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680 GMAT, but very little work experience and unrelated minor?

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Overclass
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680 GMAT, but very little work experience and unrelated minor? [#permalink] New post   Updated on: 12 May 2015, 17:25
Hello all,

I assume we're all busy people so I'm just going to get straight to the point in point form.

*White Male, 24. Have a DUI when I was 17, cannot be expunged.

*Graduated in May 2014 from a Mid Tier/dime a dozen "directional" State School with a degree in Health Administration. GPA 3.45, but core GPA was 3.6.

* Couldn't initially find a "real job" so took time as Pharmacy tech, originally got promoted to a Pharmacy Liasion, making good money.

* 2 months into my promotion, my father dies in a car accident, leading me to start abusing drugs triggering a huge bipolar episode. End up in the hospital and a suicide prevention clinic for two weeks. Understandably lose my job, though after explaining to my supervisor, he said he will always mark it as a voluntary resignation.

* Difficulty for finding work, grannddad Suggests GMAT, study for a month and get a 680 first time.

While this all sounds good and dandy for me to apply from 25-50th ranked schools, I am worried that my lack of work experience (less than 2 months of an actual job that needs a college degree) will limit my options, and even if I do get in, will limit my post employment options. I do not want to go to a non-big name school, as I feel the whole point of getting a MBA isn't so much what you learn but the networking power and Job Placement. I guess my question is, do my stats put me in the running for a quality school. I'm not delusional and know Ivies and Schools like Emory are probably out of my league, but I feel like even a Purdue or Michigan State MBA could do wonders to my career path.

I am not overly concerned with cost (inherited a large sum that will easily cover it), but due to pride and ego, I do not want to get an MBA and then get stuck at some entry-level job anyways. Your thoughts? Is B-School worth it, or should I try to get some more work experience and then apply in 2-3 years time? Will 20-50th ranked schools even look at me? Is an MBA an MBA, or am I right in assuming name recognition make or break an application.

Originally posted by Overclass on 12 May 2015, 13:41.
Last edited by Overclass on 12 May 2015, 17:25, edited 1 time in total.
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jz4analytics
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Re: 680 GMAT, but very little work experience and unrelated minor? [#permalink] New post   12 May 2015, 13:58
An MBA is definitely not an MBA - rank matters somewhat. Graduates from the top schools start consulting jobs at around $130K; for Purdue it is $110 and for Maryland it's about $100. It is also easier to get recruited and get signing bonuses from more well-known universities. Also, if you ever wanted to start a business, the resources and network would be better.

What do you want to do? Why an MBA now? The average age for MBAs starting is 27-28... and the top schools accept 27-28 year-olds at a higher rate (if you're either too old OR too young it's bad). MBAs are mostly made for people who have a few years of full-time work experience, have shown some leadership abilities, and will take on more management positions after school. That's why age/WE are so important. You might do better to hold down a job with relevant experience for 2-3 years and then apply (your GMAT score is good for up to 5 years, but you could also retake if you think you can get that above 700).
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Re: 680 GMAT, but very little work experience and unrelated minor? [#permalink] New post   12 May 2015, 15:19
To answer your question, why an MBA now, well quite frankly I can't find good work and have been searching for 3+ months. I wanted to see if the internships would be enough work experience for a quality school's program to get me a job offer. I understand that I won't make as much as an average graduate as I'm light on experience but Even a 70k a year full time job would change my life. I don't need the money, but I do need to start a real career, one with actual job mobility, before I go crazy
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Re: 680 GMAT, but very little work experience and unrelated minor? [#permalink] New post   12 May 2015, 15:19
I just typed a lot more context on my iphone but then accidentally deleted it. Without getting heavy winded, basically the reason I'm considering am MBA now is because I'm worried if I continue to not be able to find relevant work experience in my field, it will only look worse when I'm 28 or so. Basically I'm just worried by the time I get my MBA it may be too late to justify it, and would rather have the name recognition of a big and well known school, as I think their internship and job placement structures would trump those available to me currently. I basically am afraid of just spending a few more years of my life in mediocrity. I'm trying to be realistic, I know Ivies won't touch me even if I got a 700, but are the schools I listed doable, even with little work experience? 25-50 range.

If I retake the GMAT a few times, I think I certainly can get 700, so I think I'd be good, i'm just worried if it'd be worth it and would my offers be significant lower than the rest of the graduating class.
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Re: 680 GMAT, but very little work experience and unrelated minor? [#permalink] New post   13 May 2015, 06:27
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Hi Overclass,

First of all I'm sorry to hear you've had a rough couple of years here - and sorry to hear that you've lost your dad.

I read both your posts and I see your logic. Which schools did you think would specifically take you at this point with basically no work experience? I ask because while HBS and Stanford are more open to very young candidates....the lower ranked schools tend to be more traditional and want to see at least 3 years of work experience (their average is probably 5).

With some good work experience you will be admitted to a better school in a few years than you could have been admitted to now. Now you need to get the best job possible at this point - that's going to be a job where you get to be involved/lead interesting projects (if possible) not a job where you are just working solo selling something (for example).

I'd suggest you get a job in a healthcare start-up. Preferably one that is still under 30 people. Even if the pay is terrible I think the number of opportunities to shine professionally that you'll have there will make up for it.

I strongly suggest you pay someone to help you craft your resume, your story and even work with you on interview skills - you're going to need all the aces in your pocket in order to land a great job.

In 18 months time let's see where you're at and then start talking about which schools to target :)

Good Luck!
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Re: 680 GMAT, but very little work experience and unrelated minor? [#permalink]
13 May 2015, 06:27

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