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In general they look for at least 3 years. However, schools like HBS and Stanford tend to appreciate applicants with unique work experience (entrepreneurs, military, non-profit, etc). Thats not to say that there aren't hundreds of ex-bankers and consultants at those schools but they really like people with unique stories. If you worked 2-3 years as a analyst at a large bank then you will have a good chance at Top 10 schools (provided your GMAT is at or above 700). I found that the best way to make a good impression is to know a lot of specifics about each school you are applying to and to discuss those during interview. Just do some research on the clubs, concentrations, and even professors that you might be interested in and talk about them in your essays and interviews.
Not sure where the 3 years came from since I've never heard of that. But if you look at any profile on any school's website (or on Businessweek or U.S. News, etc.) the lowest average number of years of work experience is 4.5 of the top 10. Most have closer to 5, or even 5-6 years.
That's not to say that you can't get in with less. I'm sure tons of former analysts have gotten into great schools. But in general, that's the average. I agree with the above on unique work experience. That's a crucial differentiating factor. Focus on your story, and weave why you need to go to X school to make your career goals a reality.
Also, I think the longer you work, the less your undergrad stats matter, since you have so much more experience to leverage off of.
KJL,
You are correct in saying that the average is between 4 and 5 but note that many of the top programs (esp. H/S) are trending younger as they seek to pick off top applicants who may have otherwised pursued other endeavors such as law or medicine.
Ultimately, its just like anything else quality > quantity and you just need to be able to create a cogent story for Adcomms as to why b-school and why now.
3 years was a floor rather than an average. The average is certainly 4-6 years but 3 years is not unreasonable for someone with great work experience. As junkbondswap mentioned some of the top tier schools are even going younger to bring in unique talent. It really comes down to how you spin your experience and why you want to attend school X, Y or Z.
Here's a general rule of thumb (or to put it another way, the middle 80% roughly):
Bankers/PE types: 2-4 years Consultants: 2 - 4 years Engineers: 4 - 6 years Corporate: 4 - 6 years (i.e. CPG marketing, rotational programs, etc.) Military: ~5 years (Lt. or recent Cpt).
For everyone else, it's all over the place. Doesn't mean you can't get in if you're not in these ranges, but they are the outliers on either side (younger or older).
Alex Chu
If you're going getting solid work experience at a reputable investment bank or consulting place, how important is the 3rd year of WE? does it drastically increase your chances as opposed to only doing 2 years and out? the reason is i'm considering law school and see no reason to delay law school for a year. a jd/mba would be great, but i'm not sure i'd want to wait the extra year.
A 3rd year of work experience can help if in that 3rd year you do something to change your candidacy (i.e. you end up working full-time on a political campaign, you work at a non-profit, etc. after spending 2 years as an analyst). Also, if it's experience that gets you one step closer to your goals (i.e. you want to work in the film biz, so you end up working entry-level at a talent agency, or you want to work in green tech, so you spend one year in bus dev at a green tech startup). In other words, you're doing something that is worthwhile for you regardless of your b-school plans.
Otherwise, if it's "one more year of the same" it's not really going to make a difference whether you apply as a 2nd year or a 3rd year - especially at schools like HBS, Stanford and Wharton where they're looking for younger kids anyhow.
Alex Chu
thanks for the reply
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