> I haven't encountered many from the best programs and I always wonder if they require some REAL work experience where they had real responsibility first / etc

> I haven't encountered many from the best programs and I always wonder if they require some REAL work experience where they had real responsibility first / etc. This was the traditional MBA path for a long time. Start out in a technical field (e.g. engineering), go back for an MBA, move to a management position. A lot of the value of the MBA comes from sharing previous experiences w/ your peers. Having students go straight from undergrad to MBA dilutes that value significantly and it doesn't really do the student taking that path any justice. They'll likely come out and hit the workforce more entitled than they normally would be. A lot of things mentioned in this discussion deal with leadership issues. MBA programs understand this and focus more on it but leadership is a difficult thing to teach. There is still some hard skills gained in an MBA program, essentially being able to jump into a business in a consulting role and be able to function across multiple departments to understand the business.