I have not taken the GMAT yet, but I was wondering how my career experience would be evaluated by an admissions officer. I am currently enrolled in a Leadership Development Program at my company that rotates members through 3 different job positions in 3 years giving that individual a broad range of experience in different areas. The 3 jobs that I will have upon applying will all be IT focused.

My question is do admissions officers look for depth of experience (ie. 1 position with 3 or 4 years) or is it ok if I have a breadth of experience with many positions? I would obviously stress in my application that the program is selective and not everyone can get into it.

Also, is it more difficult applying to business school with IT career experience? My degree is MIS and was in the school of business at Penn State, but I wasn't sure if they preferred like a Finance or Accounting undergrad focused degree.

I will have 2.5 years experience when applying.

I have a 3.86 undergrad GPA and plan to score around 700 on the GMAT. Obviously my work experience will be my weakest point. Have you seen candidates with strong essays and similar credentials get into Tuck, Haas, Columbia, maybe even Harvard?

Thanks

It really depends on the company offering the rotational program. Not all rotational programs are created equal. IT isn't usually seen in the same light as business rotational programs (but then again, that should be obvious - you are applying to business school after all).

All you can do is to put in your applications, and hope for the best. You will either get in, or you won't.

Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com