What would you do in my situation? I got a 790 on the GMAT, BUT I only have 6 months of work experience. I graduated from university last year and only in January was able to get a job.

I want to go to Stanford. Given that the average GMAT there this year is 732, but they don't actually require work experience, do I have a shot?

It's possible but not likely. Why not ask them?

What would you do in my situation? I got a 790 on the GMAT, BUT I only have 6 months of work experience. I graduated from university last year and only in January was able to get a job.

I want to go to Stanford. Given that the average GMAT there this year is 732, but they don't actually require work experience, do I have a shot?

I congratulate you for this superb score, and if not this year, I am sure that you would get in to a top business school in the future.

Admissions are going to be holistic - it's more than just your GMAT score.

If there's something interesting about you: in terms of your background, or how you'd fit with the cohort they're building, then possibly. Otherwise, you're just a dude who can get a good test score.

I'd suggest having clearly defined career goals, especially in terms of how Stanford will help you meet them. All too often, people at the early stages of their careers do not yet have a sense of their strengths and weaknesses, and this shows during the admissions process. Yes, Stanford is a top school, but how will it help *you* specifically, meet your career goals?

Also, this may help:

http://web.stanford.edu/group/mba/blog/2007/08/no_work_experience_required_to.html

One of the many myths floating around is that you need to have a certain number of years of work experience before you become eligible for admission to business school. This may be true for some schools but NOT for the Stanford MBA Program.
As we say over and over, we believe that you know best when the time is right for business school. When you feel ready, apply. Whatever your career stage, use your application to make a case for how you will contribute, grow, and learn at Stanford.

Take that with a grain of salt. At all the top 40 US schools, including Stanford, the average work experience of admitted students is 4 to 6 years. You have to be pretty exceptional, and ideally an alum or legacy student, to get in earlier. I'd recommend this person to take an MS or get work experience. They are really only a competitive candidate at somewhere like Penn State, Alabama, Northeastern or Syracuse.