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Quick Answer
Pre-MBA programs are short-term academic or professional preparation courses offered before business school. They help students strengthen quantitative, leadership, and networking skills before starting their MBA. While optional, pre-MBA programs can give you a smoother transition into business school.
Keep reading to learn what pre-MBA programs are, who should consider them, the top programs offered by leading schools, and how to prepare effectively before your MBA journey.
Here are the topics we’ll cover:
- What Is a Pre-MBA Program?
- Benefits of Pre-MBA Programs
- Types of Pre-MBA Programs
- Top Pre-MBA Programs to Consider
- Do You Really Need a Pre-MBA Program?
- How to Prepare Without a Formal Pre-MBA Program
- Key Takeaways
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- What’s Next?
What Is a Pre-MBA Program?
A pre-MBA program is essentially MBA prep before business school. Specifically, it’s any structured learning or professional experience designed to help you bridge the gap between your current background and the first year of your MBA. Pre-MBA programs provide exposure to different functions and industries and also help candidates develop their hard and soft skills.
Further, pre-MBA programs may include:
- Academic refresher programs — Also known as “math camp” or “pre-MBA quant prep.” Focused on refreshing or developing your quant skills, such as stats, accounting, microeconomics, Excel, and data analysis skills
- Pre-MBA internships — Career-oriented programs or fellowships that help candidates gain exposure to a specific pre-MBA function or industry, such as consulting, product management, or investing
- Bootcamps — Programs that help candidates develop their soft skills, such as leadership, communications, team dynamics, time management, and case interview prep, among others
- Community and diversity pipelines — Designed to pair learning with networking and recruiting programs at specific companies
- Company-specific programs — Offer an inside look into large companies and their MBA recruiting processes
Most of these pre-MBA programs run 4–8 weeks (though the time will vary), and many take place in the summer before business school. Additionally, some pre-MBA programs are offered directly through business schools, whereas others are offered by industry groups or companies.
KEY FACT:
Most pre-MBA programs last 4–8 weeks.
Benefits of Pre-MBA Programs
Pre-MBA programs are designed to help candidates ramp up to the MBA and improve their chances of success within the program. Specifically, pre-MBA program benefits include:
- Confidence-building — The MBA core curriculum moves quickly. However, pre-MBA courses in accounting, stats, economics, Excel/R/SQL can help students keep up with the pace of the core curriculum.
- Strengthening quant baseline — Candidates who take advantage of pre-MBA courses may experience less stress when they encounter these subjects again in the core MBA curriculum.
- Recruiting support — Pre-MBA summer programs and internships expose MBA candidates to new functions and industries (such as consulting, product management, product marketing, and more). Additionally, these programs help candidates clarify their fit for the functions and help them prepare for internship recruiting.
- Networking — Bootcamps and pre-term programming help candidates build networks among students, peers, alumni, and employer partners before recruiting starts. Specifically, these relationships may help them gain an edge when they land on campus.
- Strategic planning — Pre-MBA programs help non-traditional candidates signal their intentions to classmates and recruiters, paving the way for a more successful recruiting process.
We recommend assessing your goals and determining which objectives and programs make the most sense for you.
TTP PRO TIP:
Pre-MBA programs help prepare students for the fast pace of MBA programs.
Types of Pre-MBA Programs
Some school-run pre-term programs are optional, whereas others are mandatory and take place right before classes begin. Here are some of the types of pre-MBA programs:
1. Academic “Quant Prep” and Business Foundations Courses
- Focus areas: fundamentals of accounting, finance, microeconomics, statistics and probability, spreadsheet modeling and fundamentals, and analytics for business managers
- Formats: asynchronous or live sessions; quizzes, tests, and certificates.
- Best for: non-quant majors, non-traditional careers, candidates who have been out of school for a long time, and anyone who wants a refresher of core concepts
2. Pre-MBA Bootcamps (Soft Skills and Career Development)
- Focus areas: team leadership, executive communication, case interview prep, technical interview basics, and playbooks for networking
- Formats: short, intensive workshops, role-plays, cohort-based learning
- Best for: candidates who are pivoting functions or industries
TTP PRO TIP:
Students who are changing functions or industries might benefit from the soft skills and career development offered by pre-MBA bootcamps.
3. Pre-MBA Internships and Fellowships
- Focus areas: hands-on exposure to a pre-MBA function, such as consulting, finance and banking, venture capital, private equity, product management, or growth
- Formats: 4–10 weeks, part-time or full-time, in-person or remote
- Best for: building experience in a new industry or function, gaining references, and providing evidence for career switching or advancement for fall recruiting
4. Diversity and Community Programs
- Focus areas: women in business, first-generation college students, underrepresented minority students, veterans, LGBTQ+ populations, etc.
- Formats: community and mentorship programs, resume workshops, and employer connections, often providing early access to recruiting opportunities
- Best for: candidates from underrepresented populations and non-traditional pre-MBA careers, such as the military
5. School-Run Pre-Terms and “Math Camps”
- Focus areas: academic refresh and onboarding to the program
- Formats: typically mandatory or strongly recommended virtual or in-person programming; includes diagnostics, workshops, and cohort activities
- Best for: candidates without a strong background, international students, and all MBA students (for the required programs)
KEY FACT:
Some school-run pre-term programs are optional, and others are mandatory and occur before classes begin.
Top Pre-MBA Programs to Consider
Here are a few examples of the best pre-MBA programs across top MBA programs and companies. However, we don’t recommend choosing an MBA program exclusively for its pre-MBA programs. Instead, assess pre-MBA programs as 1 consideration.
- Building and Supporting Excellence (BASE) — Bain offers this exploratory program to help candidates learn more about management consulting.
- CBS Lead: People, Teams, Organizations — This required pre-term course is designed to help students get to the next level in their careers.
- Wharton Pre-Term — Incoming students take part in the McNulty Leadership Program Learning Team Experience, gain exposure to AI applications, and participate in community-building events, among other activities.
- INSEAD Business Foundations Week — INSEAD students may take part in an optional week to gain functional knowledge in financial accounting, finance, and quantitative methods. Additionally, INSEAD students may take part in online learning and webinars focused on business topics and MBA life.
- Kellogg CIM — This is Kellogg’s mandatory, on-campus onboarding program, also known as “Culture is Made,” which introduces incoming students to Kellogg’s culture, values, and MBA life.
- LBS Pre-Term — LBS offers online prep courses in accounting, finance, and statistics prior to the start of term 1.
- MBA Takeoff — This virtual program offered by the Forté Foundation helps incoming MBAs build leadership skills, build relationships, and gain strategies to navigate the MBA experience.
- McKinsey Early Access (MEA) — MEA Introduces candidates to McKinsey before they start business school.
- Reaching Out MBA Summer Treks — Reaching Out allows admitted MBA students to connect with a range of companies looking for LGBTQ+ MBA talent.
There are many pre-MBA programs of all types. Check out Yale SOM’s helpful online resource to learn more.
TTP PRO TIP:
Pre-MBA programs give admits early exposure to academics, recruiting, and MBA community life.
Do You Really Need a Pre-MBA Program?
In short, no — these programs are totally optional. However, it really depends on your goals and what you hope to get out of your recruiting process and MBA program.
Use this checklist to evaluate whether a pre-MBA program would help you:
- Quant subjects: If you have been out of school for a long time or haven’t had exposure to math and stats, a quant prep before MBA program can be a great idea.
- Career pivot: If you’re jumping functions or industries, a pre-MBA internship or bootcamp helps you acclimate to a new track and provides some prep before internship recruiting.
- Time and cost: Some programs are free, whereas others may cost money or time. So, you should balance ROI with your budget and bandwidth.
- Community: If it’s important to connect with peers across programs or within your own, pre-MBA programs may help you build a community.
If you’re already comfortable with core business topics, have a strong recruiting plan, and prefer to take part in other activities before business school (such as rest or travel), you can prepare for an MBA without a pre-MBA program (see next section).
TTP PRO TIP:
Evaluate what you want out of a pre-MBA program and whether it would facilitate your learning, development, or professional goals.
How to Prepare Without a Formal Pre-MBA Program
If you’re wondering, “Do I need a pre-MBA program?” The answer may be no!
If you decide to skip pre-MBA courses or programs, you can design your own around the following concepts:
Quant Refresh
- Accounting: Learn about income statements, balance sheets, cash flow, accrual vs. cash, and working capital.
- Stats: Study distributions, confidence intervals, regressions, and test hypotheses.
- Finance: Learn the time value of money, NPV/IRR, and discount rates.
- Tools: Use Excel/Google Sheets functions (INDEX/MATCH/XLOOKUP, pivot tables) and basic data visualizations.
- Resources: Revisit options for MBA math.
TTP PRO TIP:
Sharpen your quant by reviewing accounting, statistics, finance, and tools such as Excel or Google Sheets before classes begin.
Business News
- Read 1 Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, or Bloomberg-style briefing each day for a few weeks.
- Understand which business news stories are trending and why.
- Take notes on business concepts and jargon, such as ARR, CAC, WACC, and more.
TTP PRO TIP:
Build a daily habit of reading high-quality business news and tracking key terms.
Career Development
- Choose 1–2 target functions, roles, and companies for your post-MBA career.
- Map your skill gaps to your target functions and design 2 mini-projects to help you understand them better (for example, product teardowns or market analyses).
TTP PRO TIP:
Clarify your target roles and companies, then use small self-designed projects to explore skill gaps.
Communications
- Practice your elevator pitch before you land on campus.
- Set up informational chats with current students and alumni in your focus areas.
TTP PRO TIP:
Polish your elevator pitch and start conversations with current students and alumni.
Systems
- Set up a note-taking system for your class notes and recruiting plans (for example, explore Evernote, Notion, OneNote, and other tools).
- Allocate time for deep work and wellness in your schedule, along with sleep and exercise — establishing strong habits now will pay dividends when you start your MBA!
TTP PRO TIP:
Set up simple systems for note-taking and recruiting plans to stay organized.
Key Takeaways
Pre-MBA programs — from “math camps” to pre-MBA bootcamps or pre-MBA internships — will help make your first semester and internship recruiting less stressful. While these programs are not mandatory, they can be powerful accelerators.
When you show up on campus with knowledge of core quant and business concepts, some career prep, and a story for why you’re pursuing your target pre-MBA function, you’ll feel prepared to tackle the challenges ahead. Good luck!
TTP PRO TIP:
While pre-MBA programs aren’t necessary, they can boost your confidence and make recruiting and your first semester less stressful.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the purpose of a pre-MBA program?
Pre-MBA programs help prepare you for the challenging onboarding and first semester of business school. Specifically, these programs help improve your quant skills, develop your soft skills, define your career path, and build a network. Ultimately, you should feel more confident starting your business school career.
Are pre-MBA programs worth it?
It depends. Specifically, these programs are worth it if you have clear skill gaps, are pivoting functions, or want early access to networks and recruiting opportunities. However, if you are already strong in quant and have a solid plan, you can create your own program or do other things before your MBA starts.
Which schools offer pre-MBA programs?
Most top MBA programs offer some combination of pre-term, math camp, or business foundations programming. Specifically, these are offered over the summer or as part of your required orientation. So, check out some of the options listed in this article, and do your own research to understand what’s available.
How long do pre-MBA programs last?
Pre-MBA programs typically range from a few days to several weeks. However, pre-MBA summer programs and internships might last a few months. Additionally, pre-term programs on campus may be shorter.
Can I prepare for an MBA without a pre-MBA program?
Definitely! To prepare for an MBA, you can also develop your own pre-MBA program. So, reference the last section in this article for tips to develop your own study and prep plan.
What’s Next?
There are many ways you can prepare for your MBA. Ultimately, the best pre-MBA program for you will depend on your pre-MBA experience and post-MBA goals.
Hopefully, this article provides you with some ideas on where to start and what to consider. However, if you’d like advice on your application, pre-MBA planning, and strategy, we can help!
