<p>I am what you might consider a stop-out. I left college for about two years in order to pursue engineering work for a fortune 500 firm. I recently returned to school to finish my undergrad, finding that my lack of degree was beginning to torment my pride. I felt like a quitter, and realized that the opportunity to finish my studies was quickly eroding with age.</p>
<p>Now that I am about to graduate, I find my self in an unusual position. I am not a typical undergrad in the sense that I have considerable enterprise experience. I do not want to enter into a entry-level or mid-level position like most of my fellow graduates, because I quite simply have more experience than them. I have the option to return to my previous firm, but that is not something I am particularly interested in doing.</p>
<p>I am wondering if any top-twenty ranked MBA programs would allow me into their program, despite my age. I understand that the mean age of most MBA students is 27-29, but I am not entirely sure if these programs use age/experience as a strong requirement.</p>
<p>If anyone has insights, I would appreciate it.</p>
<p>Honestly, two years of work experience is not “considerable.” You are still a baby to those with 5, 10, or 20 years experience. You will certainly have the leg-up on your cohort as you do have more experience than them, which may mean better job offers at a higher starting salary.</p>
<p>The reason the mean age of most MBA students is higher is because top programs want to see progressive work experience. They want to see how you rose through the ranks, or at least succeeded in your particular position for a few years before entering school. You have two years of professional work experience - that is usually the bare minimum requirement (although a few programs do admit students with no work experience straight out of undergraduate school). </p>
<p>You will apply this real-world knowledge to your courses and use it to network with other skilled professionals. Some believe that the networking and recruiting opportunities are the most important outcome of an MBA program - it’s not what you know, but who you know. Those straight out of undergrad are at somewhat of a disadvantage, although they can certainly still succeed. But again, you do have some work experience and I think it’s worth applying to business programs if you have you the right reasons to do so.</p>
<p>So yes, experience is an important qualification, but age specifically is not. They will also look at your coursework and grades, personal statement, recommendations, and GMAT or GRE scores. </p>
<p>Start looking at schools that interest you and what the admissions requirements are.</p>