Does anyone know if actual work experience is required to get into an MBA school? My top choice is Wharton, UPenn.
If i need work experience, is it then advised that i take a 4-5 year gap before applying to wharton? because i can’t be working full time when i am enrolled in an undergraduate course.
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It is not required but only 1 or maybe 2% of admitted students in top MBA programs (like Wharton) have no work experience. Only about 5% have 2 or less yrs of work exp (FULL TIME, not working at shaws for 2 yrs in high school). The average student at top MBA programs have an average of 5 yrs of work experience (the average Wharton student has 6). You need work experience to get a high paying job after your MBA, companies dont care that you got it from one of the best MBA programs, they want work experience to go along with it.
Anyways, here is the class profile for 2009 at Wharton. . .
http://www. wharton. upenn. edu/mba/community/classprofile/index. cfm
“If i need work experience, is it then advised that i take a 4-5 year gap before applying to wharton? because i can’t be working full time when i am enrolled in an undergraduate course. ”
-Yes, after you receive your undergrad degree you start working full time. . . and like i said before, REAL work, not managing the dayshift at CVS. And your making it seem like you need to finish the MBA right away, trust me, there should be no rush. The average Wharton student has 6 years work experience.
Lots of unranked MBA programs will accept you with no work experience.
However, the good programs want you to have three to five years of work experience. Wharton is on the high end of that range.
I only know of a few Wharton students who got into the MBA program without work experience. But all of them were Wharton undergraduates who entered the program as seniors in the “Submatriculation Program” — which is a five year combined BS/MBA program.
If you want to get an MBA from a top school, you need work experience.
Yes, as the others said you need significant work experience. This would not include the part time jobs most college students can get. They want you to have an impressive job in which you manage people and budgets with increasing responsibility over time.
While of course a strong GPA and high GMATs are needed, the job and what you accomplished in it is probably the most important element of your business school application.
To get into Wharton most have worked for top investment banks, management consulting firms, Fortune 500 companies or even fast growing start up companies.
You need to focus on getting a great job and very high GMAT scores for any real shot at a very top business school.