Got a buddy of mine who's in this situation (not just being hypothetical or bluffing for myself), would appreciate honest feedback.
He deferred his analyst stint at a top BB (GS/MS/JPM) in order to volunteer for two years (Americorps/TFA/Peace Corps). Now that's he's approaching the start of his first year as an analyst, he's trying to decide whether to apply for bschools after 2 years or shoot for PE recruiting this cycle.
His motivations for getting an MBA are very strong - he didn't do a business undergrad, engineering at a top 50 school, and wants to rebrand and get the network. What he's afraid of is after 5-6 years of volunteer->banking->PE he'll have missed the boat on most good MBA programs which are trending younger.
The alternate concern is that without pre-MBA PE experience he won't be able to get into PE post-MBA and will have to return to banking, something he wants to avoid.
Feedback would be much appreciated. Thanks beforehand.
According to the article I just looked up, with the exception of HBS and Stanford, the average work experience going into top B-Schools is between 5-6 years. If your buddy did 2 years TFA, 2 years IB, 2 years PE, that would put him (assuming he graduated from college at 22) right at the average age of ~28. Obviously an average incorporates outliers and, given that profile, I would imagine he would still be competitive for HBS and Stanford even given his age because of the variety and quality of his work experience. You should probably post this on the Ask Alex MBA thread too if you already haven't.
Here is the article I was referencing: http://www.bschooladmissionsformula.com/why-average-mba-age-is-trending…
Apply after two years in PE. While MBA programs average 4 years of experience, many applicants fall in the 3-5 year band. Six years isn't unreasonably far away from that.
My personal belief is that most MBA programs go after that four year mark because for many people it is an inflection point in their careers. For consultants, it can be just before or just after they get their first promotion. For bankers/PE folks, it's right when you finish your "Pre-MBA" associate gig and are ready to move to a post-MBA role. For your friend, it sounds like he will hit that same inflection point after 6 years, rather than 3-5. As a result, I think he will be able to craft a very reasonable story as to "why now" for his MBA.
Posted in the MBA thread, thanks mcgee. That makes sense Comp, thanks for the thoughts.
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