2021 Benefits of getting a MBA from a school outside of the USA

Question

Please move if this is in the wrong topic section.

I am a USA citizen, and have always wanted to study abroad, as well as get a MBA. The USA is known for having some of the best schools globally, and many come from their own respective countries to study. 
What are your thoughts on pursing a MBA outside the USA, specifically if the country you were going to target was Japan, Germany, or the UK. Each of those countries has their own pros cons and would be interested in what the thoughts are about each of the 3 countries mentioned separately.

Thank you for your time.

bb · Answer

Hi. Welcome to GMAT Club. I moved your topic to a different subforum thinking that it may be a better fit. It’s a good question. My cousin went from the US to business school in the UK. I also have known a person who went from the US to business school in Australia. There’s obviously INSEAD in France That probably has 50 to 75 people from the US each year. Maybe even more… I haven’t checked the stats. I feel that to go outside of the US, you have to have a good reason and a compelling one too. Usually, the suggestion is to go to school in the country where you intends to work after graduation. Or at least the continent

it is not the business schools in the US is so amazing, which they are pretty darn good but it’s just weird to move from the US to another country, go through culture shock and adjustment and go through the program only to go back to the US and try to find a job. You’re kind of throwing away a lot of the school brand value in this scenario. So I’m going to assume that you’re actually planning to stay in the work in one of those countries. Otherwise, if you’re not, you might as well do a study abroad where you spend the semester at another country and you do a school therefore usually the fall semester of your second year. It’s a tricky move since you will be missing out on some of the recruiting action happening in the fall and doing practice interviews and trying to score a job during the on-campus recruiting events versus having fun in Europe, Asia, or wherever throwing caution to the wind. I totally did that

I try to recruit during the semester abroad but I found it to be too challenging in Hong Kong. My mandarin was OK – but most people spok Cantonese and my Cantonese was super basic. There was no hope for me too find a local job so I tried connecting with ex-pats but that did not prove fruitful either. So if you end up going to a country that speaks another language, that would be a pretty important skill to have as otherwise your opportunities would be fairly limited. It’s definitely possible to land a job that may be ex-pat status but there’s only so many of them and you really have to be like you to to get one of those. Also, you have to be willing to jump through hoops of getting work permits and it’s really fun when it comes to paying for your business school. My buddy who went to school in Australia had to jump all kinds of hoops to borrow money in the US to pay his Australian business school. Granted it was a little while ago, but still it’s not super straightforward. All right, let’s assume you know the language or you’re pretty good and let’s assume you’re not deterred by financing or work permit issues or perhaps you have dual citizenship or something like that. What would be the best country to go to business school? I feel the best bet is school in the country where are you planning to work and if you are determined to be outside of the US then come back, then the school with the best reputation. However, it tends to be a struggle for European and Asian schools to have a strong foothold in the US. Even my cousins family can’t get the name of his business school straight And thinks he’s getting an MBA from the London school of economics. One thing to point out, being American in Germany, UK or Japan will put you into an advantageous position, and make you a spot lucrative applicant for those schools. Many of them seek out a diverse student body and usually struggle to attract enough quality American applicants. I can see you punching well above your weight in Europe and Asia. If I had to choose, I would definitely look at the immigration laws and hoops you have to jump with a work permit. I loved Japan and the culture there personally. It’s an amazing place and I wouldn’t mind living there at all. I would love to actually. It’s probably The most perfect country I have been to so far. At the same time I feel there immigration rules are pretty unfriendly. At the same time you may find it easier getting a job in a place that is fairly unfriendly towards foreigners like Japan versus Germany or UK that’s going to have a lot more Americans around. However getting a job in Japan has some high barriers with language skills. They have some good business schools there but they’re virtually unknown outside of Japan… My thought is it’s a huge commitment. It’s a commitment beyond two years and a choice for the next seven probably. Otherwise you will be spinning your wheels and taking you to your vacation as opposed to working hard on your degree and professional development. I may be a bit harsh in this judgment but do you know what I mean I hope. I would also Not underestimate culture shock. My cousin in the UK was not expecting it but I think he suffered from it to a degree and wherever you end up going, is something that will impact you so it would be nice if you go to a place where you have a small network and a few people you already know or some friends. That will go along way assimilating into a foreign culture. Kind of like foreigners look at the American football and find a barbaric or we watch cricket and find it strange, the same way it’s easy to dismiss another culture and call it barbaric or strange without actually getting to know the intricacies and enjoying it. In other words you have to drink Kool-Aid to get the most out of your experience. My 2 cents. Do you speak any of the languages, do you intend to work in any of these countries? Posted from my mobile device

ThePie · Answer

Thanks for the response!

I do not speak any foreign languages. I did want to direct my career to international technology management between US and international companies however. So that is my reason. Large companies it seems tends to have someone focus on a region or country. So using the first country as a example, if you learned Japanese, didn't mind living there, and having the right skill set, you would be a good fit for the company. I don't have any specific places of business in mind. However, I do know what I am looking for in terms of post-MBA career goals.

What I am not sure of, is would it be better to go to a US school instead. I'm working on a application for Kellogg for example. But taking the GMAT has proven to not be a strong suit of mine, so I can't rely on a score alone to get in to one of those top schools for example.

In terms of Japanese B-Schools, Waseda University, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, & NUCB Business School are really the only three that are viable options.

If you had to pick between Top 10, Top 20, or a one of the Japanese business schools. What would you look for in making that type of decision?

bb · Answer

In my experience I would only recommend the UK since you could sell the AdCom on your plan and recruiting strategy For Japan, I would get in touch with current students and consider if it is even possible and if there are people like that going to school there. If not, you will likely not get admitted. The School does not want the risk and you will have to work hard in feeling them better about your employability. (in some way admit would be a positive news about your chances of finding a job after). As to the choice of a Top Japan School or a Mid-tier US one... I have to say the T-15 US schools are really good! Anderson, Ross, and even McCombs and Tepper are pretty impressive in terms of the caliber of students and employment stats. You can find the latest rankings that Regenerate put out just today: https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-club-mb ... 57142.html So I would probably take a US program. But don't take my word for it - talk to the students currently in those programs in Japan, Germany, UK, etc. Many are approachable and will be happy to share their wisdom. Aks the Adcom to connect you or reach out on LinkedIn or via the school directory. -BB

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