inter wrote:
HI! I will appropriate any feedback.
I have checked similar topics on this forum, but most of the are really old.
About me: 37, white male, originally from Ukraine, live in New York, undergraduate degree in finance, 10 years of post graduate experience . GMAT is 710. Working in trading related industry (I was a futures trader, now a product specialist in a small start up that makes trading application). Interested in switching to consulting. School targeting - "the usual suspects" - Darden, Duke,Columbia, Tuck, etc. but the list is not finalized.
Long story short I have talked to a few admission consultants (big names, frequently mentioned on this site). Most of them advise me not to pursue full-time program (age, experience, GMAT in a lower band), but try to apply for part-time/executive program. Unfortunately, it is not an option for a various reasons (it will be difficult for me to switch to consulting (or any other industry), I would probably loose my current job, the program itself is more expensive than full-time, there are only three reputable programs around NY, etc.).
As I understand my mission is not impossible, but difficult. Any advise in what direction should I move (schools that friendlier to older candidates or advisers who have experience working with similar situation)?
I would strongly recommend that you get Linked In Premium and reach out to "MBA recruiters" at the consulting firms you are targeting. Its possible that you can break in another way, and its also possible that even with an MBA, you will not break into consulting period. One of the reasons it's so difficult for older candidates is because they are hiring Associate Consultants who are generally 27 or so and feel awkward hiring a 40 year old man and paying him the same salary. And schools know this. It's already difficult to get into b-school past 33 but with a consulting goal, far worse for the reason I just outlined. They probably wont see you as eager to put in the 80 hour weeks and extensive travel.
In doing your informational interviews, it might be worthwhile to ask if they recruit graduates of MBA Sloan Fellows or StanfordMsx - these are two programs that target mid-career professionals and they are one year full time programs.
On the lower end of this is USC BEAR - the average age is 35 and this is probably your best bet for all of this. There is no internship but a global consulting project; I see a path here to getting into a tier 2 consultancy if you get lucky and prepare well for your case interviews. Nice weather but it's expensive tuition to be sure. Find out about chances of breaking in with a program at the USC level.
Vehemently discourage you from applying to full time, two year programs in the US. Waste of time and money. EU programs are a bit more open to older applicants. Average age is 30 at IMD - but more recruitment for industry than consulting there. HEC also likes older applicants, and LBS is skewing older as they focus on the MIM for younger applicants.
Your first step - as a reminder - is to START A CONVERSATION with the people you hope to hire you and effectively be footing the bill. And please dont worry about appearing not to have any the answers. Rather than GUESSING at what you should do RESEARCH the situation before spending a lot of money that might just put you in debt for nothing. Good luck!
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10 Dec 2017, 17:06
