[#permalink]
08 Oct 2005, 19:43
I would like to chime in on advising you to wait as well...unless you're an entrepreneur who's already run a successful company, your leadership experience may be good but it's not a substitute for full-time professional experience. VERY few b-school applicants without full-time work experience after college are really competitive or ready for b-school. I wanted to go right away too, and everyone -- I mean, EVERYONE -- advised me to wait (I graduated first in my concentration and 5th overall in my school's class, founded a major club at school, etc., so I was otherwise competitive).
I am very glad I did. My career goals changed considerably in the first few years after college, as I became exposed to different company structures (small business, then corporate, then start-up) and as I had real opportunities to develop my skills and interests.
Another key factor to consider: Most of the companies that recruit at b-schools are looking for professionals who already have 4-5 years of work experience. Without that, you're just an expensive entry-level employee who's untested. It would be a lot harder for you to land your first job out of b-school, and you won't command the initial salary that an MBA should bring you.
When I first started spending time in different b-school forums, I ran across a discussion similar to this, and a student who did go right into an MBA program after undergrad said he regretted it. This was in the BusinessWeek.com forum, which is pretty active. I would suggest initiating a thread there and asking anyone who's done it what worked for them and what didn't.
Overall, the general consensus from everyone I talked to was that there were numerous reasons to wait, but few really good reasons to go without work experience. Do some more research on this before you make a final decision. It's too expensive a decision to regret!