730 GMAT / 2.5 Yrs Work Experience - When to apply?

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jforsland: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 7; Joined: Mon Jan 30, 2012 4:38 pm; GMAT Score:730

by jforsland » Mon Apr 02, 2012 1:26 pm

I am considering applying to B-school for next year (Fall 2013) but am wondering whether the 3-3.5 years of work experience I will have at that point will be sufficient.

With my below profile, does it make sense for me to wait until Fall 2014?

My profile:
-730 GMAT (44Q 47V)
-2.5 yrs work experience in account services/project management at software firm, will add either 1 or 2 more years in operational mgmt field (moderate career/industry change-- the main reason why I'm not sure if 3.5 years is enough)
-3.5 GPA from USC
-1+ years on board of local non-profit
-Target schools are Kellogg, Columbia, and Haas, among a few undecided others.

Any advice? I am leaning towards waiting, but if I have a good chance next year, I might just go for it.

Thanks in advance.

Source: Beat The GMAT — Research MBA Programs | Mon Apr 02, 2012 1:26 pm

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Jon@Admissionado: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 3135; Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2011 8:55 amFollowed by: 332 members; Location: Everywhere; Thanked: 589 times

by Jon@Admissionado » Fri Apr 06, 2012 2:52 am

You are certainly good enough to apply now if you are ready. Waiting will likely give you no advantage whatsoever... unless you have a startup that'll grow or something like that.
If you are ready, it's time to go for it.

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jforsland: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 7; Joined: Mon Jan 30, 2012 4:38 pm; GMAT Score:730

by jforsland » Fri Apr 06, 2012 11:33 am

PrecisionEssay wrote:You are certainly good enough to apply now if you are ready. Waiting will likely give you no advantage whatsoever... unless you have a startup that'll grow or something like that.
If you are ready, it's time to go for it.

Thanks a lot for the response, Jon.

Obviously, my concern is "blowing it" by applying too early. You say above that if I'm ready (and I assume you mean personally and professionally convinced that this is the right time for me to attend b-school), I should go for it--is there a particular reason that my application would not benefit from an extra year of work experience? The average student at Kellogg, which sits atop my list right now, has more than a year more work experience than I would if I were to apply for Fall 2013. Is there some part of my application in particular that nullifies this (potential) weakness?

Also, do you think a top-tier school like Kellogg is a reach for me?

Thanks!

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Jon@Admissionado: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 3135; Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2011 8:55 amFollowed by: 332 members; Location: Everywhere; Thanked: 589 times

by Jon@Admissionado » Mon Apr 09, 2012 1:00 am

With a 730 and solid grades, and solid work experience you can definitely aim for Top tier schools with no problem. As for work experience, let's look at some numbers:

Mean months of work experience of newest entering class: 60
Median months of work experience of newest entering class: 57

Middle 80% range of work experience of newest entering class in months:

From: 37
To: 85

You would have about 42 or 43 by matriculation time if I'm not mistaken? So one year less than the average, but well within a normal range. So again, if you PREFER to wait another year you can, but if it's better for you not to, then you don't need to for this small perceived advantage of being on the "sot" on the average work experience.

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