Planning an MBA - Think beyond the USA

Gurinder Bhatti
Gurinder Bhatti, Chairman & Managing Director, ESS Group of Companies
Every year, a sizeable number of students, flock to foreign countries to pursue MBA, one of the most sought-after career options in the country. The course, designed to develop the skills required for careers in business and management, enables students to strengthen their leadership and analytical skills, besides enabling them to explore a completely new way of life. But what mostly attracts students to pursue MBA overseas is the quality of education and the cultural diversity. The desire to see the world, experience and understand the people and their traditions, develop global networks and, possibly bag a lucrative job opportunity fuels the decision of tens of thousands of Indian students to pursue an MBA program in a foreign country.

In fact, it is the US that tops the list of countries for MBA studies. The country is popular for some of the top-notch MBA schools such as the Havard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, MIT Sloan School of Management and Columbia Business School. However, the exorbitant fees and delay in obtaining employment-based green cards due to the per-country limit are some of the reasons that have made several students reconsider their plans and look for universities in other countries. In a report released by the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) last year, it was revealed that the US colleges are becoming increasingly unaffordable with the cost of attaining a degree skyrocketing, making it tough for students to pursue their dreams.

Apart from the US, a lot of other countries such as France, UK, Singapore, and China are ranked as some of the best countries in the world to pursue MBA. Here, let's take a look at some of the top business schools in the world:

1) INSEAD (Singapore): Bloomberg Businessweek, a leading international business magazine, ranked INSEAD in the top spot for its exceptional MBA program. With over 40 years of experience in preparing outstanding individuals for leadership positions throughout the world, INSEAD is well-known for its unmatched diversity and proven academic excellence.

2) HEC Paris: The business institute was recognised by the Times Higher Education as a leading business school in Europe for educating the CEOs of Fortune Global 500 companies. With a 92 percent international student body, studying at HEC Paris allows you to develop a truly multicultural approach to strategy and problem solving and guarantees a personalized learning experience that prioritizes you and your goals.

3) London Business School - United Kingdom: Ranked as the best international business schools in the world, the London Business School strives to create an environment to support and inspire its students to achieve their fullest potential.

4) Oxford - United Kingdom: One of the oldest universities in the world, Oxford is renowned for its centre of learning, teaching and research. The university offers a part-time modular program for MBA aspirants that are designed to help senior professionals realise their potential whilst delivering international general management competence to their organisations.

5) IE Business School - Spain: IE is at the fore-front of integrating technology with education. The institute strives to continuously create, modify and shape new programs based on trends and current needs in the working world.

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