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MBA Admissions Essential #5: Early Career Candidates

You are fresh out of undergraduate school or a recent graduate considering an MBA degree; you have done some preliminary research into business school. And in your search, you have likely read all the top weekly business magazines, visited b-school discussion boards, and listened to different MBA program representatives talk about how they welcome “early career” (EC) candidates – individuals with 0-3 years of work experience. Despite what you’ve heard, it somehow sounds like marketing rhetoric and you find yourself unconvinced. While MBA programs do clearly express an interest in ECs, your friends in b-school report otherwise. And a glance at MBA program websites shows class profiles that seem skewed to individuals with 4-6 years or more of work experience.

So what is the truth? The truth of the matter is that many schools are strongly interested in, and do admit, those ECs who are talented, motivated, and exhibit a track record of leadership and initiative. While these individuals may possess fewer years of formal work experience than the average candidate, many of them have gained significant skills through internships or entrepreneurial ventures. Others may have developed their talents through community service and/or extra-curricular activities. The challenge for most b-schools, in fact, is to attract such candidates. The same is true for groups like women and underrepresented minorities, whose representation in MBA programs is limited by their numbers in the applicant pipeline rather than admissions policies.

So ECs, we welcome you. We are every bit as interested in your career potential and ability to give back to your academic, work, and local communities as what you have accomplished to date. If you think you may be interested in an MBA, then we encourage you to fully explore various MBA programs, discover reasons why the degree might make sense for you, and reflect on your life and how you envision it unfolding in the future.

Once you have taken these steps, you will not only be better prepared to present a thoughtful and articulate application should you apply, but you will be better poised to take full advantage of the opportunities available to you during your time in business school. So take the time for self-reflection. And if you feel that you are now ready for an MBA, share your self-awareness and knowledge of the degree with us in a cogent manner. We adcoms are, after all, open to persuasion. J

20 Oct 2006 07:03 PM in Application Preparation | Permalink

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Comments

It's very warm and encouraging!

Posted by: pkuxing | Nov 4, 2006 8:29:09 AM

- Steven Burda, MBA
www.linkedin.com/in/burda

connect to me:
steven.burda.mba @gmail.com

Posted by: Steven Burda, MBA | Nov 3, 2006 2:03:25 AM

Thank you very much for this posting. It is very informative and definitely lifted my spirits after having submitted my Round 1 application.

Best of luck to everyone!

Ricardo C.

Posted by: Ricardo Constanzo Rodriguez | Oct 27, 2006 12:45:12 PM