[sixspeedsam]

Originally Posted by cpcollin

Gotcha. I did a fulltime mba program after working for 3 years and I definitely felt young among my peers. The insight that is brought into the classroom, projects, recruiting, etc, from yours and your classmates' diverse and varied experiences contributes immeasurably to the learning environment. Also, b-school (as a particular form of grad school) is very much about relationships, networking, and serving as a springboard into a particular industry. Various firms recruit at various schools, and various schools are known for different strengths. Look into where your top desired employers recruit, and target those schools. For marketing, Kellogg (Northwestern) has a great reputation.

Nikki -- listen to cpcollin, the force is strong in this one

Seriously though, all the stuff he mentioned is exactly right -- b-school is as much about networking as it is about learning, some would say more so. Most top tier schools recommend that you have several years in the real world so when you come into school, you have a base of knowledge to share about an industry, experiences to gain insights from and an ability to conceptually apply what you're learning to situations you were in or knew about.

Most would also like to see demonstrated mgmt capability (e.g. moving up the ladder -- jr. associate, associate, sr. asssociate to director, etc). Shows you have leadership potential -- and in the end, it benefits them as much as you.

Depending on your goals and financial situation, some would say if you don't get into the "magical seven" then you begin splitting hairs on the cost/benefit. But for Marketing specifically, Kellog is tops and always seems to rank 1-2 in that discipline. Believe Fuqua came in 3rd in the recent USNews poll, with Wharton coming in 2nd. Honestly, all great schools!

Best of luck

[Nikki]

Hmm, Fuqua, I wonder how hard that is to get into.

[Nikki]

I looked at their class profile. The undergraduate GPA makes me feel pretty good.

Class Size 405

Average age at entry 29

Entering with work experience 99%

Average years of work experience 5.6

Mean GMAT score 700

80% Range of GMAT score 645-750

Average undergraduate GPA 3.4

80% Range of undergraduate GPA 2.9-3.8

[cpcollin]

Thanks sam...

bschool-wise, GPA will definitely do more to hurt you if you're below 3 than it will to help you if you're a perfect 4.0. If I'm a top school and the average incoming student has 5 years of work experience, I care ALOT more about what the person has accomplished in the real world over that period than what they did as an undergraduate.

Your grades certainly help in finding a first job right out of scohol, but the further you get from that point, the less and less it matters. You won't be promoted because you got an A in a really hard undergrad course you took when you were a junior.