Ntang wrote:
Are all of these really "non-traditional?" If by "traditional" paths to business school you mean banking/finance, consulting and IT, perhaps... but reading all of these posts, I can't say I'd be surprised to see many folks here in B-school... Engineers. Project managers in big companies. So forth.
When I think "non-traditional," I think non-profit do-gooders, artists/musicians or something truly off the wall (pro athlete, maybe an astronaut, etc.). Obviously, given my background, that's a self-serving preconception, I know. But am I wrong here?
What advantage do y'all see in being non-tradi? Are we thinking that some schools have loose/de facto quotas for the banking/consulting set, and set aside some spots for folks like us?
Agreed, if your job in any way involves sitting at a desk/computer, working 9-5, or having to wear something with a collar, I can't see it being *that* different from other MBA applicants. I think non-traditional helps your cause, but only in conjuction with:
1-a good GMAT will really help you out here, will show you aren't just a 1 trick pony in your field of choice.
2-you've still got to show you can fit into the MBA environment. Aka if you're a successful musician/artist, that's nice, but no good if you turn into a drama queen when your fellow group members challenge your ideas/creativity.
It seems that a recurring theme of top Bschool's 'opening weekends' is when, after bragging how their avg gmat / diversity stats went up, to list some specific examples of the types of students they accepted, very often those of 'non traditional' backgrounds. So it's definitely in demand.