Hi there,

I just posted this reply to a similar inquiry... I mentioned that it definitely will make it much more competitive for you to get into an MBA given your age/years exp, unfortunately, particularly for US schools and given that you will be placed in the highly competitive Indian applicant pool.

The average age of this year's incoming students at Harvard is 27, while at Chicago Booth, MIT Sloan, Kellogg, Columbia, Tuck, Haas, Michigan and UT Austin the average is 28. While Wharton, NYU Stern, and Cornell do not release an official figure, the average years of pre-MBA work experience at these schools ranges from 4.6 years (NYU) to 5.5 years (Wharton).

Pretty much every school can point to more mature students in the MBA classroom. While the age range at MIT Sloan and Tuck includes 37 year olds, and UCLA Anderson and Oxford Saïd both have students in their 40s, the bell curve of distribution clearly centers around students in their mid to late 20s: 80% of the class at Columbia for example are in a range from 25 to 30.

In Europe the age and experience can be a bit higher where the average for INSEAD is 29 and IMD is in the 30s.

There are lots of reasons, but one of the reasons b-schools prefer 20-somethings is because top US schools in particular are looking for young and bright candidates who can still be molded. So they may steer away from older candidates whose careers may have stalled and who want an MBA to get them on a stronger track. Career switchers are also tricky; the career management offices need to be certain that they can help the thirty-something change their path; and with 10 plus years in one field, this is not always easy to achieve.

But talent is talent, and older applicants who can make a great case for why they need the MBA, have well-defined and realistic career goals, with competitive grades and test scores, a track record of achievement and a clear sense of fit with the institution are still in with a chance of admission. So if you feel you meet this criteria, there is still a chance - but I would focus on the schools that admit more senior students or even consider an Executive MBA or part time program. Or take a selection of courses in the area of interest.

Your gmat score really depends on which school but since you will be measured against other Indian applicants, you generally need quite a high gmat score of 700++.

If you'd like to talk further, give us a shout or email us at Fortuna and we can give you a better assessment once we learn more about your profile. Then we can identify which schools would be the best fit for you (full time and executive mba).

Hope that helps.

Hi,

You have decent profile with strong work ex and academics, target 700+ GMAT and you can apply to full time MBA programs. You can target schools like ISB, IIM's in India. INSEAD, HEC, IMD, St.Gallen's, IE, IESE. Ideally you should apply to 5-6 schools to increase your chances and your main focus should be on choosing right set of schools and start application process soon.

Regards,
Manish
www.general-ed.com
Try https://www.general-ed.com/chances-of-bschool

nrajan1981 wrote:Hi,
The following is my profile:

Nationality: India
SSC: 82.5%
HSC: 95.5%
M Sc (Hons.) Economics & MMS, Bits Pilani - (CGPA 8.23 / 10)

Total IT Experience : 10.6 Years (currently Lead ERP Consultant); worked with IBM and Oracle India)
Total International Experience: 1 Year

Reason for MBA
Earlier, did have interest in Finance and Investment Banking not sure whether it is still late to pursue
I wish to move into Top Management role on the corporate strategy / Management Consulting side and would solicit your advice on the same.

Also, I wish to know whether it is better to take up normal or executive MBA and whether to look for the same from Indian / US / European B-schools.
Also, in addition, what schools should I target and the needed GMAT score ?

Thanks & Regards,
Raj.