Perception of 1yr vs 2yr MBA programs?

[Lord-Barrington]

Originally Posted by medtech_expat

Curious as to why you make an exception for career switchers? I changed industries myself from IMD, as did a number of my classmates.

I might have worded it too strongly. You can certainly switch careers from strong 1 year programs like IMD but the short duration of these programs and the fact that you can't do an internship (in most cases) make it more difficult for career switchers, as far as I know.

But I'm sure you can still do it.

 

[thebac]

The one issue you might have with regard to age is that top MBA programs are skewing younger these days, so I really wouldn't put off applying any longer if you're going to go. I agree with gdl203 that age isn't necessarily a red flag, but it is a potential concern, both with respect to being able to take direction from younger superiors and with respect to the willingness to work long hours.

Originally Posted by gdl203

Based on my experience, in NYC, no. Very very few, if any at all. INSEAD probably being the only European business school that may place people on Wall Street. No other European school. Now, to get the same job in London, that's a completely different question.

So essentially:
If I want a chance at a banking career in London: Go with a top 1 year Euro program
If I want a chance at a banking career in N.America: Go with a top 2 year US program

Also, in your experience, what is the average age of new associates recruited from MBA programs? Given the hours, I understand the preference is for younger candidates. All else being equal (grades, mba school, pre-mba experience, etc), is there an age where you begin to lose interest in the candidate?

Although a young man in biological years, I'm no longer a spring chicken in IB terms. I just turned 28, and realistically wouldn't be able to enter a MBA program until 29/30. I started thinking about the 1 year programs as a way to fight the age issue.

 

[Lord-Barrington]

The two programs who have definitely skewed younger are Stanford and Harvard. Unless you're military or have a really compelling story, chances are that 30 is probably too old for either. Every other top program is (to varying degrees) much more accepting of older applicants with the schools specializing in ops and marketing (Kellogg, Michigan) usually being more accepting than those more focused on finance (Chicago, Columbia). European schools are generally very open to older applicants. Leaf through an IMD or INSEAD resume book and you will see many, many applicants over 30 (sometimes well over 30).

In general, though, many top MBA programs in the US have a median student age of around 29 and that number includes a fair amount of 25-26 year old bankers and consultants bringing down the average.

As fart as ageism in hiring goes, I think that for industries like finance it certainly can be a red flag because the expectation is that older graduates won't be able to grind out the hours due to family obligations/general life circumstances. On the flipside, many industry roles will be difficult to access for younger grads due to fears over lack of experience and difficulties in managing older employees.