Will my undergraduate program disqualify me from a top MBA program?

moss
Mon, 13 Aug 2012 00:23:21 +0000

There is a lot more to it than just simply getting a big 4 offer, working for 5 years and going to a “top” MBA program. You need to think strategically. If you want to go into management consulting, you should try to get into some form of advisory group at the Big 4.

There needs to be some correlation between your pre-MBA work experience and your post-MBA goals. How will the adcoms know you will be successful as a management consultant? How does Bain know you will be a successful management consultant when all you have is Big 4 on your resume? You need to really set yourself apart and do things other people aren’t willing to do. You need to make sacrifices above and beyond what others are willing to make. You need to demonstrate consistency in your application.

I’m not sure if Big 4 is “good” experience if you are planning to go for an MBA. The big 4 business is pretty much cookie cutter, churn and burn. You’ll follow the same path as everyone else who has gone before you unless you are exceptional in which case, you’ll be afforded better opportunities for leadership roles within the firm - more in line with what an MBA program is looking for. Basically, you really need to set yourself apart somehow at the Big 4. It’s going to be tough, and you really need to find people who are willing to support your career at the Big 4. You need to establish those solid relationships. Don’t tell them you want to go to business school until you are VERY good friends with your superiors. They’ll stop investing in you and kill your career at the firm if they find out that you are already planning for business school after 1 year at the firm.

Good luck.