MBA after working 3 years?
Want to shoot for an MBA at a top 15 school and planning to start prepping for GMAT. Has been 1 year on job now and plan to work 2 more years before going to b school. Any suggestions on the best time to take it or what to do to further fine tune the application process? Currently a commercial banking analyst at Citi.
Take the GMAT as early as possible so you can focus on your essays later. Shoot for 730+ since you have plenty of time now. Start finding potential mentors that might be good to ask later for recommendation letters, be a high performer.
B-School Chances with Three Years Work Experience (Originally Posted: 05/07/2013)
Hi all,
Was hoping to get some advice with regards to b-school as I'm considering going next year. Thinking I'd only go if I can get into a MBA business schools">M7 and wondering what my chances would be like given my profile.
My background is that I went to a top public (UVa/UMich/Berkeley) and did a double major in math and econ and graduated with a shitty GPA (2.9-3.1 range). In terms of my internship experience before graduation, I interned at a F500 PWM company, top tech company (HP/Oracle/IBM/Dell/etc.) as a business analyst, an boutique incubator/accelerator, and BB BO/MO leadership rotational program.
After graduation I ended up accepting my BB BO/MO leadership rotational program and worked there for about a year (was ranked top of my class). After a year of working at my BB BO/MO, I managed to transition into a boutique VC (top firm for the niche we invest in, focused mostly on early-stage although we look at seed stage and growth equity as well). I'll have two years of work experience as a VC analyst assuming I apply for MBA programs next year. I'm ranked top of my class once again and been told I'll get "great" recommendations from everyone at my firm (all ex-Ivies/other top schools). I've gotten great deal experience at my VC and my role isn't like the usual sourcing/research roles a VC analyst/associate usually has. I'm involved in due diligence for new investments, helping on strategy/special projects for portfolio companies, preparing fundraising/LP materials, managing the deal flow process and meeting with entrepreneurs (in short, the role of many VC associates). In terms of my extra-curriculars, I'm involved in a leadership role in a young M&A professional group, a formal advisor to a YCombinator company, and involved in various other small things (nothing too groundbreaking here). Assuming I get a 700+ on my GMAT, would I be competitive for the MBA business schools">M7 schools?
My colleagues at my VC firm think that I'd have a good shot at MBA business schools">M7 and think I'm underestimating my own abilities/profile. I'm a little worried that my low GPA / only three years of work experience will hurt my chances, despite the fact I have pretty solid work and unique work experience. The question is will it hurt my chances enough that I should just until I have more work experience to apply or will I still probably have a decent chance anyways? I know that the average age of MBA candidates is dropping, but does it make sense for me to apply for a MBA with only three years of work experience? Not sure if it makes a difference, I'm also on the younger side of my own grade as well (likely 24 when I apply for MBA programs).
Also, I'm not even sure if it makes sense for me to do any MBA. I'm pretty confident I can get a job as a product manager / business development manager / corporate development/strategy role at an established medium growth start up (Series C/D or pre-IPO start-up) or top tech company (Microsoft/Google/Apple/Twitter/Facebook/etc.). I could probably also find a pre-MBA VC associate role as well, but I don't think the job would be very different from my current VC analyst role. Additionally, I also have the opportunity to be hired / work myself into an executive level position (right below C-level or on C-level) for an early stage YCombinator company given that my current level of involvement with it. I'm also thinking about working on my own start-up and have a number of ideas that I've toyed around with in my free time. These are obviously great alternatives and I could work for another 1-2 years in one of these roles before going back to get a MBA. And I'm guessing that my chances at MBA business schools">M7 would likely be even better. But at the same time, if I can get into a MBA business schools">M7 MBA now...why wait another 1-2 years before trying?
My current thoughts are I should go ahead and start getting ready to apply for MBA programs while also searching for alternatives (i.e., product manager / business development manager, start-up, etc.). Any thoughts/comments/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Cliffs for those who don't want to read an essay: -2.9-3.1 math + econ from top public -Internships in F500 PWM, top tech company, incubator/accelerator, BB BO/MO -Worked one year FT at BB BO/MO rotational program -Worked two years VC analyst at boutique VC (top in investment niche) -Advisor to Ycombinator company, exec position in junior M&A professionals group, other various random not that impressive EC's -Chances at M7?
You should probably get 750+ on your GMAT. Your GPA might hurt you for top 7 schools. They definitely look at your undergrad performance. Internships look solid and your work experience seems to give you the right background.
Agree with Beny23
Why do want to get an MBA? Do you plan on career track that requires an MBA attain?
Why go for an MBA to get a position you can get without an MBA (based your assessments)?
Personally, if you really do not need an MBA to attain your career goal, then I would advice that you wait 2 more years to venture into your alternative career routes you mentioned; then if you still think you need an MBA then go for it (higher chances too to get into MBA business schools">M7 schools)
(btw I'm an undergrad - my reason for these questions is because i feel you've a good track record and can get to the next level of your career w/o an MBA or spending >$200,000)
No offense to undergrads/interns, I appreciate your opinions but this is mainly directed to get some opinions from some more experienced members here.
But to answer your questions, I feel like I need an MBA for the network. It's something that I have had to develop on my own through networking and I haven't been lucky enough to have a built-in network from school. Most of the kids from my undergrad who ended up in IB/PE/consulting/HF/strategy/etc. were in the undergrad b school program. As these people get further and further out from school, you end up knowing a ton of different people doing different things. I never really had a big network from my undergrad. Also, for people who do consulting/IB right out of school, you start with a ton of peers around your age, so in a way you get a network of people there too.
A MBA is one way for me to have a network of mine own through school. Also, it's an opportunity to meet all sorts of accomplished individuals and learn from each other. Looking further down in the road on my own career I can see that eventually that network will be extremely useful to have to tap into, regardless of what career route I take. My current jobs to date haven't allowed for the opportunity for me to really develop a good, strong network of different types of individuals working on different things.
I do think you should be competitive at MBA business schools">M7 programs, especially provided you are able to do a few things: -Score a 740+ on the GMAT to help offset the lower GPA -Take 1-2 part-time quantitative business courses over the summer in areas such as Economics and Finance and get A's in those courses to convey your dedication to strong academic performance -Secure a strong recommendation from a boss at both your prior and current employer to demonstrate excellent career performance
Also, a couple areas are important that you haven't mentioned: -Extracurricular activities in college. Important to demonstrate leadership (especially as a younger applicant) -Interests and activities outside of work and school. These are important to round out your application and build interest in your candidacy
Good luck!
Do you think its worth trying to apply right now? Or would you advise maybe waiting 1-2 years until I have more experience?
I think you have a pretty good shot based on your story and stats.
xoxo
Consequuntur cum molestiae voluptatem earum et ipsum qui. Tenetur omnis et maxime accusamus consequatur consequatur. Omnis tenetur impedit sint nulla rem voluptatem facere quas. Expedita nisi provident ducimus id aliquam possimus doloribus.
Modi natus est similique expedita natus aut ut. Sunt culpa porro est maiores. Reiciendis quo quas blanditiis magnam cum. Natus amet minus praesentium eaque fugit.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...