34 year old, MS MechEngg 3.82 GPA, IT background...any hope?

Expert replies

rscricket: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 1; Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2008 6:44 pm

by rscricket » Tue Sep 30, 2008 7:48 pm

Hi,

I am looking to do a part time MBA...(partly bcos I feel I stand no chance for full time MBA with age and background).
I am a 34 yr old MS Engineering with GPA 3.8. GMAT yet to give but 700+ should be possible. Work experience is not great...SAP Senior Analyst to SAP Architect to Consultant route. In short, nothing out of the ordinary in terms of work experience. So my Master's GPA and GMAT are the only things I have to work with.
Possible schools: Michigan-Ross, Kellogg, Chicago GSB. IU Kelley is

Is there any hope at above with this profile? If not, which are the other top schools where I stand a chance?

I am looking to do a career change. Is part-time MBA at above schools going to help me get into Finance? Is Kelley part time IUPUI good enough?
Thanks!

Source: Beat The GMAT — Ask Stacy Blackman | Tue Sep 30, 2008 7:48 pm

GMAT/MBA Expert

Lisa Anderson: MBA Admissions Consultant; Posts: 3845; Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2008 8:57 pmFollowed by: 148 members; Location: Houston, TX; Thanked: 442 times

by Lisa Anderson » Wed Oct 01, 2008 7:28 pm

Dear rscricket,

I think that a full-time program will best facilitate a career change. At 34, you would be on the high end of the experience range, but that is not a negative as long as you are fine working with folks with 2-5 years of experience. It is difficult (but not impossible) to make a career change doing a part-time program as you are not able to make the clean break and redirection through an internship on your resume. Likewise, you will not have time to devote to a job search while working and going to school, so the change would have to come in the year following graduation.

You do not give much detail on your profile to truly assess your competitiveness for these schools. If you score in the 700's on your GMAT as you expect, then I think you have a shot at the schools you list, both full-time and part-time programs. But it will also be important to show a successful track record in your career through strong essays, recommendations and interviews.

Best of luck,
Lisa

Lisa Anderson
Consultant
Stacy Blackman Consulting

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