Should I be concerned about age for admissions into a top MBA program?

Hi MBAMission,

Thank you for your reply. I had always suspected that an age higher than the average would be an issue. However I am quite clear that I do not want to attend an executive program. I do have a solid case , at least to my mind, as to why (a second) MBA now.

I already have an MBA from Indian B-school (top 15), completing which I worked as a Business analyst for an Indian IT giant for 15 months, followed by 27 months in a Bank under Relationship management/sales role for commercial banking and currently for the past 38 months I am involved in managing operations for my family business in Mumbai . With a focus on New Business development, I am involved in people management (a team of 20 people including those in the functions such as Accounts, Warehouse, Sales and Operations ). I think I am at a juncture where , having a strong business development, management and leadership experience of running & growing a 3 Million US$ turnover company for 38 months , a solid MBA program with subsequent international career will help me take that next big jump into understanding and working for a global business.

However I cannot comment on how much of a value would the above case be to a business vis-a-vis the applicant age of 32+

Would be helpful to know what colleges would be more likely to admit someone with my background

Thanks
KM

Thanks for the motivation!

Hi again - thank you for providing this additional information! The first thing I'd recommend doing is, among your schools of initial interest, confirm that you are still eligible for an MBA given that you already have one (even though it's from outside the US). Schools' policies vary so I'd check with them directly. If you are eligible, then wanting international exposure is a valid point, but you'd have to be very specific regarding the skills/experiences you're hoping to gain from the specific program.

Regarding school options - I'd use eligibility as a starting point, then research which schools offer the international skills/experiences you're hoping to gain so you can make a strong case for them.

Hope that helps!

Hi mBAMission,

Thank you for your guidance.

I personally know some of my friends who are attending Full time MBA programmes at Booth, Stern and Cornell all of whom already had had an Indian MBA before they applied for MBA programmes at the above mentioned schools. That gives me some confidence as to acceptance of wanting to pursue an MBA from US School despite having already earned an MBA from another country.

However do you suggest writing to the admissions committee of the preferred schools asking for the same?

Thanks
KM

Hi again - I would include your rationale for wanting a second MBA in your Optional Essay within the application. For each school you're applying to, double-check that getting a second MBA is something they'd allow - and if so, include your reasoning in your essay.

Hope that helps!