Where should choose to study my MBA? Overseas or China?
Interview with Liz Reisberg, Executive Director, The MBA Tour
The MBA Tour is a Boston-based company that organizes conferences
around the world to help young, talented professionals learn more about
opportunities to pursue MBA degrees at home and abroad.
Events include presentations, seminars and panels as well as a fair which provide diverse opportunities to gather information about admissions requirements, financial aid, career
placement and program features. There are ample opportunities for private conversations with B school representatives. At each conference visitors can meet admissions officers and alumni from the participating business schools.
There are different opportunities attached to each choice and it depends on your own goals as an individual. There are new options in China every year and many are excellent. Studying in China might allow you to continue to work and study so the economic cost isn't as high as going abroad and it also keeps you connected to a local professional network. On the other hand, the experience abroad offers other possibilities. Going abroad probably means that you will be a full-time student and generally this means a deeper level of involvement in the MBA experience. Not only will you have more time to study but also to socialize with an international cohort of peers. Most full-time MBA students get involved in many activities beyond the classroom and offered at the business school. These might include joining the investors club, the wine club, or the golf club! These clubs are not only fun and relaxing but provide additional opportunities to network and develop relationships with classmates that will last long after graduation.
The MBA programs that travel with us are very international. The goal of these programs is to bring together an international student cohort, professors with international experience, and to offer a program of study that provides insight and understanding of the complexities and challenges required to manage successfully in a global context. It is hard to describe just how powerful the experience of going abroad, mastering daily life in another culture and language and living in an international community can be. Most MBA alumni will tell you that this part of the MBA can be as valuable (and sometime more valuable) as what they learn in class.
What’s the difference between an MBA in North America, Europe or another location?
There is still a great deal of prestige attached to the US MBA, but this is changing. Although there are many similarities (in regard to curriculum content, philosophy, and methodology) among all MBA programs, there are significant differences from region to region that are important to consider. Most US programs require two years of full-time study. The great advantage to this is that there is more time for electives (courses you can choose to complement the required courses) and for internships. This is particularly important for people who are changing their career direction. Someone who has been an engineer or a computer programmer and now aspires to a management position may need two years to build a bigger knowledgebase and gain some additional practical experience before graduating. US business schools have a long tradition of partnership and cooperation with private companies, NGOs, and non-profits so that internships are more widely available.
European MBAs tend to be shorter, typically 11-18 months. This means less time away from home and lower opportunity costs (the loss of income while you are studying, the cost of housing in another country, etc.). European programs tend to be more international as well. While enrolment in US and Canadian programs is international, a high percentage of each class is often from that country; European schools host a much
more internationally diverse group of students. European MBA programs are enjoying growing prestige with international companies as more and more European grads enter the professional world and demonstrate what they've learned!
Canada offers many of the best features of US and European programs (length of program, diversity, etc) but at the most affordable price. Since the Canadian dollar has not climbed in value as rapidly as the Euro and US dollar, Canadian business schools can offer outstanding quality at a much lower price. The most well-known Canadian business schools are located in Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto--all cosmopolitan and international cities.
What tips should I use to help get in to a Top Ranked B School?
The most important thing to do is to make the "match" between your objectives and the culture and program of the business school. This requires a great deal of research, not only on each business school's website but by talking to school representatives, current students, alumni and employers. At first all business schools can look very much
alike, but each has it's own "personality" and just as it can take time to get to know the personality of a new person before you are sure that this person might become a friend, so it can take time to get to know a business school to determine if it is the best place for you to pursue your dream. Ideally, you want to visit the business school but that
isn't always possible.
Once you have learned what is unique about a business school and you are sure that these qualities will help you reach your personal and professional goals, you have to communicate that in your essays and interviews. You also need to demonstrate how you can contribute to the business school in the future--either because of your particular
talents and skills or because of previous experience. Many students have high GMAT scores and an impressive resume and still are not accepted to a top school because they do not demonstrate why the "match" is a good one.
What is the job market now for a Chinese graduating with an MBA in USA?
There are exciting opportunities with US companies as many are developing activities in China; these opportunities are more likely to be be in China or somewhere else outside of the US. Right now it is more difficult to stay in the US than it used to be as there are fewer H1-B visas (visas that allow foreign citizens to work in the US) awarded each year. This policy has not been popular with the private sector and may be revised again.
On the other hand, the UK and Canada have recently opened up additional
opportunities for foreign students to obtain work permission so these
overseas job markets are looking more promising.
See:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/press/05/0512-e.html and
http://www.skillclear.co.uk/news/2005-Apr/07.asp
