Can I do MS at the age of 32

Question

Hello ,

I would like to know what other options do I have for doing higher studies ? Is MS is data analytic any good ?
I am 32 years old now , and doing a very mediocre IT job ( 9 years W.E) . I tried GMAT 4 times in 3 years span and 600 was my best score . So I do not find a motivation to study for GMAT anymore .

I really want to get out of this job and do higher studies ( 1 Year course) in India or Asia only . Could the experts tell me the good options I have for MS?
 I can prepare for GRE as soon as I know my goal . Please share some detail .

Thanks

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

HI gmatquant25,

From the 'tone' of your post, it's not completely clear what your ultimate goal is.

1) When you ask "is an MS in Data Analytics 'any good'", what do you mean? Are you interested in earning that type of degree? Have you looked into the type of career options that would be created by having that degree?

2) Your post implies that you're not interested in studying for the GMAT again, but if your highest score is a 600, then your options for Grad School might be limited. What's more important: getting into (any) Grad School that will take you with your current score OR trying for a School that will require that you retake the GMAT?

The process of applying to (and ultimately attending) Grad School requires a significant investment of time, money and energy on your part, so you shouldn't expect a group of random strangers to be able to tell you which Program to apply to. There are a variety of questions that YOU have to answer about what you want out of a Grad Degree and the parameters that are important:

1) Is there a particular company that you want to work for or industry that you want to work in? Certain degrees are more appropriate than others if you have a specific career goal. 
2) What do you want your Degree to do for you? 
3) Do you want to go to School full-time or part-time? 
4) Are you willing to relocate? Are you comfortable with working through a program that is primarily online? 
5) Are you going to be applying for scholarships? 
Etc.

Once you've determined what type of Program you want to attend (as well as the other variables involved), then you can start to research and narrow down the possibilities.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

KyleWiddison · Answer

While a 600 score is somewhat limiting, there are still plenty of schools who would grant admission with such a score. It all depends on what you are trying to accomplish after school. Your age is not a big deal at all, in fact some schools like to admit people with more experience because it improves their metrics and adds a different dynamic to the class.

I recommend that you do some more research on both MBA and masters programs. Don't just limit your research to internet searching - actually talk to people who attended the programs and to the admissions departments of the schools. Get as much data as you can to determine the path that will be the most successful for you, then run down that path...

KW

romitsn · Answer

gmatquant25 - the actual situation is a little different from what Rich and Kyle are portraying to be. They are very knowledgeable and are renowned GMAT instructors , but being in the male-Indian-IT pool myself I know the struggles first hand. I got a 740 on the GMAT but still got wait-listed at multiple top-20 schools in the US. The schools that will take you in with a 600 GMAT score are practically not worth attending. If you are planning to do an MBA from India, the IIMs(preferably A,B or C) and ISB are definitely worth attending. But all these schools have a very high GMAT average score(about 720). Here's a Bloomberg article about it:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... o-get-into

The data in this article is not very accurate and has to be taken with a pinch of salt. But it gives you fair idea about the competition in Indian B-schools.

In Asia, outside of India, other good schools include INSEAD(Singapore), Nanyang, NUS etc. But getting into all these schools without a 700+ GMAT score is almost next to impossible(especially if you belong to the pool of Indian IT candidates). I would suggest you to invest time and effort into your GMAT preparation and results will surely come. For me personally, self-study was good enough. You can go through the debriefs of various successful test takers in the GMATClub website to find out about their preparation methods. But remember - every person is different. You need to find out what works best for you. Good luck !!

Can I do MS at the age of 32

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