{"id":58358,"date":"2023-08-03T17:55:58","date_gmt":"2023-08-04T00:55:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2023\/08\/what-is-a-deferred-mba-program-and-should-i-apply\/"},"modified":"2023-10-04T05:50:09","modified_gmt":"2023-10-04T12:50:09","slug":"what-is-a-deferred-mba-program-and-should-i-apply","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/what-is-a-deferred-mba-program-and-should-i-apply\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a Deferred MBA Program and Should I Apply?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>In recent years, we\u2019ve seen significant growth in deferred MBA programs at the top business schools. A trend that started primarily with the HBS 2+2 program<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Stanford Deferred Enrollment<\/a>\u00a0has now come to Wharton, Chicago Booth, Columbia, MIT Sloan, Kellogg, and more. The\u00a0list of deferred admission<\/a> (or enrollment) MBA programs continues to grow every year. So, what is a deferred MBA program exactly?<\/p>\n

Generally, they entail a full-time two-year MBA program that you apply for as a college senior (or graduate student) and attend after having worked for 2-5 years. During the \u2018deferral period\u2019 \u2013 between college graduation and arriving on campus for your MBA \u2013 many business schools offer access to their career services office and\/or student programming like industry conferences.<\/p>\n

As a college senior, are you wondering, \u201cIf I take this job over another, will my chances of getting into a top business school be higher or lower?\u201d or \u201cWill this job give me enough experience to be appealing to the top MBA programs?\u201d. As we\u2019ve all learned over the past few years, life (and your career) can take many paths \u2013 some of which you can\u2019t even conceive of right now. Maybe the start-up you join after graduation will IPO next year and your career will take off. Or maybe your Peace Corps assignment will show you a new set of global problems that you will want to solve as a future business or nonprofit leader.<\/p>\n

Conversely, perhaps your first job will help you see that banking or marketing wasn\u2019t for you after all. Regardless, if you want the freedom to take a job without wondering what it means for your future grad school prospects AND be able to take more risks and explore, then a deferred MBA program may be the right move for you.<\/p>\n

Should You Apply to Deferred MBA Programs? Initial Questions to Ask<\/h4>\n

Now that you know the answer to \u2018what is a deferred MBA program\u2019, you may be wondering whether it is worth your time and effort to apply.\u00a0Here\u2019s what to ask yourself:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Are you a college senior or in a master\u2019s program that you began right after undergrad (law and medical school may or may not count, depending on the MBA program)?<\/li>\n
  2. Are you reasonably confident that you\u2019ll want to go to business school in the next 2-5 years?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    If the answers to these two questions are \u201cyes\u201d, then there isn\u2019t much of a downside of applying if your overall profile is in the running (scores, GPA, etc.). Further, there is a lot of upside if you\u2019re among the few admitted each year.<\/p>\n

    What GMAT and GPA Do I Need for Top Deferred MBA Programs?<\/h4>\n