What are my chances of admission to an MBA program?

Question

3.7 undergrad GPA, 1 year of work experience, 640 GMAT (but I'm retaking it). I've had really good interviews.

Answer 1

Those are good credentials. The biggest holdback is the one year of experience. I am currently in an MBA program at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University (ranked #18 by BusinessWeek) and I had two years of work experience right before going in. My GPA was a bit higher, but my GMAT was a bit lower than yours.

If you are looking for a full-time MBA, this can play into your favor, since applications to full-time programs are, as a whole, down this year and last. However, applications for part-time and online programs are going up, and my guess is within 3 years, you'll see the online application standards be on par (if not already at some schools) with the full-time students. Since full-time enrollments are down (and those are the ones that drive money and alumni for schools), more schools are allowing students in with 0-1 years of experience, schools like Indiana, UCLA, and even Columbia.

But there is always the 'X' factor - your essays and recommendations. Students who were 2.0 GPAs and 500 GMATs do get into Harvard because they have demonstrated extreme entrepreneurship and leadership skills in real life.

Long story short, if you compare your data to those of students at top business schools, your credentials give you maybe a 25% to 50% chance of getting into a top 5 school (Harvard, Penn, Northwestern, Stanford, MIT), a 50% of chance of getting into a 6-15 school (Virginia, Michigan, UCLA and the like), and a 75% chance or better of getting into a 16-25 school (Indiana, Babson, Minnesota and the like). I'm not an admissions counselor, but those are where I peg your probabilities, and I think you could get into a top 20 school.

Just remember, go to the best school possible for grad school - it opens up more alumni contacts and job recruiting. Any top 25 business school, as are certain other specialty programs, is highly respected. Find a program/school that you really like and just call the admissions people to give you inside information. Remember, going to Harvard but not feeling comfortable there will be a waste, when you would have felt at home and thrive at a school like Florida or Arizona State. Go to the best school you can where you would feel like it would be worth your time.

Answer 2

infrequently: the uncomplicated MBA student is about 28, with 5 years of work adventure - and for most colleges, more beneficial artwork adventure is not in any respect a nasty element. Given your list, in spite of the undeniable fact that, you'll likely be a sturdy scholarship candidate, so that you may opt for to look into your ideas there if funds are the in effortless words element protecting you decrease back. (looking on how vast your employer is, they could also be prepared to help pay on your practise in case you'll come decrease back to artwork for them in a while.)

Answer 3

It really depends on where you are applying to....With those credentials, pretty much any state school or equivalent will most likely accept you. If you are talking Ivy league, you'll need to boost your GMAT score, and it also depends on your work experience (and connections!). But, you'll get into a decent school somewhere.

Answer 4

If I were you, I would work for a corporation that pays for your MBA. On Wall Street in NYC, you have plenty of MBA programs established by corporations and sending the student either to NYU or Columbia.