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Your Turn MBA at 24 Management education has suffered so much criticism in recent years that I'm no longer surprised to hear a collective groan at social gather- ings when I reveal my status as a recent MBA. But I also receive a few appraising glances, because I'm something of a rarity—one of a relatively small group of students accepted into MBA programs with little or no work experience. I firmly believe younger students can bring energy and diversity to the graduate business classroom, while helping keep the quality of the stu- dent body extremely high. Critics believe that young, inex- perienced students cannot benefit from an MBA education. The argu- ment goes that twenty-somethings who lack extensive professional experiences and industry contacts cannot contribute to classroom dis- cussions or help classmates establish personal career networks. As an early career admit myself, I believe these critics are missing the point. I entered Stanford University's Graduate School of Business direct- ly after finishing an undergraduate degree in engineering at the Uni- versity of South Florida. Admitted- ly, I was somewhat intimidated by the polished former consultants and bankers who seemed to be speak- ing a different language. Even so, I quickly found my feet. I began working with two col- leagues and a professor to examine the business applications of a new technology. We founded a digital signal processing (DSP) company, which recently won first prize in the Stanford Entrepreneur's Chal- lenge Competition. My fellow students and I were guided by our 60 BizEd NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2006 by Rory McDonald educational backgrounds, general business insights, and the direction of a seasoned professor—not work experience. I'm not the only one who believes younger students belong in the business school. Both Stanford University's dean, Robert Joss, and Harvard Business School's former dean, Kim Clark, have offered ratio- nales for why the early career admit program makes sense. As they have pointed out, the MBA is supposed to be a transformative experience, designed for people in the early stages of their development, where- as other business programs exist for more seasoned professionals. YOUNGER STUDENTS CAN BRING ENERGY AND DIVERSITY TO THE GRADUATE BUSINESS CLASSROOM. Yet, over time, the window for seeking that transformative experi- ence has narrowed, which has had an adverse effect on applications. It is now widely believed that top pro- grams will not even consider can- didates who lack the requisite four or five years of work experience. The rising opportunity cost has led some desirable candidates to recon- sider pursuing their degrees—and some candidates, particularly those who want to start a family, never apply. In an interview, Clark flatly stated that the old MBA model did not work for women and might have discouraged some of them from pursuing the degree. Desirable MBA candidates also have been siphoned off by online and part-time programs, corporate training, and executive education. These options look even more attractive to individuals if their companies will pay the tuition as an incentive for having them stay. Traditional business schools have responded by reaching out to prospective students earlier. Some schools are adopting innovative poli- cies such as deferrals of admission, fee waivers, and feedback sessions for denied applicants. As a result, early admits have spiked, and class com- positions have evolved. I believe this changing b-school classroom offers a better dialogue, enhanced networking—and a higher level of learning. So far, initiatives aimed at Rory McDonald bringing younger students into the MBA program have met with tentative accep- tance. Professors I have spoken to say that younger students bring a welcome element of diversity to the classroom. Recruiters have been cautiously receptive to this new group, since early career students tend to be more flexible about job location and position. Evidence suggests that the early admit program works well for younger MBAs. Professors George Dreher and Katherine Ryan of Indiana University's Kelley School of Business recently conducted an empirical study of students who had no prior work experience before they attained their MBAs. They dis- covered that these younger employ- ees were more satisfied with their careers, received a greater number of promotions, and took home more cash than some of their more