The Application Process

Hi everyone,

I have a bit of a dilemma here. I'm from Canada, and am debating between a number of schools at the moment.

The choice is basically between a regional Canadian school (top ranked b-school in Canada) versus a big-name school overseas that carries global prestige with very strong brand equity (i.e. Oxbridge, Cornell/Yale, even UCLA, etc)

I'm deliberating many factors, but the biggest one seems to be the question of 'where I want to work post-grad'. This is very much up-in-the-air right now: on one hand, I'd love to explore opportunities overseas (even US) while I'm still fairly young. On the other hand, my family is in Canada, and it would be tough leaving them (especially for the long-term).

So location aside, the great thing about a big globally recognized brand like Oxbridge or an ivy league school would be the international mobility. Is this mostly a factor immediately post-grad? Or is it more of a factor 5, even 10 years down the road?

Also, on the other hand, if I do choose to stay in Canada (whether short or long-term), the local network that I'd have would be huge. The close friendships I've made, relationships built, etc. would all be local, and that's one of those 'invaluable/immeasurable' benefits of an MBA experience as well. My fear is that if I choose to go overseas to a big-name school, whether US or UK, and then decide to come back to Canada, the relationships and friendships I've built while in MBA school would be pretty tough to maintain not as strong as if I'd have gone to a regional school instead.

So weighting the 'global prestige/brand/international mobility' vs 'local friendships, network, recruiting' -- how would you weigh these factors? Help! Thanks!!

Honestly you hit all of the key points in this discussion and you have to weigh what means more to you at this point. There is no right answer for everyone, and honestly if you go to a quality school you will be happy with the results either way. Just go with what you think will be most beneficial for your personal growth.

hahaha @ Jim's response. I read your debrief and said... "well.. this person has thought of everything." it's truly up to you at this point