What is the most appropriate amount of working experience before applying to MBA?

I saw the other thread about age to apply, and was wondering if there's like a golden rule of the years of experience you must have before applying. Let me share my thoughts, I'm a banker/investment analyst and if I have to make a judgement call on which year to apply, I'd say the 3rd year would be most appropriate because we associates start to take some project managing responsibilities in year 2, and the 3rd year and 4th year would look like pretty much the same, so why not apply early. I'm curious about what you guys think on this subject?

The most appropriate amount of WE has two folds, it must make sense to yourself, and it must must sense (or at least looks reasonable in your essay) to admission committees. And of course, it might differ among industries. I guess banking and consulting applicants usually have fewer years of experience than others, things like that.

What do you guys think?

 

There's no right answer. If you want a general rule, than look at the average age/number of years of work experience on a school's published stats to get an idea.

However, there are always exceptions to the rule, so think about why an MBA makes sense at the point in your career that you plan on applying, and write your essays based on that thinking.

"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." - George Bernard Shaw
 
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Putting aside the admissions considerations, potentially having an employer pay for it, and using the MBA as an opportunity to change career paths, I don't think the benefits of working for a few years then going back to school are worth it.

You come out of school, going from probably being broke to making respectable money. You spend 1-4 years in one job, maybe two. Then, as you hit your stride, you stop making money and go back to school. The downside of having to go from full-time paychecks to no income and forking over money for school doesn't make sense to me.

We don't tell law students go out and work for a few years before law school and we don't tell med students to go out and work a few years before med school. But we tell business schools to go out and work before business school.

Now, if it makes you a more attractive candidate, you use it to change career paths, or your employer will pay for it, I think it makes sense. I just think the, "go work so you'll have relevant experience" bit is very exaggeratted. Especially if you've been working/interning throughout school.

Excuse my tangent, OP. If there's a certain school you want, I'd take a look at admissions data if available. All else being equal, I think it's generally better to go sooner rather than later.

 

Hi LeChiffre, I can't agree with you more. IMO, business school trains your business analytical skills and the required mind set of making business decisions. That's not something needs several years of WE to get started to LEARN. Let's not kid ourselves, business schools ask for a minimum 3 years of WE to demonstrate leadership management potentials but most people out of business school won't start taking leadership roles until in another 4, 5 years maybe. My point is, what we gained from business school is the business analytical skills and industry resources, neither of which requires 5 years of WE to learn. I agree that in most cases going sooner is better.

 

I personally know two Harvard MBAs: one is a friend I went to college with who's starting at age 24 with two years of work experience. The other is my former employer who graduated at age 37 after 13 years of work experience.

I really think it depends and there's no right answer. You just have to figure out when the best time is for you and why you want/need an MBA.

 

I don't know much about HF recruiting but I know that for MBA admissions having 6 years of experience instead of 4 won't put you at a disadvantage. As long as there is career progression you're not going to be penalized. I also doubt any HF would refuse to hire you simply because of an extra two years of experience. The quality of your experience is way more important than the quantity.

 
leveredarb:

Just dont do an MBA nobody cares on the HF side.

Haha is this true even for a concentrated, long-only, value type HF? I know you're more on the global macro side of things. I'm just interested in having the option of taking a two year break and getting to travel and meet people.

Thanks for the advice.

 

Just leave after 3 years if you want to.

"For I am a sinner in the hands of an angry God. Bloody Mary full of vodka, blessed are you among cocktails. Pray for me now and at the hour of my death, which I hope is soon. Amen."

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