2 questions

[Delayed_flight]

1) Why so much attention is paid to nationality and gender of a candidate ("white males in the first round of competitiveness, Indian males are in the second). What is that all about?

2) People seem to apply mostly to US b-schools. What about European ones, like HEC Paris or London b-school?

[Sophia007]

It depends whom are you targeting this question to.
.
Round 1 or Round 2 - I'm not sure where are you getting your information from but it is not completely true. All international applications are generally requested to apply early. You have to understand that there is a quota for international students so everyone is competing for those limited seats. Each year the school decides how many seats will it open up for International candidates. Naturally, a school gives preference to its in-state students first.

For your second question:
Over the last couple of yrs - I've helped several candidates with their EU applications including LBS, IESE, HEC Paris, IMD, Cambridge and Oxford.

Factors such as - where does a person plan to be long term also plays a heavy role. Its strategically wise to graduate from a region where you plan to settle long term - because of the strong network that you develop during your MBA Program.
Other factors such as - value of currency, cost of living, support system and structure - all play into account when candidates make their decisions.

I think you are generalizing here and each case is different and unique.

[Tani]

The attention to diversity in the classroom is not arbitrary. The case method in particular requires a wide range of viewpoints to maximize learning for all students. A classroom full of white males or South Asian techies would not be an optimal learning experience. Students need to learn from each other, and if they all have the same background there is little to share. "Quotas", to the extent they exist, are simply an attempt to make the classroom and study group discussions as lively and beneficial as possible. Non-traditional students bring non-traditional viewpoints, enhancing everyone's learning.

Given that objective, those groups that generate the greatest number of applicants will be the most competitive. White males from the US and South Asian males with technical backgrounds apply in the greatest numbers so those "pools" are the most competitive.

I have had many happy and successful candidates select European schools. LBS, HEC, INSEAD, Oxford and Cambridge are all excellent. There are several outstanding schools in Spain - e.g. IESE and ESADA - that focus heavily on international business and provide strong support for building language facility. Other options include schools that operate in multiple countries such as Hult or US schools with strong international alliances such as Washington University in Saint Louis. Resources such as the London Financial Times and TopMBA.com have strong coveraqe of international schools. The US simply has many more exceptional business schools, both because of our size and because the development of professional training in business has long been centered here. The international reputations of the top US schools give graduates geographic flexibility.