Less than 2 years of worx ex ?

There is no doubt that a real world experience adds value to your mba experience. But its a personal choice to decide when one should turn to B school . I am a early career applicant and would like to share some useful pointers for similar applicants.

• Be sure if you really want to do an MBA. Is it money, career, networking ? Be sure about this aspect. Generalist answer to this question will mar your prospects.
  
• Be ready to answer the Why Now ? It becomes more important if you have less work ex. 
• Its very important to have a clear cut sense what you want to do immediately after an MBA. No matter how good an MBA can be, one can not fully utilize it unless they have thought about the process and what to expect from it. So research about career paths available and see if it fits your bill
• Its very important to select those schools which encourage younger applicants or which have the average age of students lesser than the usual numbers as stated in the class profile.
  You can find all these information on B school websites and viewbooks.
• Less work experience means less managerial experience at workplace. Be sure to exercise your leadership at workplace and outside workplace. Leadership is really not tied to the job title. You can show leadership in your personal life, community life.
  Also think about the undergrad experiences and internships and highlight the leadership aspects of the same.
  Sports can also be a good field where you can be a leader
  
• You can use optional essay to address the less work ex issue by showing what else you can bring to table.
• Try to have above average GMAT scores. 
• Work on a good resume. One page is what is welcomed most of the places. It must be the expected professional format.
  

Some useful podcasts and videos which address the issue here

• Video :How can business school applicants strengthen their applications with less than two years of work experience

• A podcast which discusses whats the best age to go for an MBA
  http://www.mbapodcaster.com/MBA_MoreInfo/MBABestAge.asp?iEpisode=13
  

• Some cool advice for younger applicants
  http://www.mbapodcaster.com/MBA_MoreInfo/AdviceYoungApplicants.asp?iEpisode=34

You can also write to me if you want more information or if you want to share some information.

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