<p>I know a good majority of incoming MBA students have experience in consulting (KPMG/Deloitte/Accenture etc), ibanking, or some other office job. Do the top tier colleges look down upon applicants that have experience in something different such as being a police officer, military service, forestry, etc? Let's take a student who is graduating from a second or third tier college, 3.7 GPA in a good major, solid extracurriculars. Said student graduates undergrad and enters the military, forestry service, police force etc. After four years, they leave, study for the GMAT, score high, and apply to top schools such as Harvard, UT Austin, Darden, etc. Does the applicant have a good shot at being accepted even though he didn't take the typical office jobs? </p>
<p>that's actually not the kind of consulting they're talking about. elite management/strategy consultancies send many more people to top business schools than implementation shops like an Accenture or IBM.</p>
<p>top schools, especially Harvard, are looking for "leadership experience". many ex-military officers are admitted on the basis of their proven ability to lead.</p>
<p>are there any elite "implementation shops" or should one only work for elite management/strategy consultancies if they want to get into a top business school?</p>
<p>I think you could have any job but the expectation of a top school is that you be much more successful than the average guy doing what you're doing. So if you're a cop, be the youngest detective they ever had.</p>
<p>a lot of schools now are looking to branch away from the Ibankers and wall-street types since that's the majority of people that apply to top MBA's. something very unique that sets you apart in terms of experience is highly valued.</p>