There was a time when graduating seniors would apply to full-time, two-year MBA programs just like seniors do now for MD, JD, or Ph.D. programs. At the top business schools, however, such days are long past. All the top programs prefer several years of work experience for their incoming students. Much of what is taught in business school is intended to build upon the business experience students bring with them to the classroom. What you’ll learn will come in part from the process of sharing such experiences with others.
The best way to prepare yourself for business school is to position yourself for a good job upon graduation. Business schools value candidates with work experience involving decision-making and responsibility. You should work closely with your WCAS Adviser and University Career Services (UCS) as you prepare to apply for internships and jobs.
Job experience matters, undergraduate grades matter, GMAT scores matter, but in making their admissions decisions, top business schools are quite clear that they do not care about your undergraduate major. Kellogg Graduate School of Management is typical of top programs in that its admissions class tends to have the following composition:
31% |
Liberal Arts and Humanities, Political Science, Sociology, Anthropology |
20% |
Economics |
27% |
Science, Engineering |
22% |
Undergraduate Business |
Admission directors do advise that you take a class in statistics. Beyond that, you should consider classes in accounting, calculus, and perhaps intermediate micro and macroeconomics.
