Am I Too Young for a Top MBA Program? Or Too Old?

Age is just a number, right? We’d certainly like to think so. However, if you’re considering applying to business school, you’ve likely come across the class profile for your target programs. These reports can be helpful in determining how the admissions committee will view your ‘stats’ (GPA, test score, etc.). You’ll find that one of the items most schools report is the latest class’s average years of work experience. This may leave you wondering if you’re ‘too old’ or ‘too young’ for a top MBA program. It’s certainly not cut and dry, which is why we’re excited to tackle the topic in this article.

A Caveat – It Depends on the Program Format

The first thing we’d like to clarify is that the work experience profile of top MBA programs depends on the program format you’re considering. On average, executive MBA programs target students who are further into their careers (8+ years of work experience). Part-time MBA programs generally enroll those with 3-10 years of work experience. Both of these formats tend to have a wider range of ages and the exact amount of experience an applicant has plays less of a role in admissions decisions.

With that in mind, our main focus today is on full-time MBA programs, specifically the ‘M7’ which is the set of schools our clients most commonly target. If you scan the class profiles for these programs, you’ll find that nearly all report the same average years of work experience for their most recent class – 5 years. Some of the top 20 US and European MBA programs average slightly higher, even up to 6 years, but the band is fairly narrow. Note that 5 years refers to the amount of work experience a student has on the first day of classes, not the day they submit their application.

But An Average Is Just That, Right?

Exactly! If 5 years of work experience is the average, a good portion of each class has more than that and a good portion has less. In fact, Wharton reports that its latest class includes someone with only 1 year of experience as well as someone with 21 years.

Our intent here is not to discourage anyone who is younger or older than average for their target programs. It’s simply to help MBA hopefuls understand where they fall so they can use that knowledge to inform their application strategy. By understanding the concerns the adcom may have about your tenure in the workforce, you can emphasize parts of your profile that will put their minds at ease.

Why Does It Matter If I Am ‘Too Old’ or ‘Too Young’ for a Top MBA Program?

Let’s start by discussing why top MBA programs care about work experience in the first place. Isn’t enough that a younger applicant has demonstrated the ability to handle the coursework through their undergrad GPA and GMAT score? Or that they are a leader through their undergrad extracurriculars and ability to land an impressive post-college job? For an older applicant, doesn’t the adcom value those additional years of experience and career progression?

Pre-MBA Work Experience Influences the Campus Environment

Yes, confidence that an applicant can succeed in a rigorous academic environment is important to the adcom. However, MBA courses are way different from the undergrad setting where you may have sat through lectures and then applied the knowledge to a project or in an exam. The MBA classroom – and business school experience – depends on lively discussion rooted in real world experience. Our consultants, who are top MBA grads themselves, will enthusiastically tell you that they learned the most from their MBA peers. As such, admitting a class with robust and diverse work experience is important to the adcom.

Pre-MBA Work Experience Also Influences Post-MBA Employment Outcomes

Another big consideration when adcoms look at applicants outside of the typical age range is employability. In addition to class profiles, you’ve probably seen that MBA programs release employment reports each year. Schools are heavily invested in ensuring their students are employed upon graduation, as they should be.

Most employers who hire MBAs on campus expect them to hit the ground running but be also at a level junior enough where they can grow within the organization (and be willing to roll up their sleeves and even grind a bit). Also, despite the credibility of being at a top MBA program, employers want ‘proof’ that those they hire are rockstars. They glean this from an applicant’s promotion history at their pre-MBA job, amongst other things, which younger applicants may not have as much of. In other words, at the end of the day, adcoms can be concerned that those with either too much or too little work experience will be edged out for post-MBA jobs by candidates from other programs, negatively impacting the school’s employment data (and those students’ satisfaction with their MBA experience).

What Should I Do If the Adcom Might Think I’m Too Old or Too Young for a Top MBA Program?

As we said earlier, the point of this discussion is not to discourage those who are older or younger than average for their target program. Instead, there are things you can do to help convince the adcom that any concerns about your years of work experience are unfounded.

If you are on the younger side, demonstrating leadership and career progression are key. Be vocal and advocate for a promotion if it feels reasonable to do so (and you deserve it, of course). Take initiative to lead projects or initiatives at work or as part of an extracurricular activity. Volunteer to help onboard new hires, mentor junior peers, or contribute to a summer internship program at your company. And then make sure these accomplishments are front and center in your applications.

If you are on the older side, it really all comes down to how your position your career goals. It is even more important for you to lay out a compelling, detailed rationale about what your goals are and why an MBA is needed to help you achieve them. Don’t let the adcom leave your application wondering whether you could accomplish the goals you have without an MBA. Relatedly, be sure to reinforce the ‘why now’ part of your narrative about why an MBA will enable your future career.

Closing Thoughts

In our experience, very few applicants come to the MBA application process without some sort of ‘weakness’ in their profile. Our specialty (and what we love to do) is to work with clients to identify what those weaknesses are and strategize about how to overcome them. The best thing you can do is start the process early, so you have runway to take action. If you’re applying this year, now is a great time to engage a consultant and get started.

If you’d like a personalized evaluation of your profile and to learn how we work with clients to realize their MBA dreams, click here to request an initial consultation. We look forward to hearing from you!