Is it OK to change jobs while applying to MBA programs?

Q: Is it okay to change your job if you plan to apply to b-schools 1 to 2 months down the line? I am changing my job because I have received an opportunity in a firm much larger than my current one. The job profile mostly remains the same. Will it help my application/not affect my application/bring up a red flag in my application?

A: I would not do it unless it is very clearly advancing you in a directly that is more in alignment with your post-MBA goals. And that does not seem to be the case. It’s a move up, doing the same job at a bigger company, but puts in question how much you want/need an MBA to get to the next step.

Outside of the startup arena, it is a bit frowned upon to leave a job in less than a year. And, you will forever have to explain that yes you switched jobs and applied to business schools at the same time. This shows you did not really have the intention to stay at the job. 

This puts in peril your sincerity in general, because that is the assumption of those who do not have any other data points.

The story will be on your CV forever that you changed jobs while applying to business schools. The school needs to show their candidates have been highly vetted and on paper. In black and white, it undermines your marketability to school recruiters as well. Starting b-school less than a year after starting a job kind of signals that something went wrong.

Who knows how your future job will go – if you leave your job now a) will your manager still be as excited to help you in your recommendations and b) you will not be able to ask your new manager given that you just got there. 

If you expect to be accepted to a program, I think it would do more harm than good.