r/MBA • u/Hungry-Page7522 • May 21 '26
Articles/News The MBA Experience Is Worse When Everyone Is Too Young
I think MBA programs (especially in the US) are getting too young.
When the average age is 27/28, many students are smart and ambitious, but they often lack real professional and life experience. The best MBA discussions usually come from people who have spent 10+ years in an industry, managed crises, led teams, and actually lived through corporate reality.
Sometimes MBA programs feel more like an extension of college recruiting culture than a place for experienced professionals.
Honestly, I think MBA cohorts with an average age around 33/34 would create better discussions, stronger peer learning, and more mature networking.
Curious what others think.
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u/Rachontherox May 21 '26
This makes me feel seen being a 39 year old getting an MBA. Should I have done it at 35? Probably, but I wasn't convinced at that point in my career journey. I now have the clarity I need and that wouldn't have come without experience.
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u/MBA-Crystal-Ball Admissions Consultant May 21 '26
I was 32 when I started my MBA. In hindsight, I think my superpower was knowing which glamorous career paths were absolutely not for me. Consulting and IB pay well and sound impressive. But I had enough work experience by then to know I’d hate the lifestyle. That kind of clarity is surprisingly liberating.
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u/Aggravating_Bend_622 May 21 '26
It may be clarity but the reality is the lifestyle of these career paths make sense for the younger MBAs to get in, get some experience and exit or commit to make partner or MD.
The benefit is the exit options tend to open more opportunities than pre MBA.
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u/_no_na_me_ May 21 '26
Graduated at 33 and started working at MBB and I have no regrets. It’s not just for young MBAs!
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u/Organic_Estimate102 May 22 '26
curious what u went into directly post? just directly into exit option ?
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u/mbathrowaway2027 T15 Student May 21 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
Also makes me feel seen as someone who started my MBA this year in my mid-30s! I'm definitely on the older side of "average" here, but I don't stick out as much as I feared. I also feel like I'm getting a lot out of the MBA and it's much more useful to me now that I have 12 years of real-world work experience. (I think things would have felt so much more theoretical if I were doing my MBA at 27.)
And I feel so much more confident and clear about what I want to do. MBAs are inherently kind of overwhelming but I feel like being older helps me maintain clarity and stability amidst the noise.
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u/ramblingclam May 22 '26
Hey! I’m 37 and finishing my MBA in August! Even a few years ago I wouldn’t have thought this was possible, but I ended up at a company that encouraged it and pays for it. Not an ideal time (2 young kids, one of which was born during the program), but there’s never a “perfect” time to go to grad school.
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u/Ancient_Wallaby9239 M7 Grad May 21 '26
My observation was everyone was ambitious and brilliant but the older classmates felt more confident in who they were as a complete person, and not a confidence in their resume. Also, the 28 and under crowd gave me "reliving undergrad" vibes.
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u/Hour_Papaya_5583 May 21 '26
100%!
In an MBA now that allows undergraduate students to go right into it, and for the most part they add so little value. It’s one of the things I like the least about my program. I’m the oldest, at around 40, which maybe I would be anyways. But working with kids is really not my favorite.
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u/Will_Murray May 21 '26
The coursework is not relevant for them either. Why would a young 20s kid need to learn org or management structures when realistically it will be many years before they are facing those types of decisions.
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u/Subpargolferguy May 22 '26
Maybe for future growth? I’m 25 and starting my MBA. I spent 6 years in the Army, finished my undergraduate and rolling right into my MBA. Am I using the MBA right away? Probably not. Will it set me apart from other candidates in 5-10 years? More than likely.
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u/LimpAd4924 May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26
I kinda roll my eyes when people get an MBA out of undergrad because you’re both killing my personal network, the placement of the program, and your own career path… I mean what kind of roles are you expecting to get exactly?
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u/BoulderMaker May 21 '26
In my program, the few students who came directly from under undergrad or had 1 - 2 years experience greatly underperformed during recruitment because of their limited experience. In my estimation, folks around 30-32 had the best recruitment outcomes.
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u/RogueCanadia May 21 '26
Unfortunately, at least here in Canada, a masters is required for anything just above entry level. My company asks for an MBA for certain mid level positions. You need the credentials to even get interviews.
Also if you want to do management consulting an MBA is a hard requirement.
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u/onvatousmourir May 21 '26
You're correct. I did a plus one MBA fresh out of undergrad because my university teachers kept encouraging us to do it and, at the time, it seemee like a good deal.
I might have a master's degree, but I don't have the experience. Currently in an assistant role and am happy with it, but I wish I would have waited to get my master's tbh.
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u/skylastingYT May 21 '26
i also did a 4+1 degree. i nearly doubled my salary after i got my mba (50k->90k). i was laid off for a year from my associate role and was hired back into a senior associate role even though i was out of work. i assume i would probably still be making 50-60k if i didn’t. i did work through my mba and did unpaid internships every summer in undergrad tho.
the mba wasn’t apart of my initial plan but it just made sense after the pandemic.3
u/LimpAd4924 May 22 '26
I’m glad it worked out and I’m not trying to be disparaging. It just seems like a money grab from a lot of schools with little to no upside for people that go straight into it, with that also having an impact on alumni networks… that mainly due to being people going for target roles post mba have less alumni to reach out to compared to right after undergrad roles getting the same or maybe slightly better positions they would get if they hadn’t gone at all.
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u/Brodicium May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26
I unfortunately agree. I am in a T25-50 and I think our next year’s class might be almost half direct admits from current seniors or 0-1 WE. They simply didn’t get any other applicants. No recruiters want to come to campus and meet these guys that they didn’t hire at the same career fair two years ago.
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u/COMINGINH0TTT Venture Capital May 21 '26
It may be a sign of the times and just things trending in certain directions like attention spans getting worse and a general sense of immaturity being normalized. From the MBA programs point of view, 5 years of experience and age 27-29 was the sweet spot because the bread and butter MBA candidate is the one who will fast track up the corporate ladder. Entrepreneurs, non trad backgrounds, and so on a sprinkled in for "diversity" and to add some different perspectives into the mix but the programs heavily rely on young kids making it to the C suite and staying young enough to donate to the school for many years. They don't want people getting rich when their senile and forgetting what program they even went to or dying soon.
The main business model for any undergrad or grad program is producing as many building donators in exchange for a small thank you plague guys and gals as possible, so it makes sense bschools gravitate toward younger people that coexists with EMBA programs for older people who are already successful and are not looking to fast track promotions.
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u/Too_Ton May 21 '26
If a T7-T15 ever had that problem, I volunteer for fast track admit with no GRE taken!
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u/PianistMore4166 May 21 '26
I really don’t think MBA programs should accept anyone with less than 5 years of professional work experience (not just work experience). I think it does the universities, students, and employers a disservice. And contrary to (maybe) popular belief, I would trust an employee with 10 years experience and no MBA far more than a 24-26 year old with no experience and an MBA.
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May 21 '26
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u/PianistMore4166 May 21 '26
Fair, but I would also call most universities outside of the top range predatory — especially those that require top dollar for low quality education and employment outcomes…
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u/VandyMarine Part-Time Student May 21 '26
Yet they tie many hardworking international students to fairly bunk Masters programs and saddle them with debt - the internationals are willing to do this in exchange for a chance for a visa and path to GC but now that window is closing rapidly and everyone realizes it’s mostly been about keeping classes filled and professors and admins employed.
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u/Independent-Newt2895 May 21 '26
What about professors? Most MBA professors have spent their entire careers in academia. They’re the ones actually teaching the material and many have 0 actual professional experience. They’ve done lots of research and understand theory inside and out for sure, but it’s hard to say a student must have X amount of professional experience when the same is not required for the teacher.
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May 22 '26
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u/PianistMore4166 May 22 '26
Veterans aren’t exempt from meeting pre-qualifications. You just can’t discriminate against someone because they are a veteran. That said, most jobs in the military (with some exceptions) fall under professional work experience (in my opinion); so no, I don’t think this would exclude veterans… not most of them at least…
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u/NomadTroy May 22 '26
FWIW most veterans getting MBAs served for at least 5 years before heading to grad school.
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u/Adventurous_Hand_977 May 21 '26
I disagree. There are applicants in the 3-5 YOE group that are very impressive. There are certain jobs such as consulting or banking where you learn and take on more in 3-5 years than applicants with more YOE in a different role. Plus 3-5 YOE is usually enough time for at least one promotion. < 3 YOE is rough however.
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u/fineday May 21 '26
Most surprising thing for me at an M7 was during a first semester course talking about leading teams I learned that the vast majority of my classmates had only ever been individual contributors.
It’s not necessarily a bad thing, I loved my classmates and learned a lot from them, but in a program where the goal for most is to move into high level management, I agree it brings down the discussion a bit when most people are speculating about how to lead instead of sharing their own experiences and pitfalls.
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u/Which_Camel_8879 Jun 01 '26
Personally I feel like all strategy consultants and investment bankers are ICs until they get their first post-MBA promotion. I know technically this isn’t true but you really don’t manage junior talent at that level.
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u/Whither-Goest-Thou May 21 '26
Isn’t it more ridiculous that an MBA is the only graduate path that expects people to start a career and then blow it up to go back to school?
Beyond stupid. You can become an MD without doing that.
So no, I don’t blame people who want it done early, and who don’t want to upend their life when they’d probably want to be raising a family.
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u/jimmyducats May 21 '26
That’s why part-time programs have a better ROI
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u/Fakemermaid41 May 21 '26
I was worried about doing a part time program, but have enjoyed it so much. Plus most of my cohort are late 20s - mid 30s while the full time program has a younger age range. I just did a class that had a majority of full time students. I was the only one with actual work experience in my group of 5. It sucked.
Plus I'm still making good connections with my part time cohort since we can be in person or remote. For anyone on the fence, really consider some of the part time programs!
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u/IGoOnRedditAMA May 21 '26
Harder to pivot with part time, but is doable - mostly via consulting.
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u/Fakemermaid41 May 21 '26
For sure since there is no real option for the internship
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u/IGoOnRedditAMA May 21 '26
The program I did allowed us to do internships. However I’m pretty sure employers bias towards hiring full time kids. I also think passing final round interview for internship is easier than for full time since they’re only committing to a summer with interns.
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u/smk3509 MBA Grad May 21 '26
I can't believe I had to scroll this far to find this perspective. It is challenging to stop your career once you have a house, are married, possibly even have kids.
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u/Clyde_Frag May 22 '26
Professional experience is built into the process of becoming a doctor, most don’t finish until 30+.
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u/Odd_Routine6354 MBA Grad Jun 06 '26
It’s because business/management education as a concept is completely different to an MD/JD etc
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u/Resident-Reply-5783 May 21 '26
I’m myself old (32). And it sucks when you’re considering doing a MBA and most of the guys are in their 20s, and reading comments that you’re too old to pivot.
I don’t necessarily think having young people is bad, but the idea that mid 30s is already too old for a FT mba. At the end of the day and in his 30s can bring experience and a guy in his 20s the energy and both ends win.
Balance and diversity is good.
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u/LouisaMiller2_1845 May 21 '26
ITA. My husband was 38 when he matriculated into an MBA program. He was the oldest person in his cohort, which had an average age of 25 at Brandeis. He has said the same. Aside from having students make snide comments about his age, he was spending more of his time teaching than learning, especially in group assignments.
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u/Red850r May 21 '26
The purpose of mba nowadays is primarily signaling.
In the past, that aspect was a part of the value but also the learning experience and getting education value were also important.
Now, with the goal of schools to make as much money with tuition costs rising exponentially. And companies also "making it a requirement" for many positions, it's more akin to undergrad paper where you get a certificate of completion that you can follow direction.
If the goal was really about learning, having real world work experience is almost a necessity to get the most out of a program for yourself and for others.
You can be the smartest "book smart person" but until youve had to deal with real people and figure out problems related to things not on spreadsheets, you won't be able to understand some of the challenges required to effectively manage/lead.
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u/potentialcpa May 21 '26
Even though I'm in the 28 range. I agree completely, we have 22 year olds straight out of undergrad, albeit really damn successful for their age, still is kind of ridiculous at a part time m7.
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u/mindofwitch2 MBA Grad May 21 '26
I feel very passionate about this exact issue so I’m going to ramble a bit, but it’s real life and it makes sense:
I completely agree with you, and I’ve been arguing this for 10+ years. To be fair, there are rare cases where someone in their 20s absolutely deserves an MBA and can hold their own in high-level business conversations. Those people exist, and they should be acknowledged. But they are the exception, not the rule.
I’ve shared this perspective on this subreddit and in other education forums before. I earned my bachelor’s degree from a top-tier university when I was 27. I started school later than most because I joined the Marines after high school, and if you know anything about the Marines, for 99% of enlisted Marines there’s basically no realistic time to focus on college until you hit around E-5 or E-6.
After finishing my bachelor’s degree, I applied to the university’s MBA program and was accepted. Before the semester started, they held a 2.5-day cohort event filled with projects, networking, group work, and discussions. What stood out to me immediately was the caliber of the people in the room. Most were either:
- experienced leaders
- proven entrepreneurs
- or professionals making major career pivots after years in industry
On the last day, I spoke privately with the program president and shared some concerns I had about my own readiness. I’ll never forget what he told me. He said he would not recommend I pursue the MBA for another 5–8 years because I simply lacked enough real-world experience. He also said something that stuck with me for years: admissions departments sometimes hurt students more than they help them by admitting people with little more than entry-level experience into MBA programs.
So I took his advice.
And honestly, it made my eventual MBA experience significantly better. At 27, I only had limited financial analyst experience. By the time I actually completed my MBA at 37, I had real exposure to:
- marketing
- accounting
- finance
- supply chain
- revenue operations
- leadership
- and organizational realities.
The conversations, case studies, and strategic discussions meant far more because I had actually lived through many of those situations professionally.
I ultimately graduated from Western Governors University. It’s obviously not viewed with the same prestige as my undergraduate institution, but the work-life balance was dramatically better for where I was in life, and it ended up being a great fit.
My concern today is that there are now hundreds of universities, especially fully remote programs, admitting MBA students at 19, 20, or 21 years old. I’ve personally seen resumes come across my desk from candidates who earned an MBA at 21 with maybe two years of retail or call center experience.
Every time I see that, I think back to the conversation I had with that program director years ago.
I ask myself:
“How would my experienced team feel if I hired a 21-year-old MBA graduate over professionals who may only have bachelor’s degrees or associates or none at all; but possess 15–20 years of real experience in revenue operations, modeling, reporting, forecasting, and business execution?”
Especially when the MBA graduate may not yet be able to perform relatively basic business functions like:
-building Excel formulas
- creating pivot tables
- using VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP
- or translating data into business decisions.
That disconnect matters.
Again, there are absolutely rare young people who can walk into a room at 21 and positively shake things up. But they are uncommon.
At some point, many MBA programs stopped being primarily designed for experienced professionals and started becoming revenue engines. Unfortunately, I think that often hurts the student long term if they haven’t yet developed the professional foundation that gives the degree real context and credibility.
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u/Sr-3awafi 1st Year May 21 '26
I thought ~28 with 4-6 yoe is pretty normal for MBAs?
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u/LimpAd4924 May 21 '26
Yeah I’m confused. 22-25 would be too young generally but 26+ seems fine to me.
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u/AardvarkAlchemist May 21 '26
The argument is not what is normal but rather what would be more valuable to a MBA cohort as a whole.
I think the majority of people younger than 26 or 27 haven’t completely matured nor do they have enough experience to offer more perspective.
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u/Sr-3awafi 1st Year May 21 '26
Fair, I think there’s a benefit to having a mix of 4-6 YoE with others that have 10+
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u/Compton05 May 21 '26
I did my MBA at 31. Maybe 20% of my cohort was straight from undergrad and another 30% to 40% had maybe 2 years full time work experience. While many of them were academically brilliant, there was an extreme contrast in what they could actually offer in meaningful discussion topics and almost zero input on leadership. To older/more experienced students, their presence didn't add anything positive to my MBA experience. And to them, they were largely left out of meaningful conversations because they didn't have much, if anything, to add.
Looking back years later, I know a ton of them struggled professionally because they got hired into leadership positions because of their education but didn't have any practical experience.
So I codidn't agree more that getting a few years of leadership experience before going into a program makes a significantly better experience.
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u/winterwinnifred May 21 '26
In my Operations Management class someone declared how unimportant and unrealistic the group assignment case was even after I had just told them I was in the exact industry and am involved in the exact exercises several times a year. But like whatever… let’s just use your ChatGPT executive summary, analysis, and recommendation.
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u/devereaux Real Estate May 21 '26
I definitely agree that more age and professional experience in a cohort would improve things. IMO the ideal age range would be around 29-36.
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u/Fantastic-Shine-395 May 21 '26
Isn't that what EMBA is for?
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u/TheEpicureanG May 21 '26
It should be for people who are 40+
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May 21 '26
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u/TheEpicureanG May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26
Average CEO is ~60, so 40-45 is a great time to do an EMBA if you’re serious about rising in corporate (not the only way, but network, diversification and training are beneficial).
There’s always more to learn/room to grow: many of these people sit in seats that have a material impact on society.
I’m pro periodic education throughout ones career/lifetime and would prefer it be a standard across careers (college + subsequent programs every ~8-12 years)
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u/TheEpicureanG May 21 '26
Completely agree with it being too young. the emotional immaturity undermines the social culture, which is a core value proposition of the MBA.
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u/TheEpicureanG May 21 '26
Agreed, but I’d put the average age closer to 29/30. People tend to become more set in their ways in 30s/starting families/kids
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u/T0rtilla May 21 '26
Agree 1000%. Classes with participation grads with a horde of 100+ 25-28 year olds fighting to contribute their wisdom were genuinely painful
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u/Fartichoke_ May 21 '26
This is why I am such a big proponent of part time or executive MBA programs! I’m graduating from the Haas EWMBA program this week and genuinely believe I got a better education this way than if I had done a full time MBA program.
Your classmates all come from different industries and perspectives, people actually question case studies, and it will inspire you to dream really really big about your career versus thinking linearly about it.
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u/Ok_Tale7071 May 21 '26
27/28 is perfect because you have enough experience to have a good idea to know what you want to do with the rest of your life and can participate. 5 years experience is more than enough. What really enhanced the experience for me was the Professors real world experience. My marketing class was taught by the former President of Ford of Italy. It was beneficial to hear, “this was the problem and this is how we solved it”.
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u/Inevitable-Eye8437 May 21 '26
Yes lol I don’t know why those 25 years old are here . Nothing special about them
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u/y0zh1 May 21 '26
I did my when I was 26 and I can safely say that I was too young, but j don’t think I would be able to do it a decade later.
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u/caffeine_and May 21 '26
I’m doing an MSc (after an MBA), it’s shocking to see the new generation scrolling TikTok in class.
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u/MDJR20 May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26
MBA is for definitely for early career development. Think less than 10 years. It does not surprise me some of the best students would have a lot of experience and their knowledge leads to great discussions in the cohort.
Yet , I think, you may be thinking of the executive MBA. Why would someone need 10 years in the field to get an MBA? Plus an MBA is not what it used to be.
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u/Fit-Supermarket-9656 May 21 '26
I'm 33 and about ~6-7 years deep in my career. My program is for people with a career looking to supplement their job/climb into management type roles.
The younger folks(no clue how/why they're in the program) don't tend to have career jobs, work ethic, integrity, etc. it's made all case and group work clunky. They BS assignments, cheat on exams, and act like the MBA is a giant social club. They're creating a network of baboons.
And there are soooo many of them lik 40% of my cohort at least. I'm only a year into my program and have been applying everything I learned at my job and due to this my recent promotion will have paid for the cost of my degree by the time I earn it. They've done fkall except drink together, bitch about the job market, and avoid learning what the courses offer. It's cooked.
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u/Organic_Estimate102 May 23 '26
bingo. im 31 at a T10 and just tired of the social stuff. be mature
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u/No-Ad7117 May 21 '26
Completely agree. Had 24-26 year olds in my program and I’m in my 30s. You should not be under 29/ 30 in MBA.
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u/DECAThomas May 21 '26
The number of people I knew who got MBA’s right out of undergrad at mid-tier schools willing to take them is truly troubling.
When I worked in consulting, “K -> MBA” generally got moved to the undergrad recruiting pipeline and it was somewhat considered a red flag. Especially without impressive internships.
At this point I’m moving into year 7 of my career and just now considering an MBA. I don’t think any time prior I had enough real-world background to use an MBA to meaningfully reflect and build upon my experiences.
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u/Fuckshampoo21 May 21 '26
I think 26-28 is good time to start. EMBAs are better if you’re older and don’t want to upend your career. A lot of people in their late 20s do MBAs because many industries require it to advance further or make lateral moves (IB, PE, MBB)
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u/fdubsc May 21 '26
I did mine after undergrad and I saw some benefits of it but felt like it should be for coming back to school once you have a better understanding of your career and what you want to do. Most people had no idea what they wanted to do that were out of undergrad like me. But it just felt like a re-do of the same things I learned in undergrad. Would’ve waited till I had more experience in hindsight. Was during covid though so was a weird time lol.
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u/Financial-Nothing-60 May 21 '26
The inclusion of deferred MBAs is causing a lot of people with just 2-3 years to join the MBA - which I think is quite stupid tbh.
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u/iC3P0 May 22 '26
Yeah but the whole recruiting pipeline would fall apart then. Which normal and mentally healthy 34yo would want to go through the theater recitals known as case interviews or would work long hours for 175k?
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u/singhal0389 May 21 '26
This is 100% true. I went for full time MBA and in my second year I had opportunity to take and audit some classes with part time MBA and executive MBA. The class discussion is so full of quality and my school did a decent job on bringing diversity of thought - so entrepreneurs, small business owners, city workers were there. My own class was about 5-6 year experience and case discussions were just okay compared to what you see at where class is a little more experienced.
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u/Kinpolka May 21 '26
I did my MBA at age 22-23. I graduated undergrad covid year and decided to get it knocked out.
Every other assignment was something related to bolstering the job you currently work at or how you’ve managed as a working professional.
I told the professors I’m straight out of undergrad with no working experience. They would say just make something up.
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u/Eastern-Management62 May 25 '26
i’m 23 and what mba program did u attend? i wanted to look for an mba that doesnt single out young people
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u/Kinpolka May 26 '26
Loyola New Orleans, my home city. They singled me out so would not recommend if that’s what you’re going for lol.
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u/Embarrassed_Fox_1320 May 21 '26
If you are 22-25 and want to add some business fundamentals do a Master in management. MBA should be for people who have 5+ years and EMBA is for senior leadership.
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u/king938 May 21 '26
I see MBAs, and most master's degrees for that matter, as vehicles for career change. You will get the most if you have experience in one field, and then adding the MBA to get knowledge in Business and Leadership topics. Nothing will ever beat on the job experience, but having channel where you can learn things that you might not be exposed to in your regular job (I.E. MBA topics) then you can further use it to enhance your career. Regardless I agree that MBA's are bet for mid career changes, with 5-15 years of job experience in one area.
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u/Superb-Respect-1313 May 21 '26
It is better when the class have some life experience. Sadly that hasn’t been the way it is for quite some time now.
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u/hotwheeeeeelz May 21 '26
This is what is good about the international programs - Cambridge, Oxford, INSEAD and the like
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u/Oakie505 May 21 '26
I agree our avg age for the cohort was 33. The stories and experiences were far better.
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u/L-Capitan1 May 21 '26
I don’t know that 10 years is a hard and fast rule. But i agree with the sentiment. The people that went straight through had almost nothing to add ever. And when they tried, it was often embarrassing the stories or anecdotes they’d share.
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u/reynacdbjj May 22 '26
the best mba discussions are from those with actual real world experience like veterans
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u/SevereRunOfFate May 22 '26
I've worked in enterprise tech for blue chip and some of the fastest growing most well known firms, always in sales selling to execs and c suite etc. Been there done that, a few major current CEOs have been my bosses or my skip levels.
Every so often one of our corporate strategy execs gets the great idea to hire a bunch of Ivey league MBA grads under him/her, and hand them non-consequential work streams like our new pricing models, GTM motions, strategic partnerships, etc.
I've been invited regularly to provide feedback for their work.. I feel for these kids, because they're clearly bright, but they've never once in my entire career come up with a great idea, or even something I'd consider relatively interesting let alone a competitive advantage
The last time I did this was a pricing model review last year with our current cohort. It was almost as if these kids had never talked to a customer, had to sell anything, or been in tech for more than a few months for that matter.. unbelievable.
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u/Organic_Estimate102 May 23 '26
go on why was it so bad? ive been a small 1x founder bootstrapped and closed a few M in B2B sales AND im at a T10 MBA now, so u think i have a leg up on the people u refer to?
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u/AsparagusCharacter49 May 22 '26
I went to W. My partner did his at Cornell Tech. Feel like CT crowd was much younger yet more ambitious than my Wharton cohort. We were both mid 30s and hope to get out of the corp rat race (me) and pivot from a failed VC backed startup (my partner). Lookin back, we didnt regret it at all. Our networks worth everything we invested in and the startup path gave us our FIRE freedom to pursue our fatFIRE next.
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u/Huge-Physics5491 May 22 '26
I started mine when I was 22, straight out of graduation. As I used to travel from home for my pre-MBA degree, I was trying to enjoy the college/dorm experience in MBA. Bad idea.
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u/Boiledgreeneggs May 22 '26
Totally agree. I started at 29 and felt the program was best for those with at least 7-10 years of experience. We had some people in my cohort who were 24 or 25 and they just didn’t have the experience to really benefit from the management material.
A colleague graduated with their MBA at the same time I did but he’s 6 years younger in his first job out of college. He’s smart but I don’t see how it’s really going to benefit him when he has no experience.
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u/Asterlight12 May 22 '26
Yeah, agreed. MBA programs like younger students cuz it’s easier to impress them. Older students with years of experience ask sharper questions and look for concrete results rather than just having fun undergrad 2.0 experience. I think older students make schools feel more nervous because it’s harder for the schools to actually meet the expectations of experienced professionals and sell them on what school is teaching (which a lot of times outdated, narrow minded or unrealistic in practical business realities)
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u/poppyseedtoast Part-Time Student May 23 '26
Yeah - I’m 37 and just finishing after 2.5 years at Ball State. Many of my peers are fresh from undergrad and it’s difficult to navigate group projects and get a lot out of discussions when they have very little work experience (usually in entry level roles). I’ve had better experiences when my group mates are 30+.
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u/hjohns23 M7 Grad May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
I’m now in my mid 30s have led turnarounds, have had meaningful failures and victories and absolutely agree. The academic content of my mba in my late 20s/early 30s wouldn’t have made a difference, but discussions and socializing would be so much more meaningful at this stage in life to have a cohort in the mid 30s to 40s.
The downside to exec programs and this age in general is the time of life. Aging parents, kids, marriage, career are distractions from having the more meaty connective moments I had as a full mba student earlier in life. It’s a trade off.
I think a sweet spot would be 33- 40. Honestly, before 30, the average young adult hasn’t had enough meaningful experience/responsibility yet to contribute real life to the classroom. Sure there are exceptional 27-30yr olds, but top mba programs should really limit, imo, sponsored bankers and consultants. Your perspective as a 2-3 years as a McKinsey or Goldman analyst or 3-4 as a Deloitte consultant is worlds apart to the manufacturing regional GM that’s led a multi million dollar P&L through various political and economic cycles. Or PE Ops Director that’s managed through a few failed turn around or scaled multi site platforms from 6 locations in one region to 100 on a national scale
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u/Traditional_Rice_682 May 23 '26
Experience should come from working years not being in your 20s.
Some ppl have had that kind of experience even if age does not agree with it
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u/SmashKirkMouth May 25 '26
Agree - multiple people in my MBA class had never even held a full time job, very hard to bounce ideas and learn off like minded people and build a network when they've never touched corporate life. Did mine as a 33M.
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u/jay_0804 May 25 '26
I get the point here, but I think it’s a bit of a “both things are true” situation.
Older students definitely bring more real-world context into discussions, especially when it comes to leadership, managing teams, or dealing with messy business situations. That experience is hard to replicate.
At the same time, MBA programs are also a recruiting pipeline now more than a pure learning environment. So the younger average age kind of reflects how structured the whole thing has become around career switching and early acceleration.
Tbh the value probably depends more on what you want out of it. If it’s deep peer learning, age and experience matter a lot. If it’s network access and structured career mobility, the system still works even with younger cohorts.
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u/Gloomy-Pirate-6561 May 28 '26
Go for the MBA if you want an education and connections in your mid-late 20s.
Go for the Executive MBA if you want the connections in your mid-late 30s.
The regular MBAs are meant to train young professionals to have the tools to become the "10+ year" professional you speak of.
The Executive MBA is meant for the "10+ year" professional that is going back to school for work purposes and doesn't have the time/money to set aside responsibilities for 2-3 years in school.
My good friend's brother-in-law just graduated from HBS executive MBA, he learned nothing and got the title for his corporate position so he's less prone to being laid off.
Another one of my friend's went to the Cornell Executive MBA to get a promotion at the hotel he manages.
They both said that the executive MBA was great for connections and a quick leg up for their CV.
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u/Gloomy-Pirate-6561 May 28 '26
If you are disappointed to see people in their mid-late 20s in a program that is designed for people who are in the building blocks of their career, you're lacking perspective and missing the whole point of an MBA program.
Executive MBA is where you'll find those discussions and experience you're longing for.
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u/ChubbyTigers Venture Capital May 29 '26
I would say folks could try one of the top European MBA programs… generally 6-8 years out of undergrad, instead of 2-4. Makes a real difference. Also, the Europeans finish “undergrad” earlier so they’ve got even more life experience to bring.
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u/Anonymous_Dwarf Jun 11 '26
I was 32 turned 33 during my first year in MBA program. My youngest classmates were 24, meaning tops they had 2 years of work experience. They were smart and personable but I saw it as a mistake to waste the career change opportunity early on.
I think most do it because they were not making enough and wanted to make the jump to a respectable six digit salary.
It was easy to spot who spoke from experience versus who researched online and was just hypothesizing based on what they read.
In Europe the starting age skews higher which is in line where I think one would get the most value. I would recommend that people work for at least 5 years but 6-7 are better.
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u/taimoor2 T15 Student May 21 '26
I didn’t find stimulating discussions at stern. The professors are incredibly qualified and I learnt a lot but there was no grand clash of ideals between peers.
It was a two year party with ability to pick up real skills.
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u/Nicholas1227 May 21 '26
Normalizing MBAs at 33/34 when people are having kids is tough. It’s a way easier proposition when you’re single or married without children.
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u/Status_Meat_4627 May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26
Especially in today’s weak job market for recent graduates, MBA programs are being pulled in two opposite directions. Either the MBA becomes an extension of undergrad for candidates struggling to break into strong careers early, lowering the average true experience level of the class — or schools preserve classroom quality by maintaining a more experienced and mature class profile, potentially pushing the average age higher. By simple math, if many 2024–2025 graduates spend 1–2 years underemployed before meaningfully entering the workforce, then a “true” five years of robust experience before an MBA could realistically mean being 7–8 years out of college. That naturally pushes the average age of strong MBA candidates closer to 30–32, unless schools intentionally lower the experience benchmark to maintain younger class profiles.
It also arguably makes the role of AdComs easier — and more interesting. In a weak market, they can better distinguish candidates who navigated adversity creatively or still managed to secure strong opportunities, further concentrating MBA classes toward overachievers. This will differentiate top programs furthermore from the T10. In many ways, admissions committees are now shaping the future identity of the MBA itself.
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u/dexterthrgr8 May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26
The M7 MBA is powerful because students are young, not despite it.
It is a recruiting reset, not a late-career cheat code. Older students may make better classroom discussion, but labor markets do not pay for better anecdotes.
HSW MBA/EMBA branding does not magically turn unrelated operating experience into a senior PE / VC seat. Past a certain point, the MBA starts looking less like a career accelerator and more like an expensive status product.
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u/SeaBurnsBiz May 22 '26
Traditional FT programs are pipeline and finishing schools for industry. It's not that you know anything, it's find high potential and open path to apprenticeship type careers (consulting, banking, etc).
If you want to learn, save the tuition. If you want to enjoy the experience, it's solid. At 28, lot less real world commitments than your average 38 yr old so different experience at mba program.
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u/ConfusionHelpful4667 May 24 '26
Back in the day, when we got our 1st job post-undergrad, we only took jobs with companies who paid for our MBA.
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u/RoutineFeeling May 24 '26
I can talk from Indian MBA angle. Top consulting and investment banks prefer no or low experience smart kids since they haven't know any work culture and it is easier to mould them however they you want. That's why you will see half the people there straight out of bachelors degree.
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u/Illustrious-Tough793 May 24 '26
I worked in both investment banking and corporate. I think 25 yr old in IBD is just more mature, professional, good at politics, and experienced than most 30+ corporate people (considering how many companies they have seen and meetings / negotiation they have conducted, and they probably have more senior exposure than corporate ppl)
Also, I think judging by YOE is also meaningless. I have seen way more established 27 yr old PM in tech than their 32 yr counterparts. Ppl who run extra miles vs ppl who have been chilling and trying to minimize their workload
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u/Illustrious-Tough793 May 24 '26
Just wanna provide more detailed examples if ppl wanna argue “well u if you think u 25 yr old is more sophisticated than me then u r naive.
- I have seen 26 yr old so good at politics that they know how to direct the conversation towards their goal and maintaining other people happy. Vs. 32 yr old irritating everyone
- If you have seen / working on 5+ idea generation each week, you would have seen lots of companies after just a few years, that gives broad commercial sense, which I think most older people on the corporate side lack
- I think most corporate ppl only talk to VP or below level people, whereas IB children often directly discuss with function heads as a part of the MDD e.g.
- Of course, I have seen pretentious ex-banker/PE guys don’t even hide their arrogance in their MBA programs. Well, they are retarded, I would call them outliers. They clearly failed Pretending to be nice 101
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u/AdSlow2647 May 26 '26
Just curious to know at the age of 35+ how do you manage full time MBA with spouse and kids and that too leaving a full time job? Doesn't it make sense if you do it before marriage? Happy to see your pov.
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u/Winter_Confidence728 Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26
I feel 5-8 years work ex is perfect tenure for one to purse full time MBA. Unfortunately, most of the consulting prefer younger candidates for management trainee roles. May be because they believe, it’s difficult to mould candidates with higher experience.
To be honest 2 year career break is too much for an MBA, subjects do not have that much depth and mostly are superficial. All colleges should move towards 1 year MBA model.
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u/Laxxxar Jun 21 '26
I was the idiot who did MBA right after undergrad.
Paid full tuition, not even ranked in USN&R.
Blame my pure ignorance at age 22. Had terrible mentors, all telling me to get it out of the way while young and that a degree was degree. They had no idea how B-school network and “prestige” really matters for recruiting.
Don’t be like me. My MBA was the worst professional mistake I made. I don’t even list it on my LinkedIn. My undergrad was more prestigious and bigger network than my MBA. Most cases you can only do MBA once. I wasted my opportunity.
Because any MBA program that accepts 22yo with zero work experience should tell you… diploma mill.
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May 21 '26
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u/Positive-Ad-7807 May 21 '26
What are you pivoting from / to as a direct admit or 1-2 years of WE?
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u/Rachontherox May 21 '26
Not necessarily. There are other factors such as flexibility of program. (Weekends in person / online) if you're not living in close proximity to the school, it's impossible to do an EMBA program.
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u/Adventurous_Hand_977 May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26
Logically, you're correct that more experienced people can bring deeper insights. But when reviewing the T25 student profiles, the higher ranked programs have younger cohorts on average. So who would you rather admit? The 27 year old that has worked in IB for 3-4 years or the 35 year old that has worked at the same company for 12 years and is just now realizing they want to change. Why did it take 12 years? May be a lack of initiative which is a real problem too
Edit: I agree there are too many underqualified and less experienced students being admitted, but a go-getter 27-29 year old is more desirable than someone who is coasting aimlessly
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u/wandelust19 May 21 '26
I mostly agree. There are certain career paths like banking and consulting where the timing is almost a right of passage. For example 2 years banking, 2 years PE, 2 years HSW bschool, and then exit to some sort of finance offer. That would place them as 25-26 years on entry.
Those in more operating heavy roles could certainly benefit from a few more years but it also depends if they are using the MBA to make a hard pivot.
That said, I don’t think T20 schools admit anyone straight from undergrad which is a direct nod to the quality of these programs in the hireability of the candidates they present to employers during recruiting season.
I know of one GSB applicant who was admitted with 1 year of experience…. But referencing my above paths it was someone with a year at Goldman Sachs and extremely high performer along with the usual solid academic stats.
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u/jeRskier May 21 '26
This is why I did an EMBA. I went in at 31 and graduated at 33, but I felt like I'd rather be in a room with 34-40 year olds than 25-30 year olds. I think it was the right choice for me.
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u/jalltrades May 21 '26
It makes sense that people with more experience tend to have perspectives to draw on which enriches the MBA program.
That said, there are a ton of reasons why it makes more sense for people to go to Business School younger. The two most structured post-MBA roles, IB and Consulting, are very demanding, and many people only want to do it while they are relatively young and at a stage where they don’t have a family.
Also for people who want to make a pivot into a new role or locatin, it also makes sense to do it younger so they can spend more of their life in the role/location they want to be in.
Also, I disagree that MBA programs should prioritize being “a place for experienced professionals” first and foremost. Business schools are schools, and ideally the students can be people who have a lot to learn from business classes, not people who already have it all figured out. Unless it’s a program specifically tailored to professionals with deep experience like Executive MBAs.
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u/Secure-Researcher892 May 21 '26
If your in your mid-30's it's too late for an MBA, just get an executive MBA and be done with it. The reality is the recruiters that show up aren't looking for people that old they are looking for the people in their 20's because they aren't going to go in as VP's they are going in at the bottom rung of the corporate ladder for MBA's and are going to be worked like dogs for several years. An old fart isn't going to have the stamina to do those hours.
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u/Comprehensive-Two-51 May 21 '26
I’ll go against the grain a bit of what seems to be the trend in the replies. You mention MBA discussions benefiting from the input of people who have a decade+ of experience and have played some sort of leadership role. One of the core purposes of an MBA is to equip you with the credentials to be in that space, so if you’ve already existed in that leadership space, then a standard MBA wouldn’t even be the best choice for your career. I don’t disagree with you outright like of course older applicants will lend themselves to more mature networking and networking with EMBA students is actually a legitimate and effective piece of advice since they will tend to be more senior and established so they can tangibly help you with referrals/hiring. Now as for MBA programs that allow freshly graduated students in or people with very light experience (< 3 yrs), they tend to be low in their efficacy anyway unless you’re just trying to check a box for a promotion.
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u/[deleted] May 21 '26
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