I am very happy in the EMBA program at Goethe Business School. The median age in our program is about 33. We have a diverse cohort, but the industry backgrounds tend to be heavier in the finance and consulting industries. I guess having a program in Frankfurt collocated with the Institute of Law and Finance tends to attract a lot of finance types. There are a lot of financial companies that sponsor the school and recruit graduates as well. Check it out, it may be just what you are looking for.

@ Ramdi.

Did you finally decide and get into an MBA?
What is your comprehension of the discussion?

Hi Guys. I am looking for MBA starting in early 2013. I have appeared for GMAT but scored badly, specially due to verbal and hence need to repeat gmat. i am a banker and wish to change line of function within banking. does it make sense to pursue 1 yr europe mba and come back to same place to get an edge ? i am also confused on whats SOP i build for an MBA application. can anybody help !!

Focus on improving your GMAT. The choices flow from that.

Hi All,
I was googling on this subject and came across this old thread. It has some pretty useful and concise information on this topic. I am not sure if this thread is still active but if yes, appreciate if someone can respond to my queries.

I am aged 35 and now planning to do my MBA (yes, I am late but better late than never). I am an IT professional from India having totally 13 years of exp with about 4 years in US. Currently working for an I-Bank in IT management role. I am targetting MBA programs starting mid/ fall 2013, looking initially at top 30 schools across Europe, Canada, US (in that order).

I have two questions -
1. Should I completely avoid regular MBA courses and focus only on Executive MBA options?
2. In either case (EMBA or regular), what colleges should I target (considering my higher experience range)?

Appreciate the feedback, Thx

if you can afford it, and want to change your job, then a full-time programme is not a bad idea. The full-time MBAs with the students with the most work experience are:

Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School
Nanyang Business School
Australian School of Business: AGSM
Melbourne Business School
Warwick Business School
Hult International Business School
University of Oxford: Saïd
Hong Kong UST Business School
Lancaster University Management School
Leeds University Business School
HEC Paris
Esade Business School
University of Edinburgh Business School
Kaist College of Business

I would also look at the PGPX programmes in India and the Sloan Fellows and Nanyang Fellow options.

I find this information useful and have couple of queries on top of this.
-Whether colleges provide Placement services to people with 10+ years of experience.
-Also I am looking for options where I can get residence permit (for me and my dependents) post course completion.

Your thoughts please...

Students have the same placement services, regardless of their age.

Residence permits differ from country to country, and change. As a rule of thumb, immigration is easier in countries with faster growing economies. You'll need to do your own research.

<blockquote>-Also I am looking for options where I can get residence permit (for me and my dependents) post course completion.</blockquote>
Depends on a lot of things. Some countries, like the US and Canada, grant previsionary permits for a certain amount of time, allowing you to work for a bit while you gain skills and network. After this previsionary period, you're not guaranteed permanent residency - you'll have to get that through other means.

These regulations can vary substantially, even year to year, due to shifting quotas and policy changes. For example, MBA grads in the UK used to automatically get a work visa after graduation, but they've recently stopped this: now, you have to get hired before you graduate in order to get a visa.

Point is, it can be difficult. Maybe if you tell us what countries you're interested in specifically, we'll have some insight.

Thanks a lot for your reply. I am targeting colleges in France, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany. In fact my spouse will be soon employed in Belgium/Luxembourg and thus I intend to pursue MBA in Europe.

I'd look at WHU in Koblenz. Not too far away.

There is one more point I should have mentioned earlier - my specialization. I am from Telecom background and have worked in Engineering, Quality/Process and Program Management (as Specialist Role). With my 10 years of experience in Telecom, I would like to continue in the same field - Telecom Consultancy/Marketing/Product Mgmt.

Any suggestion which colleges (assuming no Geographical restrictions) would be good for my experience?

Here are a few top US MBAs with slightly older cohorts, or cohorts with slightly more work experience than average:

Hult International Business School
University of Washington Business School: Foster
Yale School of Management
Georgetown University: McDonough
Duke University: Fuqua
Arizona State University: Carey
College of William and Mary: Mason

How about similar colleges in Europe? In fact, where I can expect some Telecom Consultancy/Marketing based recruitment

Europe has very national labour markets. Which European languages do you speak?

German (not fluent) and planning to take French classes September onwards

In that case I would suggest those top UK schools (which have been FT-ranked recently) with the oldest cohort:

City University: Cass
Warwick Business School
Durham Business School
University of Strathclyde Business School
Birmingham Business School
University of Cambridge: Judge
Cranfield School of Management

I'd especially recommend Warwick, Cambridge and Cranfield for telecoms.

Hi JK,
I have been reading this entire thread & you have given some valuable inputs to people needing help here. would appreciate your feedback on my situation as well. I am 38 yrs old & i am keen to pursue an 1 yr MBA with a focus of career change post MBA. i do realize that my age is on the wrong side of 30 & would need your suggestion as to which schools with a good reputation would be willing to accept students with my age, i am looking at business schools in canada preferably

There are only 15 accredited, one year MBAs in Canada. Why not send them your CV? Other than Ivey, I think they will all be fairly open to a candidate your age

<blockquote>Why not send them your CV?</blockquote>
This is good advice. Keep in mind though, that the average age of admitted students in most of these programs is around 28-30. I think Manitoba skews a little older than that, but not much (32ish.) That's going to put you at somewhat of a disadvantage when the admissions committees look at your application. You'll have to make a case for why you, in your current position, need an MBA.

Otherwise, depending on where you are, you might look into selected executive education courses or even a general management program. The cost of Harvard's GMP, for example, is less than the McGill MBA, and is arguably geared more towards somebody in your situation:

http://www.nextexecutive.com/courses/4157