Why is a top American MBA the best return on your investment?
You want an MBA. And the price of an MBA in your country seems attractive. So, what is the appeal of an American MBA? In a word: salary. The reputations of top U.S. business schools command top salaries for their graduates. The average starting salary for a graduate of Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business, for example, is US$100,000. Global corporations Booz Allen Hamilton, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Google, Lehman Brothers, McKinsey & Company, Microsoft, PepsiCo, and Procter & Gamble regularly recruit at the Tuck School. Other top-tier U.S. business schools, such as Harvard Business School, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, as well as the graduate business schools at Stanford University and the University of Chicago, present similar job opportunities. International students returning to your home country equipped with a top U.S. management degree, corporate work experience and valuable network of contacts will have a competitive advantage over your peers on the corporate ladder.
Professional guidance to achieve the most compatible match
 It takes more than outstanding credentials to get into a top U.S. MBA program, however. There are far more candidates than there are available spaces in these programs, and most of the candidates are very well qualified and able to complete the coursework. You need to have an insider's knowledge of the differences between schools and their MBA programs, and you must position yourself carefully and strategically. More than anything else, securing the ideal match between the applicant and the most suitable MBA program will prove to be the most rewarding guidance you could have.
Insider's knowledge of the MBA programs and the guidance to get you there
There is more to a school than how high it ranks in national surveys. You need to consider the program's focus. One survey might rate the Johnson School at Cornell University higher than New York University's Stern School, but the latter's renowned finance program makes it a better choice for students who seek a career in the financial services industry. Size and location also will affect your graduate school experience. Some schools have thousands of students, others several hundred. Some are located in urban areas, such as New York City, and others are in rural locations, such as Hanover, New Hampshire. Once you weigh these factors together, you will have a better idea of what school provides the best environment for you. If you're interested in well-rounded management training and prefer the country-club like setting of a smaller boutique school, for example, the Tuck School would be an ideal choice. It's ranked highest among the top MBA program to train the business leaders of tomorrow with a beautiful campus, situated near a golf course and close to the Connecticut River.
Personalized guidance and coaching to achieve your best possible goal
In deciding what school to attend, you need to ask yourself, does this program fit my needs and goals? You need to be engaged in a variety of activities in the two years just before you submit an application to an MBA program. You should be preparing for and taking the GMAT and TOEFL (if applicable), focusing on your professional development, increasing your non-work-related leadership activities, and developing your résumé. Below is a partial list of activities that comprise the MBA application process:
- Learning about the top 30 MBA programs in the U.S.
- Defining career goals
- Networking
- Developing the necessary level of English proficiency
- Shoring up the quantitative skills
- Pursuing interesting leadership/extracurricular endeavors
- Visiting campuses
- Interviewing
- Preparing your résumé
- Writing effective essays in English
- Getting effective letters of recommendation in English
- Completing correctly the detailed application forms
Personalized guidance to find partial financing for your MBA education
Attending a top MBA program in the U.S. can be quite expensive. The Tuck School's tuition is always near US$40,000. Add to that living expenses, and the total cost of the program over two years can reach US$100,000. Although most schools offer assistance that will help you meet these expenses, all of them expect you to contribute funds from your savings. Schools most often provide assistance in the form of school-sponsored loan programs and scholarships. At Tuck each year, 80 percent of the students receive some assistance (by comparison, Columbia's Graduate School of Business offers 67 percent of students some assistance); these funds typically are offered to the most highly qualified candidates.
Consider the cost of your MBA as an investment. Recently, schools have seen their placement rates (i.e., the percentage of students with jobs at graduation) approach 100 percent. Given your higher earnings potential, you should be able to pay for your top-tier MBA in a few years. Moreover, most companies recruiting non-U.S. citizens from U.S. MBA programs help these graduates gain the proper visas and work papers. Many have been able to return to their home countries debt free and poised to become senior leaders in their business communities.
Coaching to position yourself in the best light
The MBA application process is arduous. Graduate business schools require you to complete anywhere from three to eight essays, ranging in length from 400 to 1,500 words. Harvard requires seven to eight essays, for example, whereas both Wharton and the Tuck School require four. Composing these essays can take anywhere from 15 to 30 hours.
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