<p>Hi, I'm currently in my junior year as a business economics major. Presuming I wish to apply to a business school (not in top 30) and attend right after graduating, what can i do in the area of work experience to increase my chances of admission or gain some practical knowlege in business?</p>
<p>I'm in my third year of undergraduate and have had no work experience thus far. I am aware that 4 or 5 years of work are highly recommended but I'd like to know if there's anything I can do in my situation that would help even slightly such as summer internships etc and how/if I could manage to obtain two letters of recommendation in such a short amount of time.</p>
<p>The general consensus is that it is better for you to have work experience before you pursue an MBA. Most of the regulars on this board are pro-work experience. A master's degree without prior work experience does not carry a lot of weight unless it's mandatory to enter the field (i.e. social work, teaching, urban planning, architecture, etc..) Try to pursue summer internships and work for a few years before you go back to grad school.</p>
<p>That's a pretty article that sums up why you should get work experience first. Basically, realize that all your future raises, bonus', cost of living increases, etc. will be base off your starting salary of your first job after you get your MBA. Then realize that a company is more like to not only hire someone with X years experience in the industry + a newly minted MBA AND pay them more than to hire someone with just a newly minted MBA. You will most likely find a job starting at a lower salary, thus lowering your lifetime earnings, or "worth". A mere 2-4 years of industry experience will also make what you will learn in your MBA courses make sense. Yes, someone without corporate experience can regurgitate the facts, but can they apply it in a meaningful and productive/fruitfull manner?</p>
<p>I agree with wildflower -- I went into, and completed my MBA right after my undergrad -- as far as I've experienced, the MBA <em>is</em> work experience, and is even considered as such when you try and apply for some entry or mid-level positions after you graduate.</p>
<p>My MBA experience was much <em>much</em> more useful and i learned so much more than I did in my undergrad.</p>
<p>"I heard top tier schools, i.e. top 10 dont even accept anyone with no work experience or too little work experience??"</p>
<p>Somebody lied to you (or was confused and didn't know what they were talking about; or you heard them wrong). Check the websites of Wharton, Stanford and Harvard. You'll see for yourself.</p>
<p>My Wharton MBA class has only a couple of students out of the several hundred of us who joined us straight out of undergrad. Sure, it's possible to get into a top MBA program straight out of undergrad, but it's not very likely absent some very compelling circumstances.</p>
<p>Additionally, the OP said that he or she is a junior in college and has no work experience. There is almost no way that the OP is going to get even internships between now and applying to B-school straight out of undergrad that will suddenly make him or her an attractive candidate.</p>