Welcome! This blog is for advisors at undergraduate and graduate institutions to share notes with us here at Kaplan Test Prep, with each other, and with future MBAs. I’m Andrew Mitchell, Director of GMAT Programs here at Kaplan Test Prep, and I look forward to collaborating with you in supporting the education of our future leaders in business and management.
I myself have an MBA from Chicago Booth, Class of 2007. When I was pursuing the degree, I had no idea that my GMAT score would come in handy after graduation, or that I would end up in a management position in the test preparation industry. (My last GMAT score, in case you’re curious, was 770, 99th percentile). In retrospect, maybe I shouldn’t have been so surprised: MBA programs are defined by the diversity of paths that lead into them and out of them. See, for example, this chart, published in the GMAC Profile of GMAT Candidates, 2011.
Here you see the undergraduate major of applicants to business school. It’s not surprising that business leads the pack as the most common undergrad major. But notice that majoring in business is far from a requirement for the MBA. In fact, in the five year average, business majors represent only about half (52%, to be precise) of the candidates. The takeaway, in my eyes, is that we can do great favors by encouraging undergraduates to think about leadership. Virtually everyone in college is a potential future MBA, whether they will set foot in a bank or consultancy or not. They might end up in the education sphere, in a non-profit, in government, or working for a brand or service, or in entrepreneurship. The only hallmark of the future MBA is future leadership, and that characteristic is to be found in many of us in many majors and other walks of life. Undergrads may appreciate the message that they don’t have to think of themselves as a “suit” to be a future leader who could benefit from an MBA.
What do you think? In that spirit of dialogue, let me welcome you again to our blog and encourage you to send along your comments and thoughts. I look forward to partnering with you in furthering management education.
