We’re wrapping up our Myth Busters series this week by shedding some light on reporting work experience on your application, our evaluation criteria, and the GMAT vs. GRE. For more myth-busting, read last week’s post on letters of reference, or dust off the very first post in the series from two weeks ago.
MYTH: If I worked full-time during or before college, I can count those months as “full-time work experience.”
THE TRUTH: We value all work experience, including jobs or military service you’ve had before graduating college. We ask that in the box for “months of full-time work experience,” you include only the months of full-time work experience SINCE you graduated from your undergraduate university, calculating the number of months from your college graduation until September 1, 2014. This is simply for data reporting purposes. You’ll see that statistic in our class profile so we want the data to be consistent across the entire applicant pool. It has NOTHING to do with how we evaluate applications. If you pursued a full-time career prior to graduating college, we would be eager to hear about your personal journey and the choices you’ve made.
Since the application form doesn’t fit every person’s situation, we ask that applicants who have worked full-time before graduating college report that in the Part-Time Employment section and indicate 40 hours in the “hours/week” box. We will connect the dots that you were working before or throughout college. Also, the resume we ask you to submit will show us your career path.
MYTH: If my application doesn’t meet certain criteria, the admissions office won’t even look at it.
THE TRUTH: We review each and every application to understand your background, aspirations, and potential. While scores and grades command attention in the blogosphere, each of you is more than a combination of statistics; we are building a community as well as a class. Real people are getting to know you through your application. This is not an automated process; it’s a very human process that takes time and deliberation.
MYTH: Even though Stanford GSB accepts either the GMAT or GRE, it’s better to submit GMAT scores.
THE TRUTH: Nope. We don’t have a preference either way; and if we did, we’d tell you. Do what makes sense for you. For example, if you’re applying to Stanford’s joint MBA and MS in Computer Science, the Department of Computer Science requires the GRE. Or, if you’re applying to other graduate programs that accept only the GRE, there’s no reason to spend your time and money taking the GMAT, too, unless it’s required by another MBA program that you are applying to. If you’re applying to multiple MBA programs, some schools only accept the GMAT so just make sure you’ve done your research on which tests certain schools accept.
Thanks for reading! Continue learning about our application process by visiting our website. For advice and encouragement along the way, we also recommend having a look at these perspectives from the Assistant Dean for MBA Admissions.