Which US Biz schools for Post-MBA Finance Career in Asia?

Question

I'd like to get an MBA from a top school in the US (because that's where I'm at right now) and then go to Asia (South East Asia if possible because that's where I'm originally from) to do Finance (Private Equity if possible).

The top 2 in my mind are Wharton and Booth, because of their excellent finance reputation.

What about the other schools? Here's my short list:

Sloan, Fuqua, Johnson, Stern, Anderson, Ross, Yale

I'm thinking of applying to between 4-6 schools this year. Recommendation?

klughing · Answer

Anything, guys? Maybe suggestions on how to decide?

asimov · Answer

For finance, on campus recruiting and networking is very important. I don't think much if any Asian firms recruit in the US for their Asian offices. If you want to work directly in Asia straight out of school, you should try to consider Asians schools, see the international bschool sub-forum for some of the top schools in Asia. If you go to a US based school, you can try to get a finance job in the US and try to network your way to Asia after a some work experience.

For SE Asia, I'd look like INSEAD, NUS.

For SE Asia, I'd look like INSEAD, NUS.

nink · Answer

There are opportunities available at a lot of the top schools if that is the path you want to follow. I know few people from various schools this past summer (YSOM, Chicago, NYU, etc) who found opportunities in Asia for finance roles, so the opps are out there.

Just make sure that you attend a school that people have heard of if you want to get these opportunities (with ease). They basically have the same impression that my mother has over there in Asia.

Back when I was deciding which school to attend, my mother wanted to know which schools I was considering. The conversation went something like this:

Me: So mom, I have few options right now. Kellogg, Booth, Yale, ......blah blah
My Mom: (she heard) So mom, I have few options right now. Kellogg, Booth,Yale, ......
Oh my god Yale? Yale? Yale? You got into Yale???
Me: Yes mom but for business school, Kellogg and Booth is more highly regarded...
My Mom: Oh my god, my son got into Yale!

Now, that's not the reason why I went to Yale, but she kept on and on as if I got into Yale Law school or something..... :oops:

asimov · Answer

Hi Nink, thanks for the clarification.

I was wondering for those finance jobs in Asia, did those students already have some finance background or connections in Asia?

klughing · Answer

I'm trying to switch career so I'm thinking about 2-year programs (not INSEAD). I don't think NUS is at the same level as the US top schools.

In general, I believe US business schools have better brands and I'm thinking about business schools in the US because that's where I'm at right now.

klughing · Answer

I did the test to my mom last week and it was the same thing. Considering my mom was a little bit more knowledgeable about US schools since her kids study in the US, she still didn't know the uncommon ones.

She knew Harvard (of course), MIT, Berkeley, UCLA and Stanford (because her kids studied in the west coast), Columbia and NYU (only because she visited New York before) and Yale. Definitely not Duke, not Kellogg, not Booth. I think she has heard of Cornell before from somewhere.

So nink, what do you think of Yale for someone trying to work in finance in Asia?

shaselai · Answer

lol. i just told my parents i am applying to some b schools. Named mostly those i am not even considering - basically set the bar really low so if i get in anything better they wont be disappointed... If i had said i wanted to apply to yale and dont get in the rest of my schools she would consider "crap"....

PadawanOfTheGMAT · Answer

People know the big boys: Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT, Princeton. A few weeks ago I was talking to an American about MBAs, he's a director at a major manufacturing plant:

This is a translation of what people understand: Tuck -> nip tuck Kellogg -> the cereals manufacturer* Columbia -> bowling for Columbine Stern -> Howard Stern Wharton -> what? etc Therefore I would advise the OP to shoot for the internationally known names or INSEAD which has a branch in Singapore. *: ok I admit, the Kellogg is mine. It was 8 years ago when I wasn't into this MBA thing, and didn't know about American Universities except MIT, Stanford, etc. A friend of mine told me he could go to Kellogg. I told him "how so you'll be eating Coco Pops for free!" :lol:

nink · Answer

Some did, not all. Some came from Asia (w/o finance background), but prestigious UG degree etc. Others, without any connection, but previous experience (like having Morgan Stanley on the resume), found opportunities abroad.

Our alumni base from Asia is quite impressive. Some of the biggest donors are from Asia as well. But it's not YSOM thing. A lot of other schools have alums in Asia who work in finance.

klughing · Answer

That has been the word on the street. Yale has a large network in Asia but not because of YSOM. Maybe the best schools would be the ones that have close relationships with Asian business schools and/or have campuses in Asia, such as Wharton (with the INSEAD connection) and Chicago (EMBA campus in Singapore) but I already have both of them on my list and they're not that easy to get into either. I'm set on applying to those 2 schools, just need a couple more (or do i ?). According to this (https://www.chicagobooth.edu/alumni/maps/map_world.aspx), Booth has 404 alumni in Singapore. That's quite a lot comparing to other countries, maybe only second to Japan in Asia (476 alumni).

shaselai · Answer

i so want to get into yale.. any suggestions nink?

bpenn · Answer

Pretty funny conversation. My wife's family is in Hong Kong and India. I had no idea that brand names could be so important! My conversation with my father in law in Hong Kong about what MBA programs I was thinking of applying to went something like nink's, but it was  wharton, kellogg, dartmouth, columbia,   London Business School ,  etc

The way I took it is that he was a kid when the British quit India, did his undergrad in UK, then moved to HK in the 70's. In his mind, since London School of Economics and London Business School are in the London University system, LBS rides on the LSE (undergrad) name. Kind of the same way Yale SOM might do with the broader Yale undergrad reputation. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I cant assume that the people who may hire me in the future have the same view point as her father.

My solution, since I'm not applying to any schools in Asia, will be to go on exchange to a school in Asia that has full alumni privileges and try and do an internship in Hong Kong, Singapore or Mumbai. I figure I'll have a good school brand behind me and be able to develop some relationships in the geography I want to work.

I also looked at NUS because they have a real estate program and a lot of the SE Asia funds are based there, but the school didn't get me very excited. I agree that its not in the same top university tier, though in Singapore they're strong. My wife did her undergrad there and she knows a lot of people who stayed and did grad school at NUS as well. Would be a good option if that's what you wanted.

Which US Biz schools for Post-MBA Finance Career in Asia?

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards