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Research Centre

Tips for the Older PGDM/MBA Applicant Applying to B-School

By
Urjaa Kapasi
May 9, 2022

Applicants of b-schools in Mumbai are generally of a young age. However, there are many applicants who decide to pursue an MBA degree in their early 30s. This has become a common scenario these days as the working force wants to study more and acquire the necessary skills. An MBA qualification has become a prerequisite for majority of the posts. If you’re an older PGDM/MBA applicant, these tips will definitely help you.

Choose the Right Program:

One of the most important decisions to make is which program to pursue. You must select a program that will suit your existing profession as well as your personal life. Admission in MBA colleges is to be taken after considering the availability of the desired program and the duration of the program. For you, a part-time or an executive MBA will be beneficial. It will help you maintain a study-work balance and eventually reach your career goals. Many MBA as well as PGDM colleges offer these programs.


Show Strong Leadership:

Strong leadership skills play a great role, especially while securing admission in MBA colleges. If you’re an older MBA applicant, you must have adequate experience that showcases your efficient leadership. Do share how you have motivated people in the past and helped them achieve the goal. Top b-schools in Mumbai do take leadership skills into consideration during the admission process. This is an advantage for you as the younger applicants would not have great leadership examples due to lack of experience. You also need to show the college that you still have a long way to go i.e. there will be improvement. This improvement can only be possible with the help of a PGDM/MBA program. Tell them how their program will benefit your leadership and technical skills.


Show Career Progression:

While applying to the top MBA or PGDM colleges, you must convince the admission team that this program will lead to your professional growth. This is because the b-schools in Mumbai look for students who want to learn and enhance their skills. It doesn’t matter if you’ve had the same job for many years, you must show career progression. This can be done by showing how you have progressively taken much bigger responsibilities and aim for higher job positions. You can ask your recommenders to mention these details or even ask your current manager for recommendation. If you’ve had several jobs, do highlight the most critical job and mention it on your resume. 


You can easily get admission in MBA colleges if you follow these tips. Admission committees of the top PGDM colleges want students with various interests and backgrounds to be a part of their institute. Being an older PGDM/MBA applicant, you must have such great skills and interests but the key is to highlight those qualities in your application.

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