Crossed the age of 30  – Should you Apply to M7 Schools in 2023-24?

Welcome to F1GMAT’s #askAtulJose series. In today’s episode, I will talk about whether you should apply to M7 schools if you have crossed 30.

30 is a tricky age in 2023. This is the first year where there are no pandemic-related restrictions. So the type of applicants who are reaching out to me for guidance through F1GMAT’s Career Planning Service waited a couple of years or a year to apply because they didn’t want an online or a hybrid model of learning from a top MBA program. Not from M7 schools, for sure, where peer-to-peer learning has a huge influence on learning outcomes and networking.

So here are three scenarios that you should consider if you are over the age of 30 and applying to M7 schools.

1) IMPACT on Work Culture

It was a huge challenge to shift completely from an in-person to a digital ecosystem for many companies. This was especially challenging for management consultants, banking professionals, manufacturing and operations, and marketing persons. But this scenario also presented a lot of opportunities for professionals to create team-building activities as team leads or managers, assist the company with pricing, create strategies for operations and marketing, find alternative supply chain partners, and even change the culture of the organization. So if your career progression goes beyond titles and roles but also had an IMPACT on the culture and the trajectory of the company, apply to M7 schools.

2) Managerial Roles

A lot of applicants were faced with a unique challenge. Companies who saw the potential of the applicant began giving promotions aggressively. So they had to choose to continue with the new role or take a risk in a hybrid online-offline MBA program. And many chose the job. But when you apply to M7 schools, if you focus only on the title, then the school might doubt your motivation. When you write your essays or strategize with your supervisors, focus on the additional responsibilities and the learning curve of the new role.

3) The Gap

Depending on the company, your gap in experience, industry exposure, and even functional exposure might be completely different from another competing 30-year-old applicant. If you were in the same role and function for the past 3 years with marginal improvement in responsibilities, I wouldn’t recommend applying to M7 school, but if you got a promotion right in the middle of the pandemic, that is, middle of 2021 or early 2022, then you have a very good reason for applying this year. Still, schools will wonder why you didn’t take the risk last year. There should be a very good reason for it.

If you need help strategizing and creating narratives for your MBA Application, reach out to me, Atul Jose, at or your can Subscribe to F1GMAT’s Career Planning Service at store.f1gmat.com/career-planning

Do remember 30 is not a problem if you are from a non-traditional background like the Military, creative, sports, non-profit, or the government or if you are an Entrepreneur transitioning into a traditional career or an entrepreneur building skills & network to take the family business to the next milestone.

I am Atul Jose. See you in the next #askAtulJose series.