Helio,

I am a 34yo portuguese strongly considering to take a MBA in a top 10 worldwide school.

I currently live in Lisbon, Portugal but, as my professional experiente has shown me, geography is not an issue. I have a Navy background, being performing several duties in a Wise range of areas: Command and Control, Commumictations and Information Systems, Naval Operations, Public Affairs, HR Management... Always in the front line (as we say), since I left the Naval Academy 11 years ago.

I now feel it is time to change life, and consider that going for a MBA is the trigger I need to enable it.

I have been doing an intensive search for a while now, going through the Finantial Times and other rankings and going through the different courses, but it is a really difficult job to start selecting.

I would prefer to go as international as possible, as it would increase the options for a future career, selecting a MBA with a duration of no more than 18 months and in English (as most are). No budget yet defined, but I consider it as a long term investment, so no constrains on this issue.

Could I have your expert advice and recommendation?

Thank you all!

Only two of the top 10 schools have a MBA can can be done inside 18 months: Insead which is 12 months, and you are too old for them, and LBS which is 15 to 20 months depending on how intensively you study. So, apply to LBS.

Look at some of the top 25 schools at http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-ranking-2013 IE, CIEBS, Oxbridge and HEC.

Thank you very much for such a quick reply.

What do you mean by being too old? Is there a maximum age for applying?

I will study the different options and use the linkedin search method you have explained in a different post.

Insead will not admit it, but you are too old for that particular school.

What are your career goals? How much change are you looking for (in terms of location, industry, function, etc.)?

Any full-time MBA program in the US is going to be 21-24 months, so unless you are flexible in terms of program length, you can pretty much rule most of those out.

In the UK, LBS is a good choice, as Duncan pointed out. Mainland Europe has programs like IE's and ESMT's, but your age and experience might be hard sells at those programs - you want to check with them.

There are also EMBA programs, many of which will give you a lot of international experience (relatively) - if that's what you are looking for. In fact, there's a fresh EMBA ranking at the FT...

http://www.find-mba.com/article/811/financial-times-publishes-executive-mba-rankings-for-2013

I was not really aware that I am getting old for some issues!

I believe that one of the first things to think about when planning to take a MBA, is to consider it as a tool to achieve a specific goal, so your question is really relevant.

As most MBA prospective students, I am focused in achieving my personal goals of success, either in my homeland or abroad. However, I have been going deeper on the MBAs available in Portugal and found very interesting programmes, as the Lisbon MBA, Magellan MBA and MBA Atlântico, which have a significant international experience and are focused on the portuguese Atlantic link and European connection. These seem to be interesting options.

I must say that I am mainly looking for a MBA with a strong enterpeneurship and inovation component that may stimulate me to start my own business, without disreguarding the classic disciplines.

It has been a hard task to choose the most suitable programme.

If these are your goals, who are you thinking about a top ten MBA? I would certainly look at masters programmes in innovation and entrepreneurship:
http://www.esade.edu/landings/management/innovation-and-entrepreneurship?source=adwords&gclid=CIzm4_vep7oCFQrJtAod4X4AAw
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/business-school/programmes/msc-innovation-and-entrepreneurship
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/education/wmgmasters/courses/innovation_and_entrepreneurship/
http://www.lums.lancs.ac.uk/masters/msc-entrepreneurship/
http://jindal.utdallas.edu/academic-programs/masters-programs/master-of-science-in-innovation-and-entrepreneurship/
http://www.mbs.ac.uk/masters/courses/inno-manage-entrepreneurship/
http://www.skema.edu/programs/masters-of-science/msc-entrepreneurship-and-innovation-for-a-sustainable-world

And look at non-degree options like http://www.london.edu/facultyandresearch/subjectareas/strategyandentrepreneurship/Entrepreneurshipsummerschool.html