[GM00]

Hi All,

I don't know if anyone has posted this before, but I thought I'd throw it out there and see if anyone's been contemplating this.

For years the US MBA was the gold standard. No questions. Then subprime happened, and with it, TARP, TALF and all other fun acronyms that b-school kids had to care about because it meant jobs on the line. At the same time, the non-US b-schools became more well known, got sweet placements, got global recognition, and of course were clear winners on cost. I'm specifically referring to top b-schools, both in the US and otherwise.

So what would you choose between a US and a non-US MBA? Any puys when applying for schools - are you focusing in one region, or the other (or both)?

The way I think about this, at a simple level:

Pros of the US:
- Best brand names (e.g. Harvard, Wharton)
- Best curriculum and alumni network
- Probably the best placements, even in a crap economic climate

Pros of rest:
- Much cheaper, relatively
- Almost as good quality of placements and return.
- Probably the best global exposure at schools such as Insead, IMD, LBS

So this is a question for the applicants, students, alumni - whoever. What considerations did you give to one region or the other? What is/was the biggest reason your #1 school is at that position? For alums - do you think you would have gained by going someplace else?

Anyway, I'm sure this will spawn many more Q&A... keep em coming.

[scorpioguy]

Visa considerations. That is why I decided to accept the offer from UK.

[Nishant23]

Tha main difference for me is the type of MBA you are looking at.
A US mba is normally 21 mths MBA. on other hand European mba is 10-12 mth. So European MBA for a career changer is a bit risky.
On other hand a US mba does not make much sense for a person with 10 yrs of exp.
Asian mba again are mostly 2 yrs but then they dont carry that much of weight globally. NUS,NTUMBA, HKUST, CEIBS are the best one.
Our desi IIM's are no less but then to be honest i dont really see IIM's in comparison to other schools. IIM are great place to learn and make frnds with but when it comes to diversity , networking, they fall behind

It boils down to what and how the person is looking to learn.

[goldenirony]

Originally Posted by scorpioguy

Visa considerations. That is why I decided to accept the offer from UK.

u hit the nail on the head buddy !
no point in lusting after the crapped out H1 - its not prob worth it anyway
(look at numbers this yr - 20K+ applications yet to come in....)


out of curiosity - which school in UK will you be joining?

-goldenirony

[GM00]

Originally Posted by Nishant23

On other hand a US mba does not make much sense for a person with 10 yrs of exp.

Interesting thought. Why do you say that? I've got 7 years of work experience in the States and haven't abandoned the thought of b-school here yet. I think up to 10 years of work ex is not a bad idea for b-school - again, talking about the Harvards and Whartons here.

It seems to me that most non-US schools would also ask atleast that level of experience.

[MartianOnEarth]

GM00,

If you are looking at global placements, a US degree might still be worth considering. The H1-B cap becomes less relevant in your choice then.

The brand power of many top US schools may also play an important role. For instance, a Kellogg degree may be more recognised in India compared to say an IMD. On the contrary, an INSEAD label will be better than a Kelley on your CV if you are looking for a job in Asia. Just random hypothetical examples here.

[shekys]

Originally Posted by GM00

Interesting thought. Why do you say that? I've got 7 years of work experience in the States and haven't abandoned the thought of b-school here yet. I think up to 10 years of work ex is not a bad idea for b-school - again, talking about the Harvards and Whartons here.

It seems to me that most non-US schools would also ask atleast that level of experience.

To add to this,NUS and Nanyang look for minimum 2 years work-ex while some of the US B Schools that I came across seek minimum 3 years. It is not uncommon to come across people with 6+ years experience*.

*- Observation based on stats posted in various B school websites.

[Nishant23]

Originally Posted by GM00

Interesting thought. Why do you say that? I've got 7 years of work experience in the States and haven't abandoned the thought of b-school here yet. I think up to 10 years of work ex is not a bad idea for b-school - again, talking about the Harvards and Whartons here.

It seems to me that most non-US schools would also ask atleast that level of experience.

My Bad..When i spoke about Us programs i should have mentioned 2 Yr Programs. It still makes very much sense to do an Executive MBA course from US in case you are looking to continue in US.
My believe is more than 10yrs of exp does teach you what you are likely to learn in 2 years about Basic Management. Hence a condensed 1 yr makes sense as you can get back to work earlier. For a career changer 2 Yr will help in sense , the intern opportunity and electives can help justify career change.
When you consider that Avg Wrk ex around most of schools lie in range of 4.5-6 . 10 yrs is a log time.
EMBA is much better choice. That's my personal opinion. I may be immature in saying this.

[quizophobic]

I'd like to discuss it on three levels: Indian MBA , non-US International MBA and the US MBA. I feel that it's a personal choice and depends on what u want to get out of ur MBA experience.

If you want to get an MBA soon after ur undergrad, desi MBA may make sense. You lose on all diversity: cultural, professional etc, but if you choose the right brand and make the most of the experience, chances are that you'd do good, especially if ur career goals are in India. Also, the courses are relatively affordable.

US B-schools: provide you everything that you'd look for in an MBA: diversity, network, updated curriculum, best profs and great resources on which you can lay the foundations of a great career. Only issue is that all of this comes at a heavy price and not everyone of us can afford it. The gud news is that with right research, you can locate some schol-rich schools; also the availability of loans is better as compared to other options. Even if you need to compromise a bit on brand (Let us say schools in range 16-40), the experience would still be worth it.

Non-US Int'l schools: There are a few big brands here: INSEAD, LBS etc. If you can make it to these and also afford these, nothing like that. (As far as I have found, loans and schols are relatively harder to come by as compared to US schools) If you have set your eyes on a particular country, you may stick to a particular school-set. (for ex: NUS, NTU for singapore) But other than these, I'd suggest you to look at comparative US schools.

[Nishant23]

@Quizophobic : Well Said
All the best for ur next 2 yrs at Emory

Your blog has been a great inspiration.I would recommend everybody to go through quizophobic's blog . This forms important part of R&D on MBA