IF YOU’RE thinking of taking an MBA it’s worth clicking on a few business school websites and checking out the student profiles. It will give you a clear idea of who your classmates would be and whether you’d get along.
The current full-time MBA class at Cambridge University’s Judge Institute of Management Studies is fairly typical. The majority of students are British or Chinese, single males with an average age of 29. Most have a science, engineering or medical background and six years’ work experience in banking or financial services. If the profile fits, or at the very least you think you could happily sit alongside these people, the next thing to ask is whether you have the right motivation.
Most MBA students fall into three categories: those who are currently in middle or senior management and want to take their career to the next level; those who work in specific job functions and want to move into general management; and those who want to gain the skills to start up their own businesses.
The age of candidates varies according to the type of MBA being taken, with those enrolled on part-time and distance-learning courses tending to be older than those on full-time courses, according to the Association of MBAs.
You shouldn’t panic if you don’t fit the class profile though. Traditional assumptions about age and background are beginning to be challenged — the course might benefit many not previously thought of as MBA material. Targeting those with less experience is seen as a way of attracting more women and young entrepreneurs. Meanwhile some commentators assert that arts graduates are now the hottest property in the business market.
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The more relevant issue, perhaps, is not who you are but what you want to achieve from the course.
Next week: Why do an MBA?
DATA FILE