alicantekid

What part of "FULL TIME" do people not understand? Jeezus Christ.

sakky

Clearly it's better than no job at all. But it will not be as valuable as the equivalent job on a full-time basis.

3togo

I suggest thinking about the work experience requirement from the schools end. Most MBA programs involve a lot of case work and case discussions in class. Given 2 students with identical GMATS, GPAs, and quality shcools for undergrad whom is more likely to bring relevant experiences and more well-thought out positions to these classroom discussiions ... a student who just graduated with the BS/BA and has a had a couple quality summer jobs or someone who has worked 3-5 years in industry and can bring that experience to the classroom?

Muqsith1

Work experience is necessary. Otherwise, you may not able to contribute much to class discussions

pmat

I do think that work expereince is very necessary. The business schools don't just want to educate you - they also expect meaningful inouts from you during the class discussions... It's a kind of experience where having first hand experience helps...

Regarding full-time vs part-time work-ex, I believe that it also depends on what you have done in the job,,, Business schools prefer work-experiences where people have shown significant growth in job responsibilities/career < that's what make a good candidate -- you can achieve this both in part-time or full-time. But, probabilty of showing you growth curve in full-time job is higher.


**pmat

younghov1983

"and I would NEVER degrade myself by taking non 6 figure income."


my favorite line from the college confidential boards. hilarious.

I've always thought that an mba is something to tack on an already successful or rising business career.

sakky

I agree with this, and I would second it. It's not just about the quality of class discussions. It also has to do with the quality of the NETWORKING, which I think is probably the most valuable aspect of a top B-school. B-schools want people who have had successful careers not only because they can add to the discussions, but also because they bring a valuable Rolodex of industr contacts that other students can access through them. It's not just about who you know, but who those other people know. For example, if you want to get a job at Microsoft, and your B-school friend used to work at Microsoft, then that's your "in". If you want to meet some powerful industry figure, and your B-school friend actually used to work with that guy, then that's your "in".

So basically, when B-schools admit you, they are not admitting just you, they are admitting your entire network of industry contacts. If you don't have any industry contacts because you've never actually worked, then you're obviously a less valuable asset to the class.

S2584

i just graduated from college and got a job doing IT for a financial services company. I want to go to Bschool in about 3 years and change the direction of my career. I want to go either into management, strat consulting, or finance.

My work experience is going to be mostly technical and I am not sure if admissions officers will look at this as a plus.

Now lets say I get into a good Bschool and after my first year of classes, try to go out and get an internship in finance or strat consulting. How will I be able to get a job in that field if I have no work experience in that field and my undergrad background is engineer. What do you guys think of my situation? WIll I be able to make it work and what should I do to position myself as best as I can?

Is my case common?

score911

I know several people who got into ivy league business schools straight out of university.

sallyawp

Congratulations to your friends who got into business school straight out of university! Oh, and good luck to them, too, when they try to get jobs with no work experience coming out of business school.

gellino

Unless you're referring to people who graduated undergrad more than 25 years ago, I'd be curious to hear the particular circumstances of anyone getting into a top 10 business school (or even Yale or Cornell) straight out of undergrad. It's very uncommon for anyone to attend a top b-school without at least three years work experience, and those are the smartest candidates.

Denzera

I attended College Day at harvard b-school this past march. Out of their entire class, I believe 7 kids came straight from undergrad. I talked with one of them extensively - he had started his own business while at brown, built it aggressively, and (of course) had the very best grades/GMAT. I think demonstrated entrepreneurship is basically the only way to convince a top business school you're "ready" right out of undergrad.

-Steve

sakky

I know several.

But the key is, they are re-entry students. Meaning that they are students who went to college, dropped out and worked in the real world for awhile, then decided to go back to college and finish their degree. Then, right afterwards, they went to B-school. So it was, technically speaking, "straight out of undergrad", but they had plenty of real-world experience under their belt.

For example, I know one guy who went to college but freely admits that he was unmotivated and immature, so eventually dropped out. He then decided to join the military, and eventually qualified for the Special Forces, serving missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. When he was discharged, he went back to school and finished his degree, and then immediately went to Harvard Business School.

So there's a guy who went to B-school right after undergrad. But clearly he has more leadership and crisis management experience than his entire cohort does.

gellino

sakky, that is certainly a good example, although probably not relevant to anyone on this board.

sakky

Of course, but I'm just pointing out that there is a difference between "right after undergrad" and "no experience". There are a lot of re-entry students out there.