I am going to graduate from UCSB next winter with an approximately 3.54 GPA. Then, I plan on attending a second or third tier MBA program straight out of school. I know that to be hired as a consultant for most firms, you have to have graduated from a top MBA school, and have work experience. However, I also know that many firm take interns and associates directly from TOP undergrad schools, like Harvard and Stanford. Although I would neither be attending a top undergrad school nor MBA school, wouldn't I, upon completion of my 2nd or 3rd tier MBA, be eligible to become at LEAST an ASSOCIATE/INTERN at a management consultant firm?Please help!

I am probably not alone in disagreeing with your plan to study an MBA without work experience - it would have been a reasonable notion during the depths of the recession but with the market picking up strongly you cannot now afford the additional time out. Also without practical experience your MBA will be entirely theoretical, and you'll saddle yourself with the expense when you really will not be able to claw that back for the first 5+ years of your career. A relevant Masters degree would be cheaper, and more relevant. Instead of the MBA start applying to consulting firms - most of them hire all year round anyway, and plenty will have grad slots open. Leave the MBA until you have enough real world experience to make it worthwhile. Also an MBA later in your career could be funded by an employer (at a top BS), or you may want to take one to effect a career change should you decide consulting isnt for you, or even to plug a gap should the market slow down again.

Without wishing to be blunt it's a stupid plan.As things stand now you are at a non-target (presumably, I don't know what UCSB is) school and so have little chance of getting an undergrad consulting position. But there is no harm in applying, so applyYour back up should then be to get some decent work experience in another environment, and then if you still want to do consulting to go to business school in a few years time. Or to try to transfer after a couple of years of good work experienceIf you apply as an MBA student you won't be considered for undergrad positions, you will be considered for MBA positions, and you will have no chance at all from a poor business school with no work experience. You are trying to take a short cut which doesn't existIf your education is currently sub-standard, then you need to raise your standard in some way - clearly adding another sub-standard qualification will not do this