Hello,
I scored 760(Q-48, V-45) on the GMAT this month . I will be starting second year of pharmacy school in Canada this September, and the only education that I received prior to starting pharmacy school is a year of BSc in chemistry. I have only been out of highschool for two years, and have no full time experience. I wish to work for pharmaceutical companies as a consultant in the future.

I understand that MBA admissions require minimum of 2 years of fulltime employment, and that GMAT scores are good for 5 years. Since I have to attend university full time for the next 3 years to earn my degree, I am doubtful that I will be able to use my scores when I start applying to MBA programs.

All the MBA schools I researched require at least 2 years of full time employment, but it waives that requirement for students pursuing a joint MBA/JD (law) degree. While I wouldn't mind taking this route, I prefer to work in the business aspects of drug distribution rather than the legal aspects. Are there schools in Canada or US schools that do not require 2 years of full time experience or waive the requirement for certain applicants?

Hi Lee,

Thanks for writing in and congratulations on an excellent GMAT score. As you seem to have noticed, however, an MBA application is about your holistic profile, and GMAT is only one component of that. A high score in itself is not a guarantee of admissions

Check out our recent blog post on that very issue:

http://www.mbamission.com/blog/2011/08/ ... get-me-in/

I don't recommend changing your schools plans to pursue a joint program if that's not where your career goals lie. The two year work experience is not a steadfast rule at most U.S. schools but is a strong recommendation. You could apply before two years, but you would have to frame your application as to why it's important for you to attend with limited work experience.

Best of luck,

Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com

Read the mbaMission Insider's Guides (14 individual school titles)

Visit the mbaMission Blog

Follow mbaMission on Twitter

Thank you for the helpful reply.