Hello! And thanks for your good question.
If you are planning to get an MBA, then, yes, you need at least two years of work experience. There are lots of good reasons: you get some real world experience to sharpen your focus and clarify your goals; you bring something (besides your native intelligence and undergraduate studies) to your classes and internshp; business schools get a chance to see how you stack up in the real world which is a better indicator of your business potential than anything else.
If you are planning to go in, say, math, or marketing research, or something like that (i.e., business-related but not an MBA), then the rules may be a bit more flexible. There are lots of types of degrees out there so I can't really give an iron rule.
It sounds like you have a solid academic record and probably on the short list for a full-time slot with E&Y or one of their competitors. I would suggest staying on that track for a year or two then evaluating your options. One thing that I see more and more of is two years of an E&Y type job and then another two or three in something more specialized then a great MBA and a really focused post-MBA position for which the person is very well prepared.
Does this answer your question?
Cheers--
Paxton
Keep me in the loop about your thinking and let me know if you have any more questions.
Paxton
Paxton Helms is an MBA admissions consultant for Kaplan Admissions Consulting. He earned his MBA from UCLA and specializes in helping clients that are applying to top twenty and "reach" programs. He can be reached directly at
[email protected].
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