Tips for Older MBA Applicants Who Are Interested in Obtaining an MBA
Are you too old? No. Some clients are surprised to find out that they are "older" MBA candidates and that their years of work experience hurt their chances of getting accepted into an MBA program. But if you are older and want to get an MBA, don't give up on your dreams. There are things you can do to make the admissions committee feel comfortable and excited about your extensive experience.
What exactly is an “older” MBA applicant?
If you look at the average number of years of work experience of new students at top-ranked schools, you'll find that it is typically five. Those five years start when the student starts college, so on average, they apply when they have been working for four years and are about 26 years old if they went to work right after college.
This is an average, so there is some variation, but not as much as you might think. HBS doesn't report on how much work experience its students have any more, but the last time it did, only 67 students, or about 7%, were 30 or older. CBS said that most of its students are between 25 and 31 years old. If half of the remaining 20% are older than 31, that means each class has about 80 older people. Being older than average isn't a deal-breaker, but it makes a competitive application process even more selective.
The admissions committee does not just look at your age to decide if you are an older MBA applicant. For example, a career pivot early in your career may have also made you a bit older, which makes sense. That's the only thing they want you to do: explain it.
Why are admissions committees concerned about age?
There are two major concerns: employment and your own satisfaction with the degree.
To begin, the employment statistics of graduates from top MBA programs are quite essential. Major post-MBA employers visit campuses expecting to meet with students at comparable phases of their careers who have similar expectations about the level and salary at which they would be employed. In order to make it worthwhile for businesses to visit campus for recruitment, business schools strive to maximize the pool of students in this "sweet spot" for employers. This increases the number of students who have jobs when they graduate.
Employers are one of the top MBA programs' most important clients. Solid employment numbers prove that their program will continue to work. The school's alumni are another important consumer.
This brings me to my second point: another thing that keeps MBA programs going is that alumni are involved, happy with their degree, and eager to donate to their alma mater. Business schools know that graduates are more likely to be happy with their degree if they had a good time on campus and felt like they got a good return on their tuition investment. The admissions committee assumes that candidates in their late 20s have fewer responsibilities and can focus more on their college life than students who are older.
So what should you do as an older candidate?
1. Convince the admissions committees you’re just as, if not more, employable than younger candidates.
If you're older, it's even more important to have a short-term career goal that is clear and actionable. And you should make sure that your goals are excellent by doing research and talking to people who have been where you want to go. Not only do you need to make sure that your dream job after getting an MBA matches your expectations and goals, but you also need to know if it is usually a good fit for older MBAs. Some paths might not be good for younger students if they require a lot of long hours or a lot of long trips. It depends on what you like, but you should be realistic and use what you've learned in your essay.
Also, it's important to make the most of your extra years. Admissions committees put a lot of weight on leadership experience and career growth because strong leaders who have been promoted in the past tend to be easy to hire in the future. Make sure that these qualities stand out in the way you talk about yourself in your essays and interviews. Lastly, don't be afraid to explain in detail how your career has gone so far. Why have you taken the steps you have? And how have these things helped you get where you want to go?
2. Lean into your "Why MBA?" essay and explain why you want to do a full-time MBA.
Successful alumni who are leaders in their fields often make great guest speakers, adjunct professors, and mentors for current students. Tell the admissions committee that you have a clear and ambitious plan for your future and, most importantly, how an MBA fits into that plan. This message is important for all candidates, but it is even more important for older candidates who may have already been successful without a degree.
After you write your "Why MBA?" section, be sure to explain why you chose a full-time course instead of an executive MBA or an evening/weekend program. MBA applicants who are older tend to be interested in EMBAs and part-time programs. It's on the minds of the admissions committee, so don't leave them hanging; answer this question directly and proactively.
Another part of your "Why MBA?" narrative that will help the admissions committee picture you in their next class? Show them how enthusiastic you are to be a part of particular clubs and what role you will play in them. Tell them about your involvement outside of your day-to-day tasks in the past. Connect the extracurricular activities you've done in the past to the things you'll do in business school. The key is to show that, even though you are a few years older than your younger peers, you still have the same eagerness to learn and take part in the MBA experience.
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