question of timing

Question

hey another question for you... 

brief recap: 

i am now 23 yrs old 
710 gmat 44M 42V 
3.5 gpa GWU honors 
Import Policy Analyst @ Dept of Commerce (just started) before that sporadic empolyment w/ focus on band and touring. 
solid community involvement post college. 

i am trying to decide when a good time to apply to schools might be. i would like to know how much salary may impact my application strength. at the job i am looking at guaranteed raises each year and by Nov 2007 would be maxed out at the current position around 70,000. would a 10,000 income difference make a huge impact on my application? 

basically i am contemplating applying for 2007 or 2008--the later would be 5 1/2 years out of school. 

your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

ice t · Answer

oh and it would not mean a managerial position those would require more time in gov position.

truthringer · Answer

Salary plays little to no role (emphasis on no) on being accepted to a top MBA program. 

Sounds like you're a competitive applicant. I'd probably apply sooner than later since you have solid work experience and know that you want to attend b-school.

ice t · Answer

will it have an impact post-graduation? 

thanks for the advice.

by the way i am thinking of applying top 15.

ice t · Answer

also it is a concern of mine that should i apply earlier i will have less legit experience... i.e. just started here nov. 2004

before that i had a couple extended temp jobs to focus on the band.

what would an appropriate amount of experience be considering these issues. 

oh and sorry graduated dec 2002 early.

truthringer · Answer

Most students in the top 15 average 4-5 years of full-time work experience. Temp and part time do not count. We typically recommend from 3-4 years of solid full-time experience, although some require less.

And no, current salary most likely will not effect post-grad salary.

ice t · Answer

thanks for the advice. My temp experience was mostly at two jobs and lasted about 6-8 months each. this would not count at all towards experience?

thanks for the clarification though looks like i should indeed wait until 2007 or 2008 even. good thing is that it will give me time to bulk up my application.

truthringer · Answer

As always the answer is... Depends. ;-)

. What were you doing at these temp jobs. Temp carries a negative connotation and if it only for a few months and / or during undergrad and / or part-time it doesn't really count.

question of timing

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