Work experience gives students a reference point to use as they study business. When experienced students share what they have observed while working, it adds depth to the educational experience of the entire MBA class. In addition, work experience provides a means of demonstrating personal performance..

All of these factors make work history an important consideration in admission decisions. Schools vary considerably as to the weight given to work experience, and admission officers recognise that the abilities developed through employment can also be obtained in other ways.

I suggest thinking about the work experience requirement from the schools end. Most MBA programs involve a lot of case work and case discussions in class. Given 2 students with identical GMATS, GPAs, and quality shcools for undergrad whom is more likely to bring relevant experiences and more well-thought out positions to these classroom discussiions … a student who just graduated with the BS/BA and has a had a couple quality summer jobs or someone who has worked 3-5 years in industry and can bring that experience to the classroom?

What’s more, it’s not just about the quality of class discussions. It also has to do with the quality of the NETWORKING, which I think is probably the most valuable aspect of a top B-school. B-schools want people who have had successful careers not only because they can add to the discussions, but also because they bring a valuable Rolodex of industr contacts that other students can access through them. It’s not just about who you know, but who those other people know. For example, if you want to get a job at Microsoft, and your B-school friend used to work at Microsoft, then that’s your “in”. If you want to meet some powerful industry figure, and your B-school friend actually used to work with that guy, then that’s your “in”.

So basically, when B-schools admit you, they are not admitting just you, they are admitting your entire network of industry contacts. If you don’t have any industry contacts because you’ve never actually worked, then you’re obviously a less valuable asset to the class.