B-school would be: consulting analyst (i.e. at McKinsey), banking analyst (i.e. at Goldman Sachs), military officer, engineer (but not just any engineering career, it has to be one that demonstrates career advancement), successful salesman, entrepreneur, etc. There is no set rule. However, it is important that you are able to demonstrate that you didn't just warm a seat, but that you actually demonstrated advancement potential.</p>
<p>What about right out of college?</p>
<p>It is extremely rare to get into a top-ranked B-school out of college, simply because few graduating students have demonstrated the kind of leadership potential that B-schools are looking for. Just take a gander at the average ages of the entering students at the top B-schools - it usually hovers at around ages 27-29. Also take a gander at the average work experience of those students. It's usually around 5-6 years. </p>
<p>You can get into no-name B-schools right out of undergrad, but it is extremely difficult to get into a top one. Does it happen on occasion? Yes. But don't hold your breath. Of the ones that I have seen, all of them displayed extraordinary leadership and management talent in college, i.e. starting and running their own successful businesses while they were students.</p>