College students may ease their stress by gaining early admission to b-school and then deferring while they gain work experience.
Business students tend to talk about 2+2 when asked about deferred MBA programs, but Harvard's isn't the only such program, nor is it the first. Yale University's School of Management has been accepting college students directly into its Silver Scholars Program—a three-year program, which is two years of classes and a year of interning off-campus in between—since 2001. College seniors can also apply to Stanford University's Graduate School of Business via a deferred enrollment program.
Overseas, Spain's IESE business school has a Young Talent Program, which admits juniors and seniors who study in Barcelona and gain work experience before starting the two-year MBA program.
Gillian Kemmerer is one of the students who recently started the Young Talent Program.
"IESE is incredibly supportive of students who wish to pursue a master's or secondary degree in their undergraduate field before working and entering the MBA," says Kemmerer, a 2011 Columbia University graduate.
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Kemmerer, who will begin her MBA at IESE after working for two full years, chose the Spanish school for its international focus and its emphasis on work experience.
"This program is designed for students committed to a challenging, international, fast-track into a management position," she says. "I recommend it with no hesitations to anyone who is looking to share their future with a wealth of like-minded individuals and a world-class institution."
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