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Doing mine at 33 at M7. I was an ORM with below average gmat. Don’t let the age bring you down. Tell your story. Good luck!
yeah makes sense! hadn’t heard of orm only urm thanks for the explanation
Sure, it might have been in your benefit to get an MBA earlier, but that’s in the past, and every single day, you’re only going to get older. You’ve decided that you want to do something, so go for it. The only way you’ll know if you make the cut or not is by trying. What will hurt more is the regret you’ll feel in the future if you don’t give it a shot today
Be proud of who you are. Sounds like you had an interesting life story, and I’m sure that brings a wealth of wisdom that younger folk don’t possess. Don’t be intimidated. You’ll be surprised how many people will be interested in what you have to say. Schools also look at what you can bring to the class. I’m sure your classmates would have a lot to learn from you
If I had gone to MBA at 26, I would’ve used it to get into consulting and would’ve wasted my one career “reset” button. Now at 32, I know large corporate isn’t for me and I have the wisdom to make better use of a very expensive 2 years. I’m able to say no to things I know I don’t want, and zero in on opportunities, meetings, and people that will help me get ahead. Many people that did their MBAs in their 20s are stuck, a decade later, in the job they thought was “correct” when they were inexperienced. Also, 30something is young - we’ll all be in the same retirement home together anyway
I can empathize. I got in a year ago, a month before I turned 30. Covid derailed my biggest opportunity out of college, immediately after selling all my things and moving for it. I was forced to change industries to survive and then hit 3 layoffs in just over a year and changed industries again. Now, I'm hoping this gets me a bit further than my prior misfortunes. We're all just taking initiative to position ourselves better for success, it may be the only element of our careers we have a modicum of control over, so we take it because the alternative is to continue drifting in a direction not of our choosing.
I’m 33 in a m7 and this is one of the best, most rewarding experiences. You’ll be less career hungry than they will and your idea of fun may be different but in the end, ive made some lifelong friends and learned a lot about myself in the process
I wouldn’t say that, though, a lot of M7 schools want to see at least 5 years of experience before they’ll even consider you. In reality, three years in the real world is just a blink of an eye.
not true at all, exec mbas in particular have high 30s or later average as they require longer experience
Your instinct and observations about adcoms operations are pretty accurate. A big part of their “strategy” value nowadays is about understanding cultural trends for clients and how that translates into creative or media opportunities. You may find that going forward you will be more professionally fulfilled on either the client side or management consulting, where having more business experience is more valued, than it is on the adcoms side.
i think by adcoms, op means admissions committees of mba programs. like the people who determine who gets into the business school the adcom belongs to. maybe it stands for something else in the advertising industry too and we’re confusing subjects?
I’m 33 now and one point was seriously considering an MBA as I neared my late 20s. Given your career experience, I think you yourself need to be very clear on why you want an MBA - even before you start writing statements to adcoms about why you want a degree.
I didn’t end up going because I saw less value in it, especially in the economy we’re entering. Much of what you’ll learn in an MBA is in text books and case studies, and personally I’ve found life experience to immensely more valuable (in addition to reading WSJ, the economist and business e-books off Amazon). If you’re going for a career switch, then an MBA is a good reason regardless of age, if you’re going for networking then it’s an alright reason (because you can also network through various other ways), if you’re going to learn business, then it’s a terrible reason.
I’ll be 33 in a yr and I’m applying now. I definitely feel it’s a slight weakness, tho at your age not as much.
But it is what it is tbh, as long as you feel it’s the right move for you, that’s what is important.
Mentor
The average age of incoming MBAs is ~28 so you are not far off.
You will need to be clear on where you want the degree to take you, what areas you need to develop and why NOW is the right time for you.
The 25 year olds THINK they have the 10 year plan because they have < 5 years of WE and haven't even considered other options. You have lived a few options and likely have a clear picture of what you want to do in the future and why.
Also, with more years of pre-MBA work experience across industries and geographies, you have more to BRING to an MBA program than a 25 year old with 3 years of consulting experience.
Embrace and own YOUR story.
32 and just started at HBS.
I too turned 30 a couple months before returning for an MBA last fall. Successfully pivoted into consulting that will 2.5x my pre-mba salary. Don’t over think the age if you’ve assessed it to be the right career move for you.
Turning 30 doesn’t put you at a disadvantage at all — in fact, many MBA programs see applicants in their late 20s and early 30s as strong candidates because they bring more professional maturity, leadership readiness, and life experience to the classroom. While younger applicants may look more “traditional” on paper, schools value people who have explored different industries, worked internationally, and can contribute richer perspectives to discussions.
Adcoms aren’t just looking for “moldable” candidates — they’re building a diverse cohort. Your winding path is an asset, not a drawback, especially if you can tie it together into a clear narrative about why now is the right time for your MBA.
If you’d like tailored guidance on how to frame your story so it resonates with admissions, feel free to reach me at carolynchristiehiringteam@gmail.com