justme123 wrote:
Hi,
I'm almost 40, female, with 10+ years in IT (programming), and a decent record of community service/artistic involvement. Not the best time to get an MBA, I know. But I need to switch career for two reasons:
1. My programming career ended due to an injury.
2. I'm very mathematical and would love to get involved in finance work.
I'm interested mostly in UCLA, USC, UCI, and Pepperdine because I want to stay local after graduation. Could you tell me -
1. which schools offer better job prospects locally upon graduation?
2. which are more receptive to older applicants?
3. my chance to get into each of them given my background and age (BS in Economics/Computer Science, both Cum Laude; GPA = 3.7; Phi Beta Kappa).
4. chance to get in full-time MBA vs. Evening MBA.
Also since I'm a career changer, do you recommend full-time instead of EMBA? I understand the challenge I'll face during admission (trust me, i'm dreading to write those essays...), but if full-time is the best option, I'll try my best to get my foot in the door.
Thanks!
justme123,
People in their 40s do get admitted to top B-schools. Their Why MBA stories have to be pretty strong. Of the 2 reasons you stated your first reason sounds more promising then the second, in that it is a specific event, while the second reason is just a "starting-off point" for a career interest, not a really compelling reason for a career choice. So I recommend digging deeper, talking to people in the finance field to identify some specific, concrete reasons.
I have brilliantly deduced that you reside in Southern California. All four of those schools will help you land jobs in that market. Based on quality and reputation, UCLA will help you more than USC, USC more than UCI, and UCI more than Pepperdine -- as a rule of thumb.
None of these schools appears to be unusally welcoming to older applicants. The school with the oldest middle 80% is Pepperdine (23-34), but its average age is 26, while USC, UCLA, and UCI all have average ages of 28.
Your odds of admission will generally be better at part-time and E-MBA programs. While your age would seem to make an E-MBA a natural for you, the fact that you are trying to make a career change and I assume will not be sponsored by an employer makes the part-time MBA the more accessible option. Finally, however, at 40 you don't have time to waste, so the extended duration of the part-time MBA might not be what you need.
Assuming you have no red flags, have strong leadership stories you can tell, nail down the goals statement, and you get a GMAT in the 680-700 range you have a decent chance at USC and a good chance at UCI. UCLA may not be doable but worth trying as a longshot. Pepperdine should not be a problem.
Good luck,
close
26 Sep 2006, 14:01
