Too young for an MBA ?

If you've already had a year of work experience and have a clear direction for your career and why you need an MBA (presumably you do with the automobiles-->marketing story), I actually think you might be fine. You'll need strong recommendations and at least a few concrete examples of accomplishments and growth in your current position (not to mention a strong GMAT!), but if you have all that, you certainly have a chance at a top program.

For what it's worth, I met several admitted students at Yale's Welcome Weekend who graduated in 2011 (so like you, they had about 1 year of full-time experience when they applied). It's definitely at the younger end of the spectrum, and it's possible that some post-MBA employers will want a year or two more experience, so that's worth considering. But I think the big issue you should consider right now is whether you feel ready, personally and professionally. If you do feel ready, may as well throw your hat in the ring and see what happens. Worst case scenario, you just apply again the year after or change your mind.

From personal experience (I applied with only 2 years of experience), it definitely feels like the right time for me to go back to school, and I'm glad I'll finish up my MBA in my mid-20s.

Here's a great discussion from another younger applicant who was quite successful this year: a-young-applicant-s-advice-147140.html

Thank You.. Iam planning to apply only after completing 2 years of work ex. But significant growth in career in 2 years is quite a long shot as you might understand. Iam looking for schools like illinois and krannert where the avg. students age is relatively less compared to the top 15 schools. and also i would be a little more comfortable that way iam guessing.. any insights ?

It's really tough for me to judge which schools might be appropriate for you without knowing more about you (GMAT, GPA, work progression, preferences, etc). Plently of people get into top 15 programs with two years of experience, but the ones you mentioned certainly aren't bad schools, either.

Personally, I wasn't super rankings-sensitive in my applications, but I also didn't apply to any schools out of the top 20 because I was a little concerned about the career prospects at lower-tiered schools and the general ROI from both a financial and personal standpoint. Lower-ranked schools typically cost the same or close to what a top program would, but the salaries are often much lower and there's less on-campus recruiting. However, if you're looking to stay in the Illinois/Indiana area, those may provide wonderful placement (I really don't know enough to speak to either program). If it's a regional thing, though, maybe consider adding Kellogg or Booth to the mix for a stretch option?

As far as the “comfort” factor: I didn’t feel much younger or dramatically less experienced than most people at the schools I applied to. For me, feeling comfortable at a particular school had much less to do with age, and much more to do with the community and type of students. I gravitated towards the smaller, more collaborative programs and was turned off by the larger and more competitive programs I visited.

Also, there’s something to be said about going outside your comfort zone a bit. Do I feel intimated by many of my future classmates at Yale? You bet. But in a good way! Everyone I met has amazing and diverse accomplishments, and I’m sure they will teach me a lot over the next two years.

Our head of admissions consulting applied to and was accepted by every program he applied to -- and he was 21 years old. He felt it was the right time for him to pursue his degree as he had a clear vision of what he wanted to do and why he wanted an mba degree.

Kimberly Plaga
Senior Admissions Consultant
Manhattan Review

One year of work experience at the time of application puts you in a tough position. Though we don't have all your data here, the chances are not in your favour and you will get more out of the programs if you wait. In addition, your candidacy will be more attractive to adcoms without a doubt.

So some folks will post exceptions of people they know who got in with one year, but it is not common, and you are setting yourself up for probable reapplication if you go for the top schools.

Good Luck!

Thank You for your valuable input

What would be your take on waiting another year which would give me a a total work experience of 2 years. Since iam unable to follw the career path that iam passionate about , Should I be getting more experience in a strictly technical job where iam completely encapsulated from the business side of the company. This is one of the primary reasons why i assumed that it is not necessary to have more than 3 years of work-ex to pursue my MBA,since iam hoping to have a career of a different genre altogether.

Please let me know your thoughts on the same.

Shankar,

Yes I do feel that another year can help you. And of course moving into a more business oriented role and staying there for another 1-2 years could really help, but I do appreciate that a transition like that (perhaps technical marketing or marketing analytics) is not easy to pull off at such a junior level. But there are things you can do outside of work to build that marketing passion. Take a marketing class and get an A, try to help a charity with their marketing efforts, get subscriptions to marketing publications, join a marketing trade club/association...

And of course rocking the gmat can help you get into a solid school so you can career transition with the help of an MBA!

Alex