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Right Time For an MBA?

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Right Time For an MBA?

by verrive » Fri Oct 03, 2008 11:48 am
I'm hoping one of you may be able to give me a quick piece of advice on whether the time is right, not necessarily in the economy or what not but rather my personal situation. I am a recent college graduate with what I would call no professional experience and am kicking around the idea of either getting an MBA or trying to volunteer in the Peace Corps. At this time an MBA seems to be the best step but as it stands I am young(21), no exceptional work/volunteer experience with an average 2.9/3.0 GPA for my BS. The three main schools that so far have peaked my interest were Texas A&M, Arizona State University, and Florida State University. Although I have a lacking resume in other areas, would any reasonable GMAT score give me a legitimate chance at those 3?

Thanks for your time,
Kevin
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by justaboi » Fri Oct 03, 2008 11:57 am
i can't really comment on your chances on acceptance to those schools as i'm not very familiar with them, but i would say that now is not the right time for an MBA for you. business schools prefer candidates to have experience for a reason: they want their students to go to b-school with at least an outline of what they want to do and they want their students to be able to be placed in good jobs afterwards. with no work experience to speak of, it will be difficult to make your case on either front. i would recommend doing something before applying to b-school, be it peace corps or actual work experience. this will help you get some perspective on what you want to do with your life and an MBA.
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by Lisa Anderson » Fri Oct 03, 2008 7:10 pm
Dear verrive,

I concur with justaboi on this one. MBA programs are not a place to hang out while you decide what you want to do. Without clear career goals and a solid rationale for why you want an MBA and why now, you are unlikely to gain admission--even if you score 800. I think this is a good time to do something like Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Teach for America, etc. Many schools find these experiences valuable and you can apply for business school after you complete your commitment to them.

If you feel you do have clear career goals and a solid rationale, then you can always apply and see what happens. But candidates coming directly from undergraduate studies will be expected to be high academic achievers (i.e. 700+ GMAT, >3.5 GPA).

Good luck,
Lisa
Lisa Anderson
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by mroper11 » Mon Oct 25, 2010 8:22 am
Hi verrive,

It is great that you are considering volunteering with the Peace Corps... However, if that opportunity does not work out for you, perhaps you should consider volunteering domestically, locally. If so, you should consider our professional group, USA Leadership Corps.

We are a volunteer-driven business consulting group that serves emerging nonprofits and small businesses. We are a great resource for pre-MBAs who desire to strengthen their leadership, consulting, entrepreneurship, and/or community-involvement backgrounds.

Thank you & best wishes,

Maxwell Roper
Outreach Director
USA Leadership Corps
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