<p>Alexandre, I wonder if I should tell him where I am now? Maybe that will shut him up once and for all.</p>
<p>Should I wait until after graduation (when Im working) to take the GMAT?</p>
<p>Actually, I would say that you shoud take the GMAT while youāre still in school, or at least right after you graduate. I did. The reason for that is that that is when youāre at your academic and testing peak. After being out of school for a few years, you begin to lose your test-taking skills. Letās face it. Working at your job is not going to make you any better at taking that GMAT. </p>
<p>Of course the downside is that the GMAT is only good for 5 years, which is why I advocate delaying the GMAT to your senior year or right after you graduate (but before you start working), because that would give you the most time for the GMAT scores to be active and submittable to schools.</p>
<p>I agree with Sakky on this one. I also took my LSAT and GRE during the sumer between my junior and senior years (in case I decided to apply to Law school or PhD programs my senior year) and I took my GMAT the summer right after my graduation. Thatās when students are at their academic best.</p>
<p>I, too, took my LSAT and GMAT during my second semester of senior year of undergrad, and I started my JD/MBA a few years later. It definitely would have been difficult to focus on taking those tests once I was working since it turned out that I worked long nights, weekends, etc. Taking the tests senior year was great, because taking practice tests just became part of my regular studying program.</p>
<p>I am bumping this thread because I found a link that could be useful:</p>
<p><a href=āMBA Program | Full-Time MBA | Indiana Kelleyā>MBA Program | Full-Time MBA | Indiana Kelley;
<p>This may be worth considering if you have a good academic record (and are accepted to Indiana) and can land a job right after you graduate and keep it for at least two yearsā¦then, you could begin your MBA at Indiana. You are basicaly offered a defered admissions option and all you have to do once accepted is work for a couple years full time.</p>
<p>how did you take it second semester of your senior year? It seems to me that wouldnt leave you with ample time to fill out your apps. I probably misread, clarification ?</p>
<p>This thread is absolutely ridiculous. Gigaman is such a far fetched online persona that Iām thinking it must be a ā ā ā ā ā account. The thread itself is something which is a no brainer.</p>
<p>I took the LSAT/GMAT second semester senior year because I went out into the working world for a few years before heading back to school. I donāt think that I would have gotten into my MBA program without the work experience.</p>
<p>Say if you have a part-time job (15-20h/w) and have a year salary on $34.800-49.200. Would this be seen as an āokā WE granted that one has worked with this job (and will work for it) since senior year HS and through 3 year biz college? The company itself is a asset mgmt firm.</p>
<p>What part of āFULL TIMEā do people not understand? Jeezus Christ.</p>
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<p>Clearly itās better than no job at all. But it will not be as valuable as the equivalent job on a full-time basis.</p>
<p>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 ā¦ 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?</p>
<p>Work experience is necessary. Otherwise, you may not able to contribute much to class discussions</p>
<p>I do think that work expereince is very necessary. The business schools donāt just want to educate you - they also expect meaningful inouts from you during the class discussionsā¦ Itās a kind of experience where having first hand experience helpsā¦</p>
<p>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 < thatās what make a good candidate ā you can achieve this both in part-time or full-time. But, probabilty of showing you growth curve in full-time job is higher.</p>
<p>**pmat</p>
<p>āand I would NEVER degrade myself by taking non 6 figure income.ā</p>
<p>my favorite line from the college confidential boards. hilarious.</p>
<p>Iāve always thought that an mba is something to tack on an already successful or rising business career.</p>
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<p>I agree with this, and I would second it. Itās 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. Itās 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 thatās your āinā. If you want to meet some powerful industry figure, and your B-school friend actually used to work with that guy, then thatās your āinā. </p>
<p>So basically, when B-schools admit you, they are not admitting just you, they are admitting your entire network of industry contacts. If you donāt have any industry contacts because youāve never actually worked, then youāre obviously a less valuable asset to the class.</p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>My work experience is going to be mostly technical and I am not sure if admissions officers will look at this as a plus. </p>
<p>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? </p>
<p>Is my case common?</p>
<p>I know several people who got into ivy league business schools straight out of university.</p>
<p>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.</p>