International Experience?

[kasakimasaki]

Hi

I am planning to apply for 2010 MBA program.

I found the following among application essays for London School of Business,
"Describe any significant experiences outside of your home country. What did you gain from these"

I understand that most universities expect students to have some international experiences.

1. Do universities require applicants to have "international work experience"? Is "international exposure" (i.e. visiting other countries on vacation, communicating to foreign nationals/clients on phone and email) sufficient?

2. Can the "international experiences" part of my application change the course of my application drastically or is it just something that is "simply" desirable?

3. Presently my job does not allow me to travel abroad though I interact with foreign nationals through phone and email. Going abroad on a vacation is also possible. Beyond that, is international work experience so important that I should consider leaving my job and look for another "just" for the sake of getting international work experience?

All other aspects of my profile are quite good and I want to manage this one hurdle. Please answer my questions individually so that I gain a clear understanding of how I should proceed.

[VP_MBA_Guru]

Ravi,

To be honest, I am not too familiar with LBS's admission process.

However, to your first question - I do not believe most MBA applicants have significant international experience pre-MBA.

Therefore, I believe that the question is asking your view on global business / economy based on what you have experienced - whether through direct work experience, interaction with overseas counterparts, study abroad experiences or possibly while vacationing (i.e. while traveling to a certain area, you saw significant business opportunites).

I would not encourage taking a new job in order to get international experience (to be a more competitive applicant), unless you were thinking about leaving your job anyway.

Good luck,

NP