Tips for the Older MBA Applicant Applying to B-School

The average age of business school applicants has been trending downward for the past decade. With that, work experience expectations have shifted as well. But not everyone is ready or in a position to take the business school plunge at 26 years old. If you’re an older MBA applicant prepared to pursue the degree in your early-30s and beyond, consider these specific tips as you put together your application package.

Show Career Progression

When applying to a top-tier business school, you’ll need to show the admissions committee a clear path of professional growth. The admissions team wants to admit students who continually seek to learn and advance their skills and leadership abilities.

Even if you have held the same job for several years, you should demonstrate career progression. This can be in the formal sense, with increasingly higher-level job titles. Or by pointing out how you have gradually taken on greater responsibilities.

Coach your recommenders to specifically address this upward trajectory in their letters of support. That will help convey your dedication to your professional development.

Also, ask a current or recent manager for that recommendation. A letter from a supervisor who worked with you eight years ago might raise a red flag. If you select a recommender from the more distant past, make sure that you have kept in touch, and they can speak to your professional progression and work habits now.

If you have had several jobs, don’t worry about squeezing all of them onto the MBA resume. Highlight only the most critical positions and find ways to show career progression and results on your MBA resume.

Show Strong Leadership as an Older MBA Applicant

Understandably, younger applicants won’t have many examples of leadership one year out of school. But, as time goes on, expectations increase, and the ability to manage and inspire others will become more critical.

The best MBA programs value outstanding leadership. If you are applying to Harvard Business School in your mid-30s, you better have already developed tremendous leadership skills and have a lot to show for them.

For your essays, find professional or personal anecdotes that show how you have galvanized or improved the work of others. Try to paint a vivid picture of your most significant leadership challenge or of a time when you led with integrity or motivated a team to achieve a shared goal. You want to show how you always attempt to do more than a good job and strive to leave your mark on whatever situation you’re in.

As prepared as you are, you need to convince the schools that you still have room for improvement. And that can only come from the education and experiences of an MBA program. Let them know exactly what they offer that will help you further hone your leadership or technical skills.

Choose the Right Type of Program

If you’re pretty advanced in your career, research what type of program best fits your professional goals and personal life. You may find that a part-time MBA program or an executive MBA program will allow you to meet your goals with greater flexibility and less disruption.

When we worked with Claudine, she was in her late-30s and held an executive-level position in finance at a large consumer products company. She had reached a career plateau in her firm and thought an MBA would take her to the next level. We considered that any three format options could help her achieve her goals.

While excited by the range of social and extracurricular activities available in a full-time MBA program, Claudine had an extremely demanding family life with two small children. She didn’t think she could take advantage of the many social activities most full-time MBA students participate in.

Ultimately, her desire for a flexible way to expand her skills and tap into the network available from a strong program led Claudine to look most closely at an executive MBA. Claudine succeeded in the joint EMBA program between the University of California—Berkeley Haas School of Business and Columbia Business School.

Business school admissions committees always seek applicants with diverse interests and backgrounds. An older MBA applicant has numerous attractive qualities going for them. The key is to make sure all those great qualities stand front and center in your MBA application.