What Business school will take me?

Question

I am planning on graduating from the university of Illinois with a BS in chemical engineering, and im going to do it a semester early (at the end of the first semester of my senior year), a GPA of about 3.5, and a GMAT score of 750+ (i havent taken it yet but I am confident in my ability to score at least this and for this question just assume that I have). During my summers I took internships at companies, but they were engineering related not business.

My issue is that I'm coming straight from college with no real work experience, (other than the above mentioned summer work). How likely is it that I could get into a good business school like Chicago, or Yale, or Kellogg, even Harvard?

My issue is that I'm coming straight from college with no real work experience, (other than the above mentioned summer work). How likely is it that I could get into a good business school like Chicago, or Yale, or Kellogg, even Harvard?

dustwun · Answer

Honestly I would say your chances are pretty slim. I'm by no means an expert, but as someone who has done a lot of reading and much forum surfing, it seems like the schools you mention will only consider college grads w/ no work experience in exceptional circumstances.

Don't get me wrong, it looks like you are a strong candidate by the numbers (I would be very careful about looking past the GMAT, though. It's not your average standardized test), it's just really difficult for someone like you to stack up against someone who has 3-6 years professional work experience and everything that goes along with that.

That being said, don't let anyone (me) tell you that you can't do something. If it's what you want, go for it. My advice would be to mix some job applications in with those mba apps though.

Best of luck to you!

old1442 · Answer

Agreed. I'd say slim to none on the top 15. Unless there's something striking about you which you haven't discussed, I'd say focus your efforts on getting a job. Also, HBS and Stanford have some 2+2 programs you can look into. But, why not see if you can stay the full 4 years and rearrange those last two semesters at school and add a second major in Economics? That way - you could recruit for business jobs if you wanted.

ManhattanReview · Answer

You can always try, but chances are slim that you will be admitted. There are a few schools that entertain candidates who just finished college, but most will encourage you to get some professional work experience. Over the past few years, we have worked with candidates like you -- and they did end up attending Wharton, Columbia and Booth. However, each candidate had many things going for them -- especially in the extracurricular front -- which showed that they were much more mature than their chronological age.

Kimberly Plaga
Senior Admissions Consultant
Manhattan Review

Call for a free candidacy assessment.

Kimberly Plaga
Senior Admissions Consultant
Manhattan Review

Call for a free candidacy assessment.

machichi · Answer

What's the rush? Why do you "need" (my word not yours) an MBA NOW? An MBA is a great degree to advance your career or to switch your sector or job. I get the sense that you're rushing thru undergrad to an MBA. It doesn't make much sense. An MBA is a professional degree and top schools want people with work experience.

jxcho · Answer

HBS 2+2 and Yale Silver Scholars would be good "right now" routes to consider for academic-minded fresh grads/graduating students like you.

haxx19 · Answer

Agree with the above posters. You're actually shooting yourself in the foot by going directly into an MBA from a recruiting standpoint. Without any real work experience, you'll be hard pressed to make the leap into associate-level/managerial positions.

lb2015 · Answer

Agree with the above posters. Work experience is not only important because it can help you get in to MBA programs, but moreover it will also help you figure out your career interests and goals. Many--most!--jobs do not require an MBA. This is a huge investment of time and money, and a few years of work can help you reflect on whether or not it'll be worth it for you to apply.

This is purely annecdotal, but I have a friend who was my year in college (2010) who went straight to the Yale SOM Silver Scholars program and is having a lot of trouble with recruiting. He's an extremely personable and smart guy, but just isn't getting a lot of interview invites. Now, I might be biased, but I don't think this necessarily has to with Yale SOM recruiting or his interview skills. He and I both suspect that this might have to do with the fact that he only has 1 year of experience (with SOM Silver Scholars, you do one year of work in the middle of the MBA program, so three years total). You have to keep in mind that even if you do get admitted to an MBA program, you'll be competing for jobs with equally bright, personable people who also have several years of work experience. If you were an employer, who would you pick to interview?

olso4052 · Answer

Great advice. And to me, even more than the difficulty recruiting, the biggest reason to wait is to understand what your goals are. I think I speak for the majority of people when I say my career goals have changed a ton since I graduated. You understand how business works, how the 'real world' is (not trying to be mean, but it was a slap in the face to me, at least). Business isn't like school.

For me, a big reason why I want an MBA now is because my career goals changed. In fact, I could have never imagined wanting to get an MBA, or even go back to school when I graduated. Just wait. You'll make a much more informed decision. Along those same lines, you can start doing things to help your application now, so that if you do apply in 2-3 years, you'll be a great candidate. Volunteer, plays sports, learn a language, etc.

Good luck.

hasondea · Answer

many things going for them -- especially in the extracurricular front -- which showed that they were much more mature than their chronological age.

hasondea · Answer

routes to consider for academic-minded fresh grads/graduating students like you.

What Business school will take me?

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards