TotalGadha GMAT

I think I have started enjoying the process of updating TotalGadha GMAT daily. There is something new to look forward to everyday-new topics, new challenges, new words, and old me. Today’s post is about the average work experience accepted by various US Business Schools. I have added whatever available information that I could find related to work experience- middle 80% range, average work exe and median work exe. The following sheet would help you do some SWOT analysis on ” Do need to have work experience to get into a Business School?” The answer is no but it is preferable. There is a pool of early career applicants (candidates with 0-2 years of work experience), who apply to Business Schools every year. To help you determine if applying as an early career candidate is right for you, Chicago Booth has given the following guidelines:

Applicants in Final Year of College

If you are in your final year of college and thinking about whether or not to apply to Chicago Booth, we look for students with the following qualities:

• Quality work experience (such as professional internships and an entrepreneurial spirit)
• Competitive GPA (3.3 or higher on 4.0 scale)
• Competitive GMAT score
• Student leadership role(s) during college
• Intellectual curiosity
• Two recommendations, including one from an internship supervisor and one from a professor (three letters are preferred)
• Demonstrates the ability to question the status quo, engage in the process of learning, and thrive on an academic challenge
• Personal maturity
• Ability to talk about why you want to get an MBA now

Applicants with One Year of Full-time Work Experience

If you are currently in your first year of employment and considering whether or not to apply to Chicago Booth, we look for individuals with the following qualities:

• Quality full-time work experience
• Competitive GPA (3.3 or higher on 4.0 scale)
• Competitive GMAT score
• Student leadership role(s) during college
• Intellectual curiosity
• Two recommendations (one must be a nomination from a supervisor indicating why going for an MBA now makes sense)
• Demonstrates the ability to question the status quo, engage in the process of learning, and thrive on an academic challenge
• Consistently a top performer getting noticed by supervisors as having above average potential
• Personal maturity
• Ability to talk about why you want to get an MBA now

These guidelines will give you a rough idea about whether you must apply to a Business School as an early career applicant or wait for a few more years, gain sufficient experience at your work place and then apply. More than the quantity of work experience, it’s the quality that would make the mark distinction. Do a thorough analysis of of your profile and take a calculated decision.

What kind of work experience are Business Schools looking for?

I think I have said it all in one of my earlier posts on work experience, it’s time to hear things from the horse’s mouth.

Harvard: Rather than focus on specific categories of work experiences, applicants should focus on their roles, responsibilities, and what they have learned from the types of work experiences that they have been involved in. The Admissions Staff will look at the nature of the applicant’s work experience when evaluating the applicants’ ability to handle the academic rigor of our MBA program.

UCLA Anderson: There is no “cookie cutter” profile for who is admitted to UCLA Anderson. Consultants, naval aviators, sports agents, retail managers, accountants, professional athletes, marketers, architects, doctors, lawyers, investment bankers ? all of these fields can be a foundation for business school. What’s important is that your academic, life and work (if any) experience before your MBA, along with your MBA, will help you reach your long term goals. We do not distinguish applicants according to industry or job function; however, we are specifically interested in how you have contributed to your organization and what opportunities for leadership you have taken.

Stanford GSB: Work experience is not required for entry to the Stanford MBA Program. Your quality of experience is much more important than quantity. We will focus on the degree to which you take advantage of opportunities to develop professional and leadership skills, regardless of your experience level. We accept entering students with all types of experience as well as students who enroll directly from an undergraduate program with no full-time work experience. Admission may be granted to college seniors and early-career professionals who present superior academic credentials and truly outstanding evidence of leadership through extracurricular and community activities.

The academic coursework you took in graduate school is considered part of your educational history rather than work experience. If, however, you were required to work either full- or part-time while pursuing your graduate degree, please include that information on the application form under Employment History.

We make a concerted effort to attract and admit students from a broad range of professional backgrounds and experiences. Therefore, there are no preferred industries or sets of companies that put you at a competitive advantage in the admission process. Although investment banks and management consulting firms are represented at Stanford, we also draw students from non-profit organizations, multi-national corporations, family businesses, entrepreneurial ventures, and the public sector. And our personalized education challenges each of you to maximize your potential, regardless of background or experience.

As you approach your MBA application, keep in mind that we are more interested in the impact you have had in your workplace than the name or stature of your organization. Have you made the most of your professional opportunities? Are you cultivating your leadership and team skills and making a difference? In the end, don’t build your resume simply to be an attractive business school applicant, but rather seek opportunities that are truly challenging and rewarding for your own professional and personal growth.

Wharton: The average student has worked for 5 or 6 years between college and the MBA program. The program does accept early career candidates with limited or no experience who exhibit strong managerial and professional potential. The Admissions Committee looks for individuals who exhibit professional maturity. In other words, we evaluate work experience not in terms of years but the depth and breadth of an individual’s position, his or her contributions to the work environment, and level of responsibility and progression.

Wharton looks for diversity in the professional backgrounds of its admitted students just as it does in all other parts of our applicants’ profiles. No one industry is favored over another, and experience in a Fortune 500 company does not have higher value than experience in a small business or public institution.

The entire discussion boils down to the conclusion that your quality of experience is what will matter the most than the quantity.

Following is the work experience sheet that will give you some ideas about the numbers at various Business Schools. (click to enlarge)

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Quick Update: We have created a BlogRoll called ‘Zing Roll’ on TotalGadha GMAT and have added the links of all those people who have added us in their blogrolls. It is just a small way of saying thank you to all of them. If you also have an MBA related blog and you want us add your blog on our list, use our email form to contact us.

Further Readings:

• The Secrets Of Work Experience
• What Everybody Ought To Know About Work Experience
• Myths And Video- Stanford GSB
• Business School Profiles- Average GMAT Scores
• Business School Profiles- Average GPA

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