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Joined: 13 Jan 2011
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Concentration: Entrepreneurship, International Business
Re: Age an issue? European vs USA MBA at my age for these school
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10 Jun 2011, 21:17
Hi Deepti, I had a similar question and posted my profile for evaluation in the forum for the admissions consultants. They gave me really helpful feedback in this regard. I am 31, east asian american female, with 12 years of work experience (started working fulltime at age 19 as a graphic designer to put myself through school) and a graduate degree in economics from columbia.
I crossed off HBS from my list as they are intentionally skewing young. I have Stanford as a maybe in R2 (depending how I feel after R1 apps) because while they are not intentionally skewing young, the class happens to have a pretty young average age, and given the depth of my experience, I didn't feel that I could fit in or learn as much from my peers. They do have an excellent program in technology and innovation, however, so I am keeping them on for R2 as a maybe. (my focus is on mobile technology innovation)
My top targeted schools are: Wharton, LBS, MIT, and Insead. Second choices: Oxford, Cambridge, HEC Paris. I think European schools tend to value experience and age more than most US schools. Although to be honest, if your profile is solid and your career goals are clearly aligned to what the school may offer you, there is no reason to cross off schools just based on age, unless the school is explicitly targeting younger applicants or earlier career starters.