<p>Question is pretty straightforward: I know a number of analysts who are going to MBA programs next year after having been an analyst for 2-3 years, and some of these people are going to HBS/GBS/Wharton, yet to me I don't see any difference between them and other alums I know who did the same thing and are going to elite, but not top, MBA programs. I'm just wondering what separates them compared to the handful of other analysts that have finished their two year stints and are applying to MBA programs?</p>
<p>I had always thought that work experience was the most crucial aspect, but is at this point that the analysts with the best GPAs/GMATs/Letters of Rec/Essays get in? Or is it more contingent on where you worked? Is there really a difference between BoA IBD vs Goldman Sachs IBD to a business school? </p>
<p>Or is that there are simply enough spots in business schools that all 2-3 year analysts can get spots at elite programs without saturating them? </p>
<p>I basically want to know if I do get a job as an analyst after I graduate, what else is necessary in order to get me a spot at a top MBA program?</p>
<p>I guess that’s one of the few positives if you work in a different industry (of course, you generally have to work there much longer before building the requisite resume).</p>
<p>ilovebagels: Aren’t you in a similar situation; I could be wrong but I thought you had stated earlier that you were from the IT field, and you got an interview with HBS which means you have to have something going right for you. Any idea what you thought help differentiate you from the pack? </p>
<p>If anyone else has information specifically pertaining to banking or consulting I’m still searching for some answers here. Thanks!</p>
<p>I’m not in IT, but I did get an interview with HBS. My big competitive edge was having a ton of international work experience. At Penn I had summer jobs/internships in Seoul, Singapore, and Beijing, and I’ve spent the last 2 years in in a management rotation program in one of India’s largest (and awesomest ) conglomerates.</p>
<p>Other sectors. I have yet to touch finance with a ten-foot pole.</p>
<p>And I think it would have come out whether I stressed it or not! But yes I did choose to talk about it, as it’s a very important part of my professional skill-set as well as my own personal growth and development.</p>
<p>As it turned out, no HBS for me this year, so perhaps 2 years wasn’t enough. I’ll just be trying again in another year or two…</p>
<p>Ah, sorry to hear that. Well, if you were good enough to get an interview this year, I’m sure that in a year or two with a little more work experience you’d have an excellent chance. Will you be switching jobs next year, or staying where you currently are?</p>
<p>Just wondering… can u pls brief me on your profile, work experience, GMAT etc.?
And just wondering r u a US citizen or Indian, as I am an Asian student interested in applying for a top US MBA…</p>
<p>Thanks Roneald, I’m looking at my options right now. I just got dinged from McKinsey post-interview (need to be less bad at math…) but it’s probably for the best because I can do something more interesting now :)</p>
<p>One thing I might do is stay in the same Indian conglomerate but go to a different division…I’d like some more direct exec/ops experience, and I’d love to work in their African divisions (an American working for an Indian company in Africa is probably a bit less common among the HBS applicants than consultants from New York, after all)</p>
<p>I went to Penn undergrad, had internships in Seoul, Singapore, Beijing, and have worked at M&M for the last 2 years (1 year Bangalore, 1 year Bombay).</p>
<p>I am a US citizen, but I’m not an Indian-American; I’m full-on white guy. So I don’t know how much my experience can help you!</p>
) conglomerates.</p>