<p>I need some advice/help. I am 27 yr old Marine corps Vet. I am technically a Senior at Pepperdine University now, although I wont Graduate until 2013,I am a Business Major with a 3.85 Gpa, 3.9 at a junior college and 3.8 at Pepperdine. I need some advice on where to go from here. I plan on Taking the Gmat in the next year. Should I try to Enroll in an Mba Program after school. Will My enlisted military experience help. I don't have business experience, although I plan on interning this year, I was planing on going straight to grad school and I have my eye on the top schools in the U.S. do I have a shot W/ limited Business experience? What GMAT score should I target for the best schools? I would rather do Grad school now as I dont want to be in my thirties and still in school. Does my enlisted Military experience count/ look good enough? I would appreciate and advice or feed back.
Thanks in advance!!</p>
<p>Did you have leadership or equivalent experience in the military? For example, did you work for a quartermaster or were you a Sergeant who led a team?</p>
<p>I shot this question to my Father and he said that you should stress in your applications your military service and that you will stand out as a school tries to build a diverse first year.</p>
<p>My father was an Army vet when he got accepted to Haas MBA and his non-Military work experience was less than exceptional, he did customer service.</p>
<p>Actually, I was an E5/Sergeant. In my opinion my leadership training is among the best. At times I had up to 40 Marine under my supervision and I was promoted relatively quickly. My only hesitation is that it has nothing to do with business. Haas? thats Berkley correct?</p>
<p>Why does everyone want to go straight to graduate school? I mean I guess I should know the answer since I wanted to, too, but honestly it’s not the best idea - especially not in a professional program like an MBA.</p>
<p>Your enlisted military experience will “count” but it won’t be as competitive as someone who has had real managerial/professional business experience (like working at a consulting firm, finance, hedge fund, etc.) If you want to go to one of the top MBA programs in the U.S., you are pretty much required to get 3-5 years of experience at a great firm.</p>
<p>Basically, here’s what I think you should do: split the difference. Spend the next year applying to the business schools you want to attend AND applying to jobs in business as a backup plan. If you don’t get into business school (which is likely), then you can go work for a few years and try again.</p>
<p>Why don’t you want to be in your 30s and still in school? 30s are young and business school is only two years. Many many many business students are in their 30s and even 40s, since you need professional experience to get into an MBA program</p>