Good morning!
This is my 7th attempt at writing this intro. I am writing this from a sunny spot in Spain. Majorca. Here is my view:
I was supposed to have written this newsletter while I was still back home in Manchester but I lied to myself and told myself that I would be more ‘creative’ while on a beach. What bullshit. Because of course- now that I am on the beach I don’t want to work!
We often do this- at night we think we’ll do it tomorrow. In the morning we think we’ll do it tonight.
I think the essence of the human spirit lies in the grudging action that propels us to fight through the inertia and finally take the first step. Of course it’s difficult. Of course you don’t want to do this. But as Nike said in one the most famous campaigns of all time:
If you want to go to a Harvard or an Oxford, you will need to get familiar with fighting through inertia and self-doubt. You’ll pour yourself into essays that fall flat, interviews that go cold, and applications that vanish into silence. You’ll craft narrative after narrative, each one meant to capture the essence of who you are, only to watch them crumble under scrutiny. You will fail. Repeatedly, painfully, and sometimes publicly.
But if you keep pushing- through the exhaustion, the self-doubt, the endless rejection- one day, something will click. The right words will find you. The story will finally land. And the door that was always shut will creak open, just enough for you to step through.
In the edition we focus on 2 things :
what is the right age to do an MBA?
do designations matter?
Let’s dive in 🤿
🚨 Notable upcoming deadlines 🚨
Round 1 deadlines for Sept 2026 intake MBA programs begin in August (~100 days)
Most Masters’ programs deadlines for the 2026 intake are after September but some scholarships deadline begin July onwards
Considering applying for the 2026 or the 2027 intake?
What age should you do an MBA?
I’ve found some interesting data for Harvard and other top b-schools about their age preferences:
Harvard Business School reports an average age of 27, while Stanford gsb, MIT Sloan etc have averages closer to 28. This is fairly standard and expected- schools prefer candidates who have gained SOME quality work experience (3-6 years is the typical range) before pursuing an MBA.
But- there’s a difference in how some schools treat younger vs older candidates fare.
Harvard has an acceptance rate of about 4% for applicants aged 25 or younger, compared to 12% for those aged 26 to 29. This might seem bad for young people but Harvard is statistically way more accepting of younger folks than other comparable schools.
Conversely, certain programs show a greater openness to older applicants. Kellogg has an acceptance rate of 26% (🤯) for applicants aged 30 and above, higher than the 24% for those aged 26 to 29.
European schools like IMD and HEC Paris have average student ages of 30 and above, indicating a receptiveness to candidates with more extensive professional backgrounds.
In general, US schools are more open to slightly younger candidates compared to EU. US schools (except Kellogg) are actually quite averse to older candidates - some FT data suggests that older applicants are 3x more likely to be unemployed post-MBA compared to their younger counterparts.
tldr- if you’re younger (<26) and you have stellar profile, you should consider the top US programs. If you’re older (>30) and have a stellar profile your first choice should be European programs and perhaps Kellogg. Less than 2 years work ex? MIM. More than 13 years of work ex? Exec MBA.
Do designations matter?
Yes. And also no. It’s one of those things.
Here is an insane statistic-
25% of all Goldman Sachs employees are VPs. What the fuck?
Designations are so interesting to me - they are so meaningless and yet so meaningful.
Couple of years ago I was hiring for an entry level role. Interviewing fresh graduates. The designation was ‘Associate’. I hired a great guy, he was happy with the money and responsibilities. His only ask was to change the designation to Manager.
I asked him why that was important to him - he couldn’t articulate it properly but I have some guesses - manager ‘sounds’ more important, is more brag-worthy, next role after this one might be better because of this role’s designation etc.
I told him he can call himself senior manager if he wants. And he can move to DIRECTOR the next year. Whatever makes him happy.
Designations are weird and meaningless because they are super arbitrary - usually created through bureaucratic processes, reflecting organizational politics rather than genuine achievement, and often failing to capture the true scope of one's contributions.
BUTTT - they have undeniable power. Designations shape our professional identities, influence compensation structures, and provide the framework through which institutions organize themselves. They satisfy our deeply human need for recognition and placement within social hierarchies.
Goldman is not wrong to have 25% of its entire workforce as VPs- it makes the employees happy and makes the clients happy because they always think they are dealing with a more senior member of the organisation.
It’s absurd but it is correct. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.
What are we reading at Base Camp?
My Brain Finally Broke - Incredible essay by the incredible Jia Tolentino about the strange times we are living in. Much of what we see now is fake and the reality we face is full of horrors.
I mostly keep track of time on my phone, a device that makes me feel like I am strapped flat to the board of an unreal present: the past has vanished, the future is inconceivable, and my eyes are clamped open to view the endlessly resupplied now.
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner - I just bought this book from a second-hand bookstore in Palma. I thought it was about running. It’s not. It’s a collection of stories portraying the isolation, criminality, morality, and rebellion of the working class from award-winning, bestselling author Alan Sillitoe.
I'm a human being and I've got thoughts and secrets and bloody life inside me that he doesn't know is there, and he'll never know what's there because he's stupid. I suppose you'll laugh at this, me saying the governor's a stupid bastard when I know hardly how to write and he can read and write and add-up like a professor. But what I say is true right enough. He's stupid, and I'm not, because I can see further into the likes of him than he can see into the likes of me.
Thank you for reading our newsletter- Base Camp.
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See you next month!
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