Am I too late for an MBA. Please suggest.

Question

I took GMAT in Dec 2018 and scored 710 (Q49 V 38)I did not apply to any school. I thought I can improve further in few months but could not prepare. I took the exam again this December but have scored only 700. I'm devastated. I am an older candidate with 13 years of experience. I want to do an MBA to move up the ladder. Might be the worst idea. I am so demotivated. Can some expert please advise?

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bb · Answer

Are you looking at full time programs? Which geography? Europe Asia or USA?

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vkvani82 · Answer

Yes, full time in Europe or US because I can work part-time to cover my living expenses. I think I cannot work while doing exec MBA

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bb · Answer

The European programs are very open to older candidates. There’s a number of programs in the UK including Oxford and Cambridge and Manchester business school that will admit applicants as old is 35 or 37 years old. Your GMAT score is within range so I don’t think you’re out of luck or out of time. I think you could have Applied in round one.

Take into consideration your extensive work experience there’s no reason for you to do a two year program unless you’re looking to switch industries. In which case you would benefit from having a summer internship. They do you have working during the business school is not very feasible since you will be overloaded and sleep deprived while studying and recruiting and networking.Working more than 10 or 20 hours a week in a mindless library type of a job would be very challenging. It would also have negative implications for your recruiting opportunities and options which is ultimately what you’re after. It would be miss guided to waste networking and recruiting in order to make $20 an hour.

Working more than 10 or 20 hours a week in a mindless library type of a job would be very challenging. It would also have negative implications for your recruiting opportunities and options which is ultimately what you’re after. It would be miss guided to waste networking and recruiting in order to make $20 an hour.

There is a bit to say about recruiting for older applicants. A lot of the recruiters who will come on campus and who will send in positions and openings, targeting low to middle level managers and consultants. Often they are not expecting to get a 35-year-old candidate for an interview nor they expecting to pay as much as someone that lead in the career would be looking to make. As an older applicant you should probably be prepared to leverage your work experience and do a lot of the networking and a lot of the off-campus recruiting on your own. Schools will have a bit of a harder time placing you.

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vkvani82 · Answer

Hi bb, thank you for your words of caution and advice. I read about the executive MBA programs offered in various schools. Most of them expect continuation with the current employer. I am not sure that these programs will suit me. The exception was INSEAD whose exec MBA is longer than the general one. I am an IT professional working in India for a US bank and am still in the low level of management. I want to do an MBA to move up or to take up entrepreneurship or higher positions in a different industry, preferably renewable energy or organic food industry. I had been trying GMAT for many years and hence lost time and at a disadvantageous position. Yes, it is my mistake that I missed round 1. I was not confident of last year’s score and did not consult any expert. Now I find myself in a worse scenario. Do you think that my thought of retrying GMAT next year (and apply in R1 next year) would not be sane?

sebrauf · Answer

You are never late buddy, it all depends on how capable you are to manage your skills with both hard and smart work.
If you think its late, just compare yourself with them whom you think are on the exact age.
After comparison, if you still find yourself better, just proceed than
All the best

psyduck · Answer

I think an older MBA needs a good story of what they've been doing and why they want to go to grad school when opportunity costs are high and familial burden is likely increasing.

I thought this Forbes article was rather informative, why-older-mba-applicants-need-to-be-wiser

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Am I too late for an MBA. Please suggest.

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