International MBA : Questions to ask

There are three main questions that you should ask yourself if you are planning to go in for MBA abroad. These questions are:

Why International MBA?

So, why did I do an MBA? When faced with this question, I put myself through the 'ART' test. The test asks three questions of a candidate considering doing an MBA:

• Do you want to Accelerate your career in the current industry?
• Do you want to Rotate to a business/ corporate function within the current industry?
• Do you want to Transform your skill-sets to change to another industry?

An affirmative answer to any one question is, superficially, sufficient reason to want to do an MBA. The important thing for me was to identify exactly where this career move was focused. I decided that A -- Acceleration resonated the most with me.

I was working with a group of bright, motivated individuals. My superiors provided me with learning opportunities now and then. However, I had reached an invisible hurdle beyond which growth demanded an additional set of skills, which I felt an MBA would address. Now that the toughest part was over, the next step was to elaborate and justify this answer with valid reasons.

It is completely acceptable for you to want to achieve more than one of the above objectives through an MBA. But a careful drilling-down into the story is critical. 

From where should I do my MBA?

USA! The land where, in spite of the financial turmoil, all dreams are fulfilled! OR
UK -- an unvoiced aspiration, a touch of class OR
Europe --  pretty, romantic, refined? OR
Australia -- spanking new, cheerful, fun! OR
Far East -- picturesque, ancient yet ultramodern OR
South East Asia -- closer to home, familiar, comfortable, cheap!

The decision to go abroad for the MBA was made, but when the time came to decide where exactly to go, the number and variety of options was baffling me, to say the least! Where should I start?!

The US seemed the natural first choice for most of my fellow MBA applicants, thus, it seemed obvious to follow suit. It was, after all, the place where many Indians had transitioned from the mindset of a controlled socialist regime to the wonderful meritocratic broad-mindedness of capitalism. It was where middle class migrants had found an impartial platform to take their dreams to reality. It was the richest economy in the world, which welcomed foreigners like no other country in the world, to partake of that wealth. And, of course, it had the largest concentration of top international business schools. The legendary Harvards, Kelloggs and Yales of the world resided there. It was the ultimate destination for a young upwardly mobile corporate worker.

How to pick your MBA course?

Under this issue there are four factors that you must consider. These are;

• Programme

• Prospectus

• Price
  

• People

Make sure that everything suits your requirements and then you would have made a fair decision.