Age - How big a factor?

Question

Hello All,

As I am awaiting R1 decision for Kellogg, Yale and Cornell and I am going through the stats of Kellogg admits, I am just wondering if age plays a big role in the decision. All the admits that have been reported so far on both gmatclub and BW Forums are below 30 or say closer to 25. Being 30 plus myself I am just thinking if my chances become further less. Though I think I have some great leadership stories but my GMAT which is in late 600s will be a hindrance. Do schools expect older candidates to score higher GMAT? What are the other odds against older applicants? Does being a female older applicant have some extra disadvantages?

riverripper · Answer

Being female is always an advantage. There are plenty of 30+ people in my class at Kellogg. Its outside your control, so dont worry about.

RJ · Answer

Thanks river...I guess I am being paranoid. But can you tell me what %age of your class would constitute of 30 plus?

riverripper · Answer

They dont publish had stats but off the top of my head I can think of about 15% of my section mates that I know are over 30. Its fairly common, we dont really talk about ages all that much. I know several people in our class that are 35+ too. Mind you there are like 500 people in our class so there tons of people I dont know.

RJ · Answer

Thanks river for the information!

abhyudaya · Answer

I know 2 persons, age 35, who joined Duke Class of '10. However they mentioned in their apps that they wanted to remain in their pre-MBA industry.

RJ · Answer

Hmmm I also plan to remain in my current industry with broader scope and scale...hope that helps!

kryzak · Answer

depends on the school, but for Haas, it's not a big problem being 30+ (if not a benefit, even!)

as for %, we formed a "wisdom club" here for 30+, and there are at least 40 people signed up. So a conservative guess is 16-20% of the class is above 30?

Don't worry about the age thing. Unless you're applying to H/S, being 30+ won't matter. What matters more is the experience you've had in all the years you've worked. Is it impressive and does it tell a story?

RJ · Answer

Thanks Kryzak...

I know that about Haas...during the class visit I did notice that the class was pretty diverse. My another top choice is Haas:)

ozzie123 · Answer

I'd like to think that the older you are/the longer you've been out of college, the less GMAT becomes important as the emphasis will be more on work experience. I think they expect people that just graduated to have a higher GMAT score. That's just what I think though.

kryzak · Answer

glad to hear it!

Age - How big a factor?

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