MBA school immediately right after BS degree?

[Anonymous]

Impossible and honestly it would be completely useless. You need real world experience to apply to the case studies that are presented in business school. He would be out of his league.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many of the top schools require 2 years of work experience and prefer 3-4 years. This has been true for years. I got my MBA from a top 10 more than 30 years ago and with 2 years of work experience I was one of the youngest in my class. We had 2 students who were direct from undergrad at the same school but they e since dropped that option.

Easy enough to research the top schools to see the requirements.

Same. At 25, I was one of the youngest people in my class. I think the youngest was a year younger than me and a prodigy of sorts that had owned her own business since she was in high school. I honestly wish I'd waited a couple more years.

[Anonymous]

Has he thought of getting a job in business?

Many companies will pay for the MBA for their employees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Employer here. If I see no work experience between undergrad and MBA, I'm less likely to hire you. You're bringing no work experience to the table. You could just be good in an academic setting.

But doesn't it depend upon the particular job functions and the particular individual ?

[Anonymous]

I think a really important question to ask your son is what does he want to do with an MBA? It's a short program and he will need to hit the ground running in prepping to obtain an internship in his desired career. If he doesn't know what he wants to do after school (brand management, investment banking, product management, financial analysis, consulting, etc.), then he won't be able to join the right clubs, attend the right prep sessions, company information sessions, etc., and he won't find a good internship. If he doesn't get a good internship, then he won't find a good job when he graduates. My most successful friends from my MBA program knew EXACTLY what they wanted to do on the first day of the program and have been extremely successful in those fields. I, on the other hand, didn't really know what I wanted to do, struggled with finding the right path, and I'm in a blah middle management role in a blah company.

[Anonymous]

OP: Your son may want to consider NYU-Stern's MBA program. The NYU-Stern admissions webpage states: "Full-time work experience is not a prerequisite to apply".

The most recent class profile reveals the ages of full-time students ranged from age 21 to age 37.

The highest GMAT score was 780. The 80% GMAT score range was 700 to 760. The 100% GMAT range was 650 to 780.

"Most of out students have between 1 year to 10 years of work experience; however, work experience is not a requirement to apply." Only 1% of matriculated NYU-Stern MBA students had no work experience.

NYU-Stern does award merit scholarships. Your son's GPA, GMAT score, and CS major should make him a very attractive candidate for NYU-Stern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the probability of getting accepted into one of the top MBA schools without any work experience?

My DS recently graduated from VCU in May 2024 with a degree in Computer Science, a 3.91 GPA, summa cum laude. He also took the GMAT in May and scored 780. He would like to get an MBA now, but he wonders about the probability of getting accepted into a good MBA program without any actual work experience. Thoughts?

That's a great score! With the right experience, he can aim for top schools. Ask him to get a job first. Consulting companies may be a better fit since he's aiming for an MBA and most of the work he'd do there will focus on the 'why' of what he's doing. He'll also get opportunities to step up and manage/lead, customer interaction/presentations, etc. as long as he's on the lookout. If after 2 years, he still wants to pursue that MBA, ask him to get a job in another country to improve his profile. One year later, he'd have a strong application and enough contacts who'd give him referrals too. Good luck.

The alternative is to get an MBA now but most probably at a lower tier school. Even there he'll be surrounded by people as smart as he is but with work experience and may be at a disadvantage in group settings.

This is only conjecture on the part of one poster.

Several elite MBA programs will admit your son without any post undergrad full-time work experience based on his numbers (GPA & GMAT score) and stated reason for wanting to earn an MBA immediately after undergraduate school.

Historically, among the most elite MBA programs, Stanford & Harvard MBA programs are the friendliest to young applicants with light or no work experience, but it does make getting an offer of admission more difficult if one has no or little post undergraduate full-time work experience.

I'm the PP and this feedback is anecdotal at best.. A kid we know with a similar profile but out of UVA did not get into any of the top schools even with a year of work experience. The dad was talking about how he can't apply again for another year or so.. don't recall that detail.
He can apply for deferred admission but to get the best bang for the buck, I'd recommend applying with some experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Part of what makes an MBA education is the work experience students bring to the class.

This. I practically taught a section of my class from my work experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://gsb.stanford.edu/programs/mba/admission/application/professional-experience

Read the first paragraph which states that Stanford GSB welcomes applications from college seniors and recent graduates, as well as those with all levels of work experience.

It then details how to apply if the applicant's only experience is college activities and internships.

Most elite programs are now STEM Certified because employers want MBAs with technical knowledge. OP, this will help your son in the admissions process.

To be clear, work experience of at least two years is preferred with most matriculants at the elite MBA programs have between 3 years and 5 years of post undergraduate full-time work experience.

Harvard Business School does not release class profiles in the same detail as it did from 2012 through 2017, but those details reveal very few per class had less than a year of work experience--typically just 3 or 4 students per class.

STEM-certified implies that the program has enough STEM content to qualify it for the 3-year Optional Practical Training program (vs. 1 year OPT) that allows foreign students to work in the US without a visa.

[Anonymous]

I only read the first two pages of responses.

I went to B-school with just two years of work experience. It was good experience - managing people, having some lending authority, etc, but it was not “prestigious” experience.

As I interviewed for summer internships and full time jobs, I was directly competing with students who had 4-5 good years of work experience - including a guy who had been at my same company , and had a more senior job title.

I was just as strong a student, with strong communication and interview skills, but compared to the other students who were just as strong, I didn’t do as well in the job application process. That said, I did much, much better than people with less experience than me.

OP, unfortunately, the MBA is just part of the resume when he’s applying for jobs during his second year of business school. He’ll be competing with someone with a bachelor’s from UVA and 3-4 years of consulting experience. He needs to build out the experience portion of his resume if he wants to be on an even playing field. It’s not just about getting into an MBA program. It’s about getting a good job afterward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP: While there is good advice given in this thread, much of it is only partially accurate.

All elite MBA programs recommend work experience of 2 years to 5 years prior to attending, but it is unclear whether or not it is a requirement.

The most prestigious MBA programs offer deferred admission to exceptional college seniors. Typically referred to as 2 + 2 deferred admissions, the application is different than the regular MBA application. Exceptional college seniors who are accepted under this type of admission have either an option or a requirement to work for 2 years prior to matriculating in the MBA program.

To the best of my knowledge, only the most elite MBA programs offer deferred admissions to college seniors. These MBA programs include Harvard, Stanford, Northwestern-Kellogg, Chicago-Booth, MIT-Sloan, Penn-Wharton, Columbia, Emory, Yale, Virginia-Darden, and UC-Berkeley for UC-Berkeley undergrads.

One can defer admission usually for 2 years to 4 years, but offers vary by program.

Deferred admissions programs are developing and changing at a rapid pace.

Regardless of deferred admissions programs, your son can apply for regular admissions at these top MBA programs. I am not aware of any required work experience as most elite MBA programs just recommend and prefer prior full time work experience.

Don't waste the 780 GMAT score--apply now.

2+2 programs are for college seniors. OPs kid has graduated. And the 2+2 is a clue that 2 years of work experience is required, even for exceptional college students.

The deferred MBA programs differ. Some mat require work experience while others present it as an option for these exceptional students.

OP, ignore posters like the one above. They are out of touch.

MBA programs are changing rapidly. Your son will benefit more from some aspects than others if he elects to matriculate without post-undergraduate full-time work experience.

It would be interesting if the poster or posters who wrote that work experience is required in order to be eligible for an elite MBA program would name specific programs that have such a requirement as opposed to a preference.

Please provide specific evidence for the bolded claim.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://som.yale/programs/mba/admissions/silver-scholars

OP: Don't let your son waste his 780 GMAT score. Apply now. And, yes, I know that MBA scores are valid for 5 years, but many who wait to apply never apply because life gets in the way and the score expires.

Yale's MBA program for college seniors/recent graduates requires immediate attendance for the first year of the two year program.

They don’t apply because they realize they don’t need an MBA for whatever they are doing. This is an advantage to not wasting two years and a lot of money, and instead working first and figuring out what path you want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Employer here. If I see no work experience between undergrad and MBA, I'm less likely to hire you. You're bringing no work experience to the table. You could just be good in an academic setting.

+1. It’s also that I consider MBA grads slightly more senior. If you’ve never worked professionally full-time, you are just a slightly older undergraduate to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP: Your son may want to consider NYU-Stern's MBA program. The NYU-Stern admissions webpage states: "Full-time work experience is not a prerequisite to apply".

The most recent class profile reveals the ages of full-time students ranged from age 21 to age 37.

The highest GMAT score was 780. The 80% GMAT score range was 700 to 760. The 100% GMAT range was 650 to 780.

"Most of out students have between 1 year to 10 years of work experience; however, work experience is not a requirement to apply." Only 1% of matriculated NYU-Stern MBA students had no work experience.

NYU-Stern does award merit scholarships. Your son's GPA, GMAT score, and CS major should make him a very attractive candidate for NYU-Stern.

This is a weird conclusion to draw when your own post acknowledges that only 1% of the students had no work experience.

But anyway, OP, you asked for probabilities, so there you go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://kellogg.northwestern.edu/programs/master-in-management.aspx

The top 25% in this one academic year masters-in-management (MIM) degree program get automatic acceptance into Northwestern Kellogg's one year accelerated MBA program.

Automatic deferred acceptance.

So ?

Northwestern University's professional degree programs (law & business) love post undergraduate work experience, but not sure that it is a requirement (it's not for the law school).

Even if one may earn deferred acceptance, that individual can still apply for immediate entry.

Usually,only EMBA (executive MBA) programs have a work experience requirement as opposed to a preference. But, programs vary.

It's deferred for a reason. The companies that hire the MBAs are looking for work experience.