Am I rushing into this?

[Pratyush98]

Hi guys,
This is my first post here so please bare with me.
My case is that I always wanted to go into a top MBA program like HBS 2+2 or the IESE YTP.However I am still in college (will graduate in 2 months) and thus accordingly I've built my profile from activities, to strong recommendations. However I've a low GPA-7.8/10.00 and still haven't written my GMAT and right now most of the people around me including my parents are asking me to get a few years of work experience and then go for my MBA.Even I'm having second thoughts since already most of the deadlines are over and round 3 will get over within a couple of months or so and you know how it is for those who apply so late right? what should I do?
Should I just go with it or Should I just wait for 3-4 more years?

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Hi Pratyush98,

Many Business School Programs expect Applicants to earn 3-5 years of quality work experience before they apply. There are some exceptions of course, but those exceptions tend to involve applicants who have really strong GPAs (which you admit to not having). As such, you might want to look at this whole process as more of a long-term investment. You COULD still take care of the GMAT now, without the added pressure of an application deadline. In that way, you could 'bank' a really strong score for when you apply later.

If you'd like to run this whole idea past an Admissions Expert first though, there's a Forum full of them here:

https://www.beatthegmat.com/ask-an-mba-a ... t-f40.html

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

[ceilidh.erickson]

Generally speaking, round 3 is the worst time to apply. Many business schools have already filled over 90% of their slots in round 1 and round 2, so they're admitting far fewer applicants in round 3.

Round 3 is when schools look to diversify their class, taking applicants from un-represented industries, countries, or demographics. People who are from over-represented groups or industries are thus at a disadvantage when applying round 3. If you are from the same country, school, or industry as a lot of other applicants, I'd strongly recommend waiting.

In fact, you should probably wait until you have a few years of work experience. The longer you've been out of school, the less your GPA will matter, and the more your work record will matter.