When should I apply?

[hwoo]

I recently graduated from undergrad last month, and I took the GMAT last week. I'm completely confused as to when is the best time to apply to business school. I suppose the traditional route would be to work for a couple of years and then apply. However, I do know of some people who applied as undergrads or shortly after graduation and then deferred their enrollment until a later time. I'm interested in H/W/S, Sloan, Columbia, Berkeley Haas, UCLA Anderson, NYU Stern, Chicago. Based on my profile, what do you suggests? Also, how do you suggest I strengthen my profile if I were to apply 2-3 years down the line.

GMAT: 750 (98%) 48Q (85%) 46V (99%)

Undergrad from USC: Double major in Finance and Accounting with a 3.93 overall GPA.

Future Work Experience: I interned at Ernst & Young as an auditor last summer and plan to start full-time in October.

Extracurricular Activities:
I'm a highly active member at my church. I currently serve as a youth volunteer. My responsibilities include the day-to-day responsibilities of running a program and administrative responsibilities such as the recruiting/hiring of a youth pastor.
In 2006, I traveled to China with a Christian organization to teach English.
During undergrad, I served as a VP in an internationally recognized accounting Fraternity and was a TA for business/accounting classes.

[MBA Mission]

Thank you for your inquiry.

Generally, those who are successful in applying early have achieved at an inordinate level at a young age. Generally, these candidates don’t just have high scores and strong extra-curricular/community involvement, but already have a formidable history of initiation (started a non-profit, a small business or a campus club) or have profound leadership skills (captained a college team, led student government, etc.) In short, there is something that really stands out about these candidates.

In your case, you certainly seem to have a very strong foundation for an application going forward. However, it seems to me that you need a stronger professional track record and some additional leadership experience to challenge for a place at the top schools. This is not a negative - you are on the right track, but you just don’t seem to have it all in place right now.

There is no "right" amount of experience. You should apply when you have a certain quality of experience. In the meantime, you should maintain your community involvement and continue to reach for personal goals. I have attached a link to our long term planning section on our website. It should help you develop a plan going forward. And, of course, we offer a free consultation if you would like to discuss your path forward.

http://www.mbamission.com/blog/category ... a-planning


Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

www.mbamission.com
646-485-8844
Skype: MBAMission

I recently graduated from undergrad last month, and I took the GMAT last week. I'm completely confused as to when is the best time to apply to business school. I suppose the traditional route would be to work for a couple of years and then apply. However, I do know of some people who applied as undergrads or shortly after graduation and then deferred their enrollment until a later time. I'm interested in H/W/S, Sloan, Columbia, Berkeley Haas, UCLA Anderson, NYU Stern, Chicago. Based on my profile, what do you suggests? Also, how do you suggest I strengthen my profile if I were to apply 2-3 years down the line.

GMAT: 750 (98%) 48Q (85%) 46V (99%)

Undergrad from USC: Double major in Finance and Accounting with a 3.93 overall GPA.

Future Work Experience: I interned at Ernst & Young as an auditor last summer and plan to start full-time in October.

Extracurricular Activities:
I'm a highly active member at my church. I currently serve as a youth volunteer. My responsibilities include the day-to-day responsibilities of running a program and administrative responsibilities such as the recruiting/hiring of a youth pastor.
In 2006, I traveled to China with a Christian organization to teach English.
During undergrad, I served as a VP in an internationally recognized accounting Fraternity and was a TA for business/accounting classes.