Hi Deepti,

The title of the post and the content seem to be totally different.

I do not think the 5 years will affect you. It is something you did over and above your work right? If you had a busy schedule, it is perfectly fine that you took that time.

Also, no one component really swings the Adcom. You have an international degree plus 8 years and a very very good GMAT. I think you are on your way to a good school provided your essays and interview go well.

all the best.

Thanks!

Greetings! From the info that you mentioned, you are just 1-2 years above the median acceptance age at most of the colleges in the US, should not be too much of an issue as long as you highlight how you usefully spent those years and show that you actually needed those years to get where you are today. Generally colleges tend to go for people who fall in the 27-30 area because statistically they would have had enough exposure to industry to develop some 'business sense'.

European schools are definitely more receptive to older applicants. With INSEAD and LBS, you could also look at IE, IESE, ESADE, Imperial College, Rotterdam, HEC, and IMD. IMD heavily favours work-ex and your competition pool will be entirely different. I am sure you could write to their admissions committee with a brief background and they will give you an honest picture of how you stand statistically.

Part-time Graduate School while working full-time at a local college. I took 5 years to complete this as I took classes on and off. GPA - 3.7. Does it look bad that I took 5 years?

Weave this to you advantage by saying that despite having a demanding day job, you persevered at your academics and earned your degree. It will help if you were married and have additional family responsibilities in that period as well.

I reiterate to say that you can use your age to your advantage if you show that those years were spent meaningfully and that you intentionally timed your MBA such that you could enter at a time when these skills you were seeking were in your arsenal. Let's not forget that most MBA programs only admitted people with 5+ work years not too long ago. Cheers

Regards,

Eloquent Gent