Should I wait a year?

Question

I just took my GMAT for the second time. I did really bad the first time and figured I would wait a year to get some work experience, state residency, and some volunteer experience. I didn't expect to get a competitive GMAT score till fall, but with the 700 I just got today I'm thinking I might want to try to get in somewhere for 2008.
I am graduating in may with two BBA's and a gpa of 3.6. Minimal work experience. I never planned on taking a break between undergrad and grad until the past month, now I'm rethinking it again. Any suggestions on whats schools are still accepting, ones that I would be competitive at, or if I should just wait.

I'm interested in Duke, Maryland, Texas, UNC, but I am open to other suggestions.
thanks,
John

riverripper · Answer

The general consensus is that you are much better off getting an MBA after two years of work experience. An MBA is very different than a masters of engineering or even a law degree. I think that not only will two years of good work experience give you an advantage when you apply but also when you are sitting in a classroom and when you recruit. My advice, put your efforts into finding a job that interests you and will help you reach your long term goals...then work your tail off to make sure you excel.

kryzak · Answer

Unless you're applying for Harvard or Stanford, in which you need some spectacular experiences during college, most schools will almost "require" 2 years of work experience to let you in. One of our forum regulars got W/L at some schools only because of his 1.5 years of WE, whereas he had amazing essays, very good GMAT Score, and a very good set of stories to tell about his work and extracurriculars. I would definitely get some work experience (at least 2 years) before you apply. It'll give you much better essays and a more well rounded application.

msday · Answer

As a college senior, I would not have agreed with the two guys above. But I've been at work for ~10 months now, and it's a whole different world. I absolutely do not regret my decision to work for a couple of years before pursuing an MBA. Maybe your situation is different, but I concur with river and kryzak.

kryzak · Answer

msday, good to hear it from a recent graduate perspective. I'm curious, have you sat in a class visit yet? Once you do, you *really* notice the difference between those who have work experience and those who do not. The discussions that were most useful when I sat in those classes were the ones that come from actual experiences of different people in different industries. I think that is the key learning you get from b-school.

togafoot · Answer

As posted above at least 2 years, not only does it improve your chances, it also means you will be able to contribute to classroom discussions with practical experience. I'm sure your fellow students will appreciate it more.
Furthermore some MBA Associations (AMBA) have a pre-requistie of 3 years work experience as a requirement to be a member.

thebicyclecafe · Answer

It likely depends on your career objectives. If you want to go into MC, IB, finance, or any other recruited job, you will definitely have an edge career-wise if you get work experience first. I'm graduating this year and decided to attend now for a few compelling reasons- and I'm going into public policy, government, or nonprofit, so I decided to attend now to save on logistical difficulties later on down the road. I think I would have had better chances if I worked a couple of years but the benefits of going now were pretty huge. I'm on the waitlist for my first choice school so my hope is that they take me later on! 
From what I know, schools friendly to college seniors that are close to the rank of the schools you mentioned are WasU (olin), Rochester (Simon), Purdue (Krannert), CMU (Tepper), UIllinois (a bit lower ranked but still a very good program in many regards).
Let me know if you have any questions about this, I would be more than happy to help you out!

aaudetat · Answer

I'm an FY at Duke, and I think we have ONE person with no work experience. That's one in 430.

Should I wait a year?

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