ForumWatch: How Young is Too Young for an MBA?
Posted by: Louis Lavelle on March 29, 2011
Every few weeks or so, people come onto the Bloomberg Businessweek Business Schools Forum to ask questions about how their age influences their chances of getting into a top program. These forum participants tend to be either fresh out of undergraduate programs or well over 30. Since most MBA students are in their mid- to late-twenties, these participants are concerned they don’t have a chance.
Recently, the subject came up in a discussion thread after a 21-year-old, who is expecting to graduate in May from an undergraduate program, posed the question, “Am I too young for an MBA?” This person, who goes by the username “acrossley,” has already launched a business and doesn’t want to wait to gain experience before attending business school.
As one might expect, those who responded to the original message suggested gaining work experience and maturity before entering business schools. After all, both admissions committees and fellow students look for the value a candidate will bring to campus. At the same time, there are some programs that are skewing younger, and every so often exceptional applicants are accepted fresh out of an undergraduate program. What would you tell acrossley? You can share your suggestions and opinions here, or on the forum discussion thread.
—Francesca Di Meglio
Editor’s Note: This is the first of what we hope will be many blog posts about discussions taking place on the Bloomberg Businessweek Business Schools Forum, where prospective b-school applicants, current students, and recent alumni trade admissions tips, job-hunting advice, and occasional barbed comment. We invite you to join these discussions or start one of your own.
