Profile Evaluation - Age Prejudice Concerns

Question

Hello GMAT Club,

I am 29 years old, graduated with my undergrad in accounting in 2018 with a 3.71 GPA from a state university. Graduated with a Masters in Tax in 2019 with a 3.96 GPA from the same school. I also hold a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) license. Work experience includes several tax internships, one at a mid-market accounting firm, a mid-size software company, and a "Big Four" firm. Currently, I am a full-time International Tax Consultant at the same Big Four firm since Jan 2020.

As you can tell, I started school a tad bit late. Cutting to the chase, when I first went off to college at the first state university I attended after graduating High School in 2009, I was anything but ready for the responsibility going to school out of state entailed. My mission at the first state school was simply to party (as I'm sure most were, which seemed like the case during this time). I spent nearly 3 years at there, and when I left all I had to show for was a 1.2 GPA and 9 credits. Obviously, it was getting out of control, so I decided to listen to my family and just call it quits and come back home. Once I came back home in 2012, I was still lost and felt defeated to watch all my friends graduate from their colleges over the years, while I was here stuck trying to find myself. During this time period, I decided to get into the restaurants industry, and was a server at various restaurants around the city. I did this for about 4 years, and got to a point where I started to ask myself, if this is all that I want for my life? As much as I appreciate the communication and people skills being a server has taught me, I was tired of sitting on the side lines watching my peers take off in their careers. As such, I decided to enroll in the local community college in 2015. I was petrified that I wouldn't be able to keep up in class, as it has been so long since I have done anything with my brain. I even wondered if I knew how to still use a pencil or pen to write! Regardless, I tried my best, and let me tell you, it is quite amazing to see such a increase in positive results when all you do is at least show up! I graduated from community college with a 3.91 GPA to then transfer to the main campus to finish out my undergraduate degree with honors.

Do I regret my decisions and choices at the first state school? Financially yes, anyone can put one and one together and realize that must have cost a lot of money for virtually nothing. But what would this post be without a super cliché statement saying, "if I didn't make those mistakes then, would I be where I am today?" Despite the cliché "zing" to this statement, is it not probably very true? My fuel since my massive failures in my late teens and early twenties was in fact all the "lost time" I endured during my first college venture. I told myself "never again", and I worked like hell to get where I am today.

This brings me to my point about my recent pursuit for a MBA program, and the desire to pivot in my career. Because I was petrified about making another drastic mistake in my life, and having to back track even more, I paid close attention to those around me in the accounting field and analyzed their moves. I even started to connect with those who were in the field of public accounting, or have been. I started to form an appreciation for the stability and prosperity the field of taxation and accounting afforded these professionals. One key element I did forget to analyze in depth was my own true desires, passions, as well as my own characteristics and composition. All I wanted to do was play it safe, secure a job, and make up for lost time. So, here I am, sitting in a role I intended to be in and worked very hard for, and still asking for more. I am not contempt with the field of taxation, and to be quite frank, I am not exactly sure what I truly want to do. However, I am confident that I want to stay in business as this is the style of person I am. I am hoping to find myself in a top MBA program, and go through the fully immersive two-year program and experience many facets of the business world has to offer, e.g. banking, consulting, strategy, PE, etc.

My concern is obvious, I go back to all my mistakes I have made along the way, also considering my age and the fact I didn't go to a target school of some sorts. Selfishly, I would like to believe there are others in my shoes going through the same pains, but at the same time I wouldn't wish any of my mistakes on anyone. I would love for anyone to pick a part this post, whether it is the hard core truth, or telling me I am silly for even worry about all of this. I am just trying to gain hope. There's other parts and background to my life and that of my family which I believe has impacted the early decisions I have made in my life, but nevertheless, here I am. Currently, I have been studying for the GMAT since Jan 2021, and sometimes I just get down and lose the spirit thinking I am shooting for the impossible considering my fact pattern above.

Thank you all in advance for reading/responding to this. This is actually my first post ever to this forum, so fingers crossed and hoping all goes well : )

-Ari

PersonalMBACoach · Answer

Hi arileib , Thank you for sharing in such detail. You are certainly not alone in the sense that you had a rocky start to college, though it does sound like it took some time before you decided to continue pursuing your degree. It also seems that you have spent a lot of time reflecting on your past decisions and will be well equipped to explain your situation in the optional essay section. Plus, your academic achievements at Georgia State will speak volumes to your personal and intellectual growth. A lot is riding on your GMAT and work experience here. What measures have you taken to prepare for the GMAT thus far? If you are serious about obtaining a good score, I recommend taking a look at our customized tutoring services (our tutors have scored in the 99th percentile on the GMAT / GRE and are graduates of MIT, Harvard, and UPenn). Do you anticipate applying in this upcoming application cycle? While your age is not a red flag by any means, you are on the older end of the spectrum. Age, but more accurately, work experience, does have a significant impact on your chances of success. When admissions directors see a candidate who has many years of full-time work experience, they often ask the question of whether that applicant is best suited in a full-time MBA program or whether an Executive MBA makes more sense. For you, this is not the case since you spent a lot of time in school, so you should be able to explain why a full-time MBA is the right choice. I would love to know more about your current position, post-MBA goals, and target school list to provide further guidance here. Please do not hesitate to reach out to scott@personalmbacoach.com so we can continue the conversation about your unique situation and how to enhance your candidacy. Regards, Personal MBA Coach

Admissionado · Answer

arileib : Thank you for bearing your soul in such a public fashion. That is not easy to do. An MBA sounds like it would be a great experience for you! It is not only terrific professional training but also a great experience in self-reflection and personal development. Given your age and all of the zigs and zags to date, I would look to apply sooner rather than later. While you are not 'old' by any means, you do not want to start looking at applying in your mid-30s. At that point, you have to consider executive MBA programs, which could be a problem given your experience. I am glad to hear that you are studying for the GMAT now. Really focus your efforts on all that as a good score could open up many doors alongside your strong academic performance. Feel free to reach out to us at Admissionado if you think you would benefit from either our application support services (when the time is right) or our advanced planning program, which is terrific for mentoring forward-looking students on their profiles well in advance of the application season. https://admissionado.com/free-consultation/ Keep pushing and don't lose faith, Admissionado

Profile Evaluation - Age Prejudice Concerns

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards