美国名校商学院看重创业经历

    可以肯定的是，你在商学院上第一堂课时，你左右的同窗中可能会有一个银行家或者咨询师，但很可能在前排或者几个座位之内也坐着一个创业者。

    毫无疑问，不是非得创建了下一个Facebook才能进入商学院，只要能证明公司的影响力（收入、客户增长等等）就足够了。即使你的公司最终失败了也能有所帮助。你可以以此证明你愿意承担审慎的冒险，而得到MBA学位将有助于你未来的成功。

    不管背景如何，每个商学院的申请者都必须证明自己的创业能力和热情，即使是那些最传统的申请人也不例外。没有创业背景者仍然可以在其工作或其他生活领域显示其创新或者“内部创业”能力。

    最后，如果你热爱金融或者咨询工作，别放弃。你仍然很有机会进入某所声誉卓著的商学院。但如果你想离开公司圈子，开创自己的事业，你同样也有希望加入顶级商学院，加油！

    Shawn P. O'Connor是Stratus Prep的创始人和首席执行官，该公司是位于纽约的备考及入学咨询公司。

    To be sure, when you are sitting in your first class at business school, you'll have a banker or consultant to your left or right. But you'll likely have an entrepreneur sitting on the other side, or at least within a couple of seats.

    It almost goes without saying that you don't need to have launched the next Facebook to gain admission to business school, as long as you can demonstrate your firm's impact (revenues, customer growth, etc.). Even starting a business that ultimately failed can help your chances. You can use the example to show your willingness to take measured risks and how you might grow from getting an MBA.

    No matter your background, everyone who applies to business school must demonstrate a capacity and passion for entrepreneurship. The schools are looking for this quality even from their most traditional applicants. Those who are not from an entrepreneurial background can still show how they have been innovative or "intrapreneurial" in their workplace or in other parts of their life.

    Ultimately, if you love your finance or consulting job, keep it. You will still have a strong chance of admission to a prestigious business school. But if you want to leave the corporate world and start your own company, you will also have a shot at a top program, so go for it!

    Shawn P. O'Connor is the founder and CEO of Stratus Prep, a New York-based test preparation and admissions counseling firm.