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I think this should really be, how many years of work experience before applying for H/S?

Some people are on the 3 year plan, some people are on the 5 year plan, some people take a gap year before college, etc.

if you are in a "leadership program" like at GE, i would apply right at the end of that so it doesn't look like you are "downgrading" to a regular job at the end of the program.

for HBS, i would say 3 years is the sweet spot nowadays (grad college at 22, work 2 years, apply during third year when 24/25).

That's probably pretty true. Stanford's average months of work experience looks like its still around 4 years but Harvard's is only 3.5. At Stanford, for which BW was able to produce more detailed distribution statistics for their latest ranking, the median is 48 months. Half the admits have more than 4 years of full-time work experience. The 10th percentile is 24 months and the 90th percentile is 68 months. Harvard's distribution could look pretty similar but shifted leftward 6 months.

If no one took gap years or peace corps / volunteer missions, then the most represented age could be somewhere near 24-25 for Harvard. The average is apparently actually 26, probably skewed-right?

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for HBS, I believe 25 is the mode, but there are quite a few 24 and 26 as well. It looks roughly like a bell curve last time I saw it

https://www.businessweek.com/bschools/ra ... nford.html

STANFORD CLASS PROFILE

Mean months of work experience of newest entering class:
47
Median months of work experience of newest entering class:
48
Middle 80% range of work experience of newest entering class in months:

From: 24
To: 68

https://www.businessweek.com/bschools/ra ... rvard.html

HARVARD CLASS PROFILE

Mean months of work experience of newest entering class:
41
Middle 80% range of work experience of newest entering class in months:

From: N/A
To: N/A
Mean age of entering class:
26

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If i was doing it all over again I would have black parents, gone to west point for undergrad, and scored 750 on the GMAT...that is the profile of the only person I know going to HBS. (He will be 27 at matriculation).

Definitely not 29. That's my age and no interview

Posted from my mobile device

your profile says interview?