Should I take this job?

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ramshyam: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 2; Joined: Thu Aug 19, 2010 7:30 am

by ramshyam » Wed May 04, 2011 11:38 am

I was planning to apply to MBA programs end of this year (for fall 2012), but I have been offered a move to Europe by my work (currently I am in the US). This is a great role which I am really excited about but I don't know how I will tell my employer in few months time that I need a recommendation for business schools. I know you will say work for couple of years and apply to go to school in fall 2013. But the thing is that I am already 27 now and I don't want to wait till 29+ to start my MBA either.

I am really confused now. While this role will be a great career experience and will also help me to get into a good MBA program, I am further delaying my MBA start date. So what shall I do:

1) Not take this job. Apply for fall 2012 (aiming for HBS, Wharton, LBS etc)
2) Take this job and apply for fall 2012 anyway. I know I will not make my employer happy as they have shown faith in me and are investing a lot in this move.
3) Take the job. Apply for fall 2013.
4) Take the job. Apply for a one year MBA (INSEAD, IE), so I would still finish when I would finish with a 2 year MBA starting in fall 2012. Or I can even start one year MBA in January 2013 (I would finish even faster).

I scored 750 on my GMAT, 3.95 GPA, 3 years of work experience as of now and plenty of extracurricular experiences. What should I do? Please give your thoughts.

Source: Beat The GMAT — Research MBA Programs | Wed May 04, 2011 11:38 am

Shazy: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 1; Joined: Sat May 07, 2011 4:06 pm; Thanked: 1 times

by Shazy » Sat May 07, 2011 4:11 pm

Hi- the fact that you are not able to make your own decisions suggests to me that you are not yet ready for an MBA. I was in similar dilemma last year.
Finally decided to postpone the application by an year and now I don't regret it at all. About the 28 year, 29 years thing that you mention,
Come on dude...we are all looking at 30-35 year careers, a year or two hardly matters in the long journey.(as long as you are enjoying what you are doing)

Good luck!

GMAT/MBA Expert

Stacy Blackman: MBA Admissions Consultant; Posts: 1048; Joined: Wed Apr 26, 2006 8:59 pmFollowed by: 113 members; Location: Los Angeles, CA; Thanked: 50 times

by Stacy Blackman » Thu May 12, 2011 7:24 am

Hi ramshyam,

First, I want to say congratulations. It looks like you have a great future ahead of you.

It would be impossible for someone on this forum to recommend a decision for you given the limited information we have and the factors at play. What you should do is speak to your family and close peers who know you best. In the end, trust yourself and make the decision you feel is right.

As a note, even at MBA programs such as Harvard Business School, which has a reputation for targeting younger candidates, the average age of incoming students is 26-27 years (depending on the year). I mention this because if you do apply at the age of 28-29, you won't at any way be at a handicap. In fact, we had a client who was 37 who was accepted into HBS. His story is in the URL below if you would like to see:

https://www.stacyblackman.com/2011/05/12 ... applicant/

I hope this was of help.

Cheers,

Conrad and the Stacy Blackman Team

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ramshyam: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 2; Joined: Thu Aug 19, 2010 7:30 am

by ramshyam » Fri May 13, 2011 6:56 am

Thanks to both of you for your feedback.

I know a year might not make that much of a difference, but given how difficult it is to get into top schools, I didn't want to have any doubts. And also you hear a lot of people talk about top schools targeting younger candidates these days. So I thought I would pose this question on this thread and get people's feedbacks.

Also Stacy, thanks for the link. That definitely is encouraging.

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