Hi,

I am a Mechanical Engineer and am considering applying for an MBA. Given the financial constraints, I believe it’s not always possible to target the top tier universities that are recognized globally although the investment is bound to pay-off immediately. Anyways, I just need some information on whether to consider going for an MBA to a mid-tier university (Birmingham, HEC Montreal, HHL, Frankfurt School, Ottawa etc) which normally provide limited international mobility or to rather just consider a well recognized local MBA within your own Country that has a well spread alumni network and industrial ties with decent job prospects. I know the exposure one would get from studying abroad would nonetheless be much more helpful.

Looking forward to your response.

[Edited by talal007 on Feb 21, 2015]

I don't think financial constraints are a good idea for ruling out top schools. They will help you to access the loans and other financial support you need to get through, and those costs are tiny compared to the added benefit.

The schools you mention are quite different: HHL is a strong school on the European level; Birmingham is a nationally-known school; the others are leaders in their own province, but not really national schools. As schools for finding work in that region, they are viable choices, but greatly inferior to higher ranked schools (with the exception of HHL, which gets strong salaries).

It also strongly depends on your goals, along with where you are from and where you want to work. For instance, although LBS is one of the top schools in the world, many UK-based students who want to stay in the country go abroad to get international experience.

But if you are from India and don't want to move abroad, it's usually better to do your MBA or PGP in the country. However, many employers also value international experience, so that's why many Indian applicants decide to do their MBAs abroad and then work for a couple years before coming back.

This point also depends on what languages you speak: I don't see it as a good move to study at HHL, say, if you want to work in Germany but don't speak or don't have the capacity to learn German. Same with HEC Montreal and French.