MBA@36 - does it make schools uncomfortable?

Dear visver,

Schools are not uncomfortable with older applicants, nor are employers and banks. However, the schools and employers are concerned with your fit based on your substantial amount of experience. Specifically, candidates with 10+ years of experience are often better suited for executive MBA programs where the average work experience is higher (~14-16 years) and the focus on a more strategic level. At this point in your career, you might gain more from being in class with a group of your peers and having instruction at a more strategic level as your next career move is higher up the ranks than the traditional, full-time MBA (5 yrs experience on average). Likewise, employers who recruit on campus are often looking to fill opportunities geared towards candidates with less experience than you have. Consequently, they are concerned you are too experienced--too high of a level for the opportunity. What this means for you is that your job search is simply different: more networking and less on-campus interviewing.

If you truly believe a full-time MBA program is the right program for you, then you should not be discouraged from applying. You should be prepared to articulate in your essays why you want the full-time experience (i.e., need an internship to change careers, particular programs/resources, etc.) and how you will pursue your job search. The more a school knows that you understand being on the higher end of the experience range means your job search will be different, the more successful you will be in making a case for admission.

As for the banks, they don't typically factor age into the equation in determining whether or not to fund a loan for business school. Executive MBA students take out loans every year and many of them have 20 years of experience.

Good luck,
Lisa