A lot of times I get asked by applicants if they have to have a traditional business background in order to be admitted, e.g. do they have to have majored in business, finance, economics, etc. or do they have to have been working in an investment bank or a similar position prior to applying. My answer is “of course not.” When we are compiling our class, we are looking for diversity and want to see people from all types of educational and work backgrounds who will be able to provide different perspectives in the classroom. If everyone was a business major and worked in investment banking, it would be a very boring class discussion. Not that what those students have to say is boring, but rather if everyone comes from the same background, there isn’t much to talk about. We are looking for a class that includes bankers, but also people in consulting, marketing, teaching, non-profit, arts, the military, etc. who will share their different experiences in the classroom.
While it is not required that an applicant have a business background, we do want to be sure that you will be able to handle the rigor of Tuck’s quantitative program. As we make that assessment, we will look at things like your quant score on the GMAT, whether any of the work you do is quantitative, and we will look at the classes you have taken. If you find that you are someone who doesn’t have any of the above indicators, I would recommend taking a few classes before you apply: statistics, financial accounting, microeconomics and/or finance. It is also valuable to have a good understanding of Excel if you don’t already. There are two reasons for taking these classes: one, it will show the admissions committee that you are able to handle the work; and two, having some familiarity with these concepts in advance will make you a more confident student when you arrive on campus to start your MBA.
Read the full article: Quantitative Classes to Prepare for the MBA