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Typical Requirements and Admission Advice
Like any other professional program (i.e. Medical or Law School),
getting accepted into an MBA school is the hardest part. Knowing
the rules of the game is already half the battle.
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Minimum GMAT Scores: The Graduate Management
Admissions Test (GMAT) is a standardized Computer Aided Test
(CAT) that is broken down into 3 parts: written essays, math,
and English. You must meet the minimum GMAT score requirement
of your target school in order to even be considered. Fortunately,
unless you’re going for a top-tier school, the minimum
requirement for most schools falls within the range of 550 –
650, which is quite achievable. If you want to get that high
700+ score, enroll in a Kaplan
prep course or find some practice tests. If this is too difficult,
then it’s a sign that you should probably apply to a different
school.
- Minimum Working Experience: Typically, 2
years of working experience is the absolute minimum required
in order to apply for the MBA program. On average, most students
in the regular MBA program have about 3-4 years of working experience.
Priority is given to students who are able to demonstrate career
progression (moving up in the ranks). For the EMBA program,
most students are required to have 10+ years of work experience.
If you do not have the minimum work experience required, you
can still get accepted by being creative on your resume. Describe
your work experience in a way that states you should already
have the degree you are seeking.
- Undergraduate Degree: An undergraduate degree
is usually required in order to be considered for MBA admission.
However, people without an undergrad degree but with 10+ years
of experience can apply as mature students, where working experience
may be considered in place of the undergraduate degree.
- Motivational Letter: Some schools will require
you to write a letter explaining why you want to do an MBA degree.
What they are looking for is people who aspire to be leaders,
so structure your letter around this theme and, you should be
fine. Obviously, don’t mention anything about wanting
to make more money (even if it is the main reason why many of
people pursue an MBA).
- Recommendation Letters: Many schools require
you to submit a few reference letters from past employers or
professors, explaining why the MBA is a good fit for you. Most
people who give references may want to help but do not know
what to say that will be helpful to you, so make sure you provide
them with a list of key points that they should mention in the
letter. These points should line up with those that you put
in your motivational letter. Providing the key points also pushes
the person to write and send the letter quicker.
Agree? Disagree? Or simply want to add your 2 cents? Share your
opinion on the Why
do an MBA? Discussion Board.
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