Dear all, I do hope for anyone's advice in this complicated process of fining the right MBA school.

I am from Russia, major in the humanities, have a 5-year work experience in administration and marketing (unfortunately, no managerial experience), GMAT 660, looking for a school with a 2-year strong strategic and general management program with focus on entrepreneurship.

At the moment, have not yet decided even on the country: US, Canada or Australia. After looking through the message board and FT, Bloomberg and Economist rankings, I have come up to the top universities in Canada:
1. Rotman
2. Schulich
3. McGill
4. British Columbia

Top universities in Australia:
1. MBS
2. AGSM

And as for the US, I am completely lost in the variety and number of the schools and programs.

Could you please advise me which of the schools in Canada and Australia could meet my needs and where are the odds are higher that I could be accepted?
In general, where business education is better - in Australia or in Canada?
And could you please advise me schools in US that could meet my goal and accept me (I understand that my application will not be the strongest)?

In the end, after finishing the studies and getting work experience in one of these countries, I am considering to return to Russia.

Will appreciate any information. Thank you in advance!

These are all good schools, and I think you have them in the right order. Melbourne is top-tier world-class school, but it no longer has a two year MBA. The Canadian schools you mention are perhaps not quite as good as MBS but are generally better than AGSM.

For the US, take a look at these posts:

GMAT Tiers - strong schools for your GMAT www.find-mba.com/board/27082

How to use LinkedIn to find the best school www.find-mba.com/board/33571

Shortcut to find the best US MBA www.find-mba.com/board/36065

Duncan, thank you for your reply and the links! The list of schools according to GMAT is great and very helpful. I have also spent there several days on the Findthebestschool.

Now I have a list of 8-9 US schools with almost identical profiles that are within positions 45-80 in rankings. One thing is to chose between these US schools and the other thing is to compare them to Canadian ones.
The question now is how to compare, in general, a US school that ranks #45-80 (e.g. W. P. Carey School of Business - my GMAT is within their median, and tuition fee is within my limits) and a top Canadian school that also does not have a high rank in global lists either?

I'd suggest you compare the Net Present Value of the schools. Value them as if they were competitive investment opportunities.

Also, contact the schools and just see how responsive they are after they know who you are. Send your CV and ask if they think you're a good fit: that will allow them to show if you;re likely to be admitted. And compare the admissions data and selectivity.

I could use a bit of advice too. I am from Romania and I would like to spend some time internationally. I am interested in doing an MBA in either USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, or the UK. I would like to know about the following topics:

1. Which country is the best option for career growth? In terms of job placements after graduation.
2. To which schools should I apply?
3. Are there government subsidized MBA programs in these countries?

1. I'd say career growth is broadly in line with GDP growth and language skills.
2. That's impossible to answer. The schools pick you. You need to clarify your goals, take the GMAT and assess which schools you are a competitive candidate for.
3. Most universities outside the USA are state-subsidized, but the MBA is an expensive degree to run and one for which most students are prepared to invest. Subsidies tend to go to scholarships and financial aid, rather than low fees. The least costly programmes in the FT top 100 will be in the UK, where the MBA is typically a one-year intensive programme rather than a two-year extensive degree. Perhaps the best value is the Durham 15-month MBA, which is 25,000 pounds. Of course the UK has a huge advantage for a Romanian, since you don't need a permit to work here.

Dear Duncan, thank you so much for your advice. I will examine Durham and maybe some other business schools in the UK. Yes, it is good that I don't need a work permit to work there.

Hi all, I have admits from Alberta and from Pace. Personally I would rather be in New York than in Alberta, but then again I don't know too much about either of the two universities, since I am not from the US or Canada.

Any advice on which to select?

What are your goals? These are two such different schools that they seem unlikely to both good options at meeting a specific goal.

Hello, thanks for the reply. My goal is essentially to work in financial services, and I am open to careers in either the US or in Canada.

I know that New York is a stereotypical destination for finance, but from what I can gather quality of life is better in Canada.

That's why I am looking for some objective views on the overall quality of the schools, especially with reputation.

I come from a software analyst background if that helps.

Do you have the right to work in both countries? If not, Canada is an easier country to get a permit for. However, Alberta is not a major centre for financial services roles for MBAs.

Try How to use LinkedIn to find the best school www.find-mba.com/board/33571

No, I don't currently have the legal right to work in either country.

You're right, Alberta is not a center for financial services roles... But from my research I've found that a bigger proportion of Alberta MBAs go into finance than Pace grads. It looks like Pace is good for consulting rather than finance.

Have you considered a different approach towards finding schools? Maybe focus on the schools are best able to support your transition. I'd certainly focus on Canada rather than the US, or maybe Singapore. In Canada, that means York, Toronto, Queen's and McGill universities. The Alberta program, has less than 3% of the alumni placement into the FS and banking in Canada of those schools