How Old Is Too Old To Join An MBA Program?

After graduation, you have worked in a company for several years and intend to join a full time MBA program in a top school like Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Sloan, Booth or Kellogg. But then, you find yourself to be on the wrong side of 30 and start wondering whether it is too late to join the class.

It all depends on what you intend to do with an MBA degree to achieve your career goals, says Leah Derus, MBA admissions consultant, answering the query in Quora.

She says if the school has accepted your application, the age factor does not matter. However, most of the schools prefer to grant admission to students of a younger age because the recruiters demand such candidates.

As far as top business schools are concerned, Harvard and Stanford generally have students in their 20s while Wharton, Sloan, Kellogg and Chicago may have older students. Ideally, you should be no older than 32.

The schools also may not want to take a risk at the placements when most of the recruiters are looking for a candidate of around 28.

If you overcome all these hurdles and get into a firm, in two years or so, when you are due for promotion, the value of the degree is not going to help if the firm is looking for a younger person.

For example, in some of the consultancy firms prefer associates to be around 30 years while some others may not want a 38-year-old when the boss may be younger.

While the younger lot, yet to start a family, may have no problems with an 80-hour work week, an older person may find it difficult to match in terms of productivity or commitment.

Considering that consulting firms usually pay associates and analysts relatively cheaper salaries compared to what they are billing their clients, it is either that you would be promoted as partner or shown the door after working as associate for a few years.

Derus says the 2 year opportunity cost plus $150,000 fees and other expenses may not be worthwhile for someone wanting to get an MBA at 34 or 35. An exception may be those who want to acquire the degree and return to their employer.

It would be better to try and explore avenues other than the MBA for career progress including networking, building up a different type of expertise, or pursue a different skill-set like a start-up.

However, entrepreneur Wade Myers says he joined HBS at 33 and was not considered too old.

Even considering the career timeline, it is not too old. Assuming that a person graduated from college at 22 and worked for 12 years prior to joining MBA, there would still be about 30 or more years of work life.

In the case of 1-year MBA programs, IIMA’s PGPX class had an average age of 32 years, INSEAD had 29 and Oxford Said 28.

While applying for the MBA program, you have to differentiate yourself from the other applicants by highlighting your unique qualities, personal as well as work experience. Thus, if HBS does not see that many candidates with startup’s experience, you stand a good chance of getting in.

Initially, among a younger class, you may at times appear to be a misfit. However, once the program starts and everyone gets involved in the projects and case studies, those with age and maturity would be much in demand.

The worst case scenario of getting rejected at the admission stage after having spent some 50 to 100 hours is still good, as you have gone through a lot of introspection and analysis of your life and professional career. Thus you will be able to decide on alternative courses of action, including joining executive MBA programs.

ALSO READ: Tackling INSEAD MBA Admission Interviews

Tim Berry, MBA, Stanford, class of ’81 says the oldest in his class was 35 and almost 25%, including he himself, were over 30.  In his case, he was changing careers from journalism. He found it to be fun living in the campus with wife and three kids.

Winson Wong, Innovation and Partnerships, Singtel Lifelabs says though hypothetically, you could be accepted in any of the schools at any time, the chances of making a good career gets dimmer as you move away from the median age as reported by the schools.

So, if the main purpose is to expand your current network and increase your business knowledge, a network of 20 something year olds may not be the right choice.  There is, of course, an alumni network but that is available in EMBA, a part time course too. (Image Courtesy : www.flickr.com)