Alex,
I had an interesting thought. Have you seen any correlation with your clients' starting salaries and bschool admission results to top 10 schools?
Specifically, have you noticed that a lot of people already making 150k+ don't get into full time programs? Or do you find it to be the opposite, that the adcoms see that as a validation of work prowess and potential? Or totally irrelevant?
This assumes that the applicants have put their best foot forward, and are working with you (shameless plug).
GMAT Forum
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- Guest
- MBAApply
You can't really look at salary because it's apples and oranges between one occupation and the next.
With bankers and consultants, it's more about what level you're at in your career. The further along you are in a post-MBA career, the harder it is to get in. There is a "best before" date for bankers and consultants. Typically, the sweet spot is 2-3 years in banking/consulting, plus an optional 1-2 years in some non-banking/consulting role (private equity, corporate development, product management, nonprofit, etc.). For most bankers/consultants, by the time they have 4-5 years experience, they should be well into a post-MBA career. Beyond this, it's harder to justify why you need an MBA. The sweet spot is around 3 years, with an upper bound of around 5 years (although this doesn't mean that you can't get in with more experience; it's just a lot harder).
With engineers and other corporate professionals who have no prior banking/consulting experience, the sweet spot is around 4-5 years post-college experience (with or without the masters). 6 years is the upper bound. Beyond that, it's much harder to get in.
With military applicants, it doesn't matter. B-schools love military applicants and for them it's less about WHEN they apply, and more about how well they execute their applications (as well as how strong their scores are - GMAT/GPA).
With non-traditional candidates (nonprofit, teaching, physicians, lawyers, etc.), it's a case-by-case basis.
Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogpsot.com
With bankers and consultants, it's more about what level you're at in your career. The further along you are in a post-MBA career, the harder it is to get in. There is a "best before" date for bankers and consultants. Typically, the sweet spot is 2-3 years in banking/consulting, plus an optional 1-2 years in some non-banking/consulting role (private equity, corporate development, product management, nonprofit, etc.). For most bankers/consultants, by the time they have 4-5 years experience, they should be well into a post-MBA career. Beyond this, it's harder to justify why you need an MBA. The sweet spot is around 3 years, with an upper bound of around 5 years (although this doesn't mean that you can't get in with more experience; it's just a lot harder).
With engineers and other corporate professionals who have no prior banking/consulting experience, the sweet spot is around 4-5 years post-college experience (with or without the masters). 6 years is the upper bound. Beyond that, it's much harder to get in.
With military applicants, it doesn't matter. B-schools love military applicants and for them it's less about WHEN they apply, and more about how well they execute their applications (as well as how strong their scores are - GMAT/GPA).
With non-traditional candidates (nonprofit, teaching, physicians, lawyers, etc.), it's a case-by-case basis.
Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogpsot.com
- Guest
Alex, why is there a "best before" date on consultants/bankers? I would think it would be a bit beneficial/admirable/differentiating to spend a few more years and gain some industry/niche experience in an industry or sector to bring something to the class.
Are you basically saying then that higher salary due to work experience does not correlate well to admissions then? I guess this does assume most people making 150k+ have a lot of experience (finance is an exception).
Are you basically saying then that higher salary due to work experience does not correlate well to admissions then? I guess this does assume most people making 150k+ have a lot of experience (finance is an exception).
- MBAApply
There's a best before date because it's hard for many of them to justify why then need an MBA at that point. It's also a signaling thing -- they know that bankers/consultants are more familiar with what the MBA is all about because the majority of their colleagues have them. As such, someone who is well into a post-MBA career should be able to succeed with an MBA. The fact that they are applying signals that they aren't as good as their peers, or they are simply looking for a vacation or a trophy. Can they bring more value to a class? Sure. But so can a 45-year old CEO - and you're not seeing senior execs without MBAs applying to full-time programs.
Again, it's not about salary since different professions have different pay scales.
Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogpsot.com
Again, it's not about salary since different professions have different pay scales.
Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogpsot.com
4 posts Page 1 of 1