I'm getting the feeling that it's cliche for schools to tout their programs as being globally focused, but in reality, they're home country centric.

I want to go to school in France, but I'm still open to programs elsewhere if the program is a good fit.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

My two cents would be choose an MBA program that has a global residency element in it like George Washington School of Business. 2 year programs allow for more in-depth study and like I said you have the chance of the residency abroad to put all your theory into practice.

There are a lot of programs which offer international residencies. To get an international perspective, it is important to learn in different countries, not just about different countries. The value of spending a few weeks or a semester on a foreign campus cannot be replicated in a classroom. Some of the better programs also offer site visits to foreign and multinational companies and cultural events to enrich a foreign residency.

Here are a few of the international programs that I know about. There seem to be more popping up every year as this model becomes a proven success.

Duke Cross Continent MBA
http://www.fuqua.duke.edu/programs/duke_mba/cross_continent/

International School of Business IEMBA
http://www.ism.edu/IEMBA/IEMBA-Overview.html

Goethe Business School EMBA
http://www.goethe-business-school.de/en/EMBA/Goethe-Executive-MBA-in-Alliance-with-Duke.html

Georgetown-ESADE Global Executive MBA
http://www.globalexecmba.com/

You're right to ask about a Global MBA that truly integrates the "global" into the MBA. My suggestion is to look for a program that not only has the "global" in the curriculum, but also in the career relevant practical aspects of the program.
And you've been given an excellent listing of programs in some of these posts. Check on the following as you examine programs:

* Do you gain a functional expertise and a strategic undertanding of international business? For example, when one goes out to get a job after the degree, the employer will ask "what can you do for me?" If you answer, "I have a degree in international business" the employer will probably say, "That's fine. But what can you do for me?" So, if the currciculm offers an intensive concentration as well as courses in international business, that would be best. For example, a concentration in international finance or international marketing where the functional expertise in finance or marketing is gained while using global case studies.

* Does the program include a Global Travel Seminar where you can see global business first-hand? Many excellent programs now include 7 to 10 day Global Travel Seminars where you study the region prior to travel, and then once at the country, you visit major companies and meet with corporate executives in the boardroom and on the plant floor. The question here is this: is it just visiting companies where you listen to presentations about the company OR are you engaged in live case studies where you also are given a problem or situtation by the company prior to the visit, or at the visit....and then must make a presentation to the global executives about your findings, followed by a discussion with the executives. This is really learning and experiencing, rather than simply listening. Ask what the students do on the global travel seminars.

* Is there a global work component in the program? An internship or consulting project that is required by the program and carries academic credit. This is the real career relevant piece. IE Is the internship at a 'real work' level or is it simply doing administrative or extra work in a company? Or is it a group project working with a company? Are you individually, adding value to the company and will you be responsible for a significant project for example, in finance or marketing, while you're working full-time immersing yourself in the corporate culture? And is the internship required outside your home country? If there is academic credit that is required by the internship, then there is accountability and a faculty mentor who acts as an additional resource to you while you work; availble via email, or Skype etc...and it means there is a connection between the school and the company that will insure real value in the internship. It's not just an administrative connection where a company agrees to provide X number of internships to a school....it's a faculty member insuring that you are doing a significant project to add value to the company and hence to your resume.

I think all of the above ideas are important if you want to have a truly Global MBA. Some programs have "international residencies" and what they mean by that is that you simply shift where your MBA classroom is: ie one semester in the US, one semester in country X; one semester in country X. If you are looking at these programs, insure that you will be experiencing global business in the real sense of the words rather than simply having faculty from a university on another continent while you live and experience the culture there. While this can be an excellent experience, (can be expensive!) you want to be sure it is not just attending school someplace else. I also think the functional expertise and the global work are key.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I am the Dean of MBA Programs and the Global MBA at Suffolk University in Boston. All of the points above are generic and apply to your question. And there are many excellent programs to choose from. Just examine them closely to insure they are really giving you the global business exposure you want. If you are a "career changer" meaning changing your focus IE engineering to finance; finance to marketing, etc....then the internship / real work component is really critical.

www.globalmba.typepad.com is a blog of our Global MBA interns in 10 countries this summer - of course they are just beginning their experiences IE Coca Cola in Shanghai; Philips in the Netherlands; BMC Software in Singapore; State Street Global Advisors in Boston etc. There are already some very intersting insights!

www.suffolk.edu/globalmba for more information on our program: requires at least 3 years of work experience for admission consideration -- most have more. Requires an intensive concentration in either international finance or international marketing. Full-time program requires a three-month full-time summer internship outside your home country, that accounts for 6 credits in the degree and must include a significant project in finance or marketing that adds value to the company