Does Career break affect MBA admissions

 

­Star97 Great question! I have worked extensively with people will long career breaks and I have seen all kinds of breaks.

You can see some ideas I have shared on this topic here:

 Managing Career Gaps in MBA Application: Common Scenarios & Strategies : IIM Group Discussions (gmatclub.com)

In your particular case, I would say that you should look for a job before you apply. Good B-schools generally do not accept applicants who are taking a career break at the time of application. Like it or not, this could reduce your chances by 70%. According to adcoms, an MBA should not be seen only as a means to get a job in a company. You should be smart enough to take your career into your own hands. Occasionally there are exceptions, which I have seen even at top B-schools like INSEAD. I have seen schools accept applicants who are taking a break at the time of application due to serious health issues or post-maternity complications and difficulties. But if these situations do not apply to you, I would say that you should focus more on finding a job than getting a stellar GMAT score.

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Best wishes
Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD MBA alum, former INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer)
Founder, MBAGuideConsulting 
LinkedIn |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/| Message(WA): +91 9971200927| email- mbaguideconsulting@gmail.com­

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Hi Star97,

If you have a career gap of anything more than 3-4 months, you should address the reason for the gap through the optional essay in the MBA applications. Whether this career gap will affect your chances of admission or not depends upon the reason for the break. Some reasons can be considered valid (redundancy from job, health reasons, study leave, entrepreneurial venture - these come immadiately to mind) whereas others may not be valid (to study for GMAT, got bored of long working hours, didn't like the job). If you have a valid reason to go on  break, the adcoms will be understanding of the situation so long as you explain it well. The other, not-so-valid reasons can make you come across as questionable and less serious about your career growth. 

In either case, you should be writing that optional essay as an eight month gap is sizeable and will need the explanation. Also, the adcoms will want to know how you kept yourself busy during this gap period. Did you take some academic courses? stay updated on your industry? Do volunteering / help in any community initiative? Do freelance work? Travel and learn about new cultures/ new ways of doing things? Your personal/professional growth, new skills gain will be important as the adcoms will want to see that you still grew in some way during this period. If you went through some adversity then how did you navigate that path? Showing self-reflection and self awareness also helps.

I don't know the reasons for your career break, so I have just mentioned some possible scenarios above. 

Going forward, try to get a job. R1 deadlines will start only in September and you will join an MBA program by Fall 2025. It will not be feasible to be unemployed until then. Moreover, applying with a job will show that you were able to get back on track. This can validate your optional essay and your intent for professional growth. 

Sometimes applicants think that they will delay finding a  job so that they can devote the time to their GMAT prep- however, I will discourage you from doing this. Its expected that you will study for the GMAT alongside a full time job, as a majority of applicants do,  and adcoms will not appreciate this reason for not joining back work. Infact, it can harm you.

To your question about applying for an MBA while being on a work break- yes, you can, but pay attention to everything I have mentioned above.
 
Namita Garg,
Founder, MBA Decoder
Email: contact@mbadecoder.com
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­Hello Star97,

Thanks for writing in.

Career breaks do have an impact on your application; however, one can always minimize the impact by addressing the reason for the gap in an apt manner. Definitely, scoring high on the GMAT will work to your advantage.

Yes, you can apply despite being on a break; however, it will be much better if you find a job and then apply.

We are constantly working with candidates on a break; hence, should you wish to discuss your prospects in greater detail, please feel free to get in touch with us for a profile evaluation session.

Hope this helps.

All the best!