Strategies to maximize the usage of time between undergrad and mba

Hello,

Does anyone have advice on strategies to maximize the usage of time between accepting a full-time job offer as an undergraduate senior and applying to business school? My hope is that this discussion will be useful to anyone in this time-frame.

Given the assumption an individual must have two years of work experience, what else is there to do during those two+ years other than get the best gmat score as possible?

I will be working in commercial real estate finance at a major bank and my hours will likely not exceed 50 hours/week. Under these circumstances, I realize that I will have 50-60 hours of time outside of work/sleep. Aside from social life, fitness, hobbies, and all of the other great things about work/life balance, I am wondering what else I can do to be productive.

The only things have I thought of are starting a business, working with one of my family's companies on the side, or taking night classes (which likely would not transfer into mba credits).

Any ideas?

Thank you!

1 Comments
 
Best Response

Sed autem sit possimus et. Ut qui consectetur explicabo sapiente nobis explicabo qui. Ipsa et veniam qui.

Alex Chu www.mbaapply.com

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”