With the acceptance rate of top B-schools globally falling to 20%, it is quite evident that you must have something in your profile that makes you stand out from the crowd and increase your odds of acceptance for an MBA abroad.
An MBA is a degree that most people get at the age of 28 on average. This implies that professionals who already started working and then decided to take it up a notch, or switch careers, went on to pursue this degree. Thus, most candidates appearing for an MBA admission already have some work experience on their profile. But is it necessary to have work experience for MBA abroad, or is it only a choice?
Professionals worldwide agree that a year or two of work experience puts you on the edge against your competitors and increases your acceptance odds at your business school. But an answer this vague isn’t really enough when it comes to your big life choices. Let us help you dig deep into reasons why job experience for MBA is required and helpful.
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Is Work Experience Necessary for MBA?
Yes, work experience is necessary for MBA abroad but there are schools that don’t necessarily have work experience as a compulsory requirement for their applicants. There are various ways you can pursue an MBA without work experience at a few of the top study abroad destinations.
But the question is: is it wise to get an MBA at a college where work experience isn’t mandatory? Better put: should you pursue an MBA before or after gaining work experience?
Note that while it is possible to get an MBA without having experience, whether you should or shouldn’t definitely matters. There is a reason why most people and universities prefer experience, right? Let us tell you why!
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Reasons Why Work Experience for MBA is Required
The top reason why you should have experience for an MBA is that most B-Schools have work experience as a compulsory criterion. But there are also schools that don’t need experience. So, what are other reasons that you should get work experience for MBA abroad?
1. Salary
When you get an MBA after your work experience, there is a substantial hike in salary, when compared to freshers starting off with their MBA degree. This slows down your ROI, too.
2. Better Learning
Individuals who have spent a year or two in their fields have better ideas about the working and systems of the workplace. When they learn theoretically about the same during their course, they’ll be able to better implement the practices. Plus, it helps in choosing an MBA specialisation.
3. Debt
Most students take loans to pay for college. Business schools are especially notorious for their hefty tuition. If you already have debt from your graduate courses, you probably wouldn’t want to take another loan for MBA without getting rid of the first one first!
4. Competition
Applying to a business school alone is fairly expensive. Calculating the fees of GMAT, IELTS, visa, registration, everything, it’s natural to make sure you get accepted so that the money doesn’t go in vain. Work experience increases your odds of getting admitted, and you wouldn’t have to face rejection letters, after paying all the amount.
5. Networking
College is not just about the degree. And a graduate student might not understand this as much as a 2-year experienced professional would. You will have better insight into networking and co-curriculars.
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Apart from these, countless other perks and benefits have influenced candidates to get their MBA only after a year or two of working. If you’re still confused and need more reasons to decide if work experience for MBA is necessary, you could ask the people from the biggest community of study abroad aspirants.
What is the Minimum Work Experience Required for an MBA Abroad?
The real question after learning about the reasons, what is the minimum and average work experience for MBA? The minimum work experience requirement for aspirants is 2 years for most universities. There are some that don’t require any work experience at all, but around two years of it should be enough to help you climb the ladder.
The average work experience according to statistical data is around three to five years of work experience. As said, people of age 28 are the commonest applicants to MBA programs. They would probably have four years’ experience, or more before starting their MBA. But you don’t necessarily need to wait that long!
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Type of Job Experience Required for MBA
Now you know why and how much work experience is needed for an MBA. But now you’re probably thinking, what type of job experience for MBA do you need? Thankfully, there’s no typical requirement of work experience needed.
What matters the most is what the experience brought to you, and what you learnt from it. The work could be unpaid, internships, and volunteering, but you ought to learn something from it. Leadership, teamwork, EQ, international outlook, etc. are important takeaways. However, don’t go too broad and try sticking to your field. We aren’t really looking for rock bands and singing experience for an MBA degree!
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How to Study Without Work Experience for MBA?
If you still wish to cut to the chase and avoid the experience quota, and get done with your education portion as fast as possible, you totally can. There are many schools, top rated, worldwide, that take students based on other criteria and don’t require work experience for applying.
You could strengthen your other requirements like the GMAT, GPA, etc. and force schools to overlook your lack of field experience!
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Now that you have some insight into if work experience is necessary for MBA Abroad and are all set to apply, why not make it a hundred percent success? Connect with the world’s top experts to maximise your profile strength and get accepted to your dream university! Book a free consultation call today and talk to the experts from your home. All the best.
