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RNL85
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Hello all,

I'm new to business school applications (took the GMAT on a whim because I am good at standardized tests) and I have a quick question -

What is considered "good" work experience and extra-curriculars?

What would elite schools be looking for in a candidate?
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For Top 3 schools "Good work experience" = I have my own startup OR I worked for McKinsey OR I am the best in my industry OR I work for my very huge family business.

For all the regular folks, then you want to have lots of promotions, lots of progress, lots of leadership and lots of responsibilities. Community service is that same. They want more than "I doled out soup for an hour last week" but rather "I led a team of 20 volunteer to collect 20K for XXXXX in a door to door campaign I led"
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RNL85
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Thanks! I was checking out the site MBA predictor and they list the quality of work experience as being a huge factor in admission.

My background is non-conventional (teaching and police work), so would that mean that they would be impressed with managerial work and promotions in my career, or would it mean that by virtue of having no experience in finance/accounting/business that it would be difficult for me to get a spot, even though I have a high GMAT and GPA?
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RNL85
Thanks! I was checking out the site MBA predictor and they list the quality of work experience as being a huge factor in admission.

My background is non-conventional (teaching and police work), so would that mean that they would be impressed with managerial work and promotions in my career, or would it mean that by virtue of having no experience in finance/accounting/business that it would be difficult for me to get a spot, even though I have a high GMAT and GPA?
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Business schools take people of all different backgrounds--from the traditional finance/consulting to military to theatre to education....and the list goes on. At any rate, your lack of experience in finance/accounting/business will not be a barrier to entry into business school. But you will need to articulate why you want to go to business school and what you want to do with your degree. If you're a career switcher, that's fine, but you should relate elements of your personality to your new career goal.