Candidates from as far afield as Iran, South Africa, China and Canada benefited from a full day of events on all things related to applying to business school: it was an efficient way to spend a Saturday for the candidates who got there early and had set up meetings beforehand!
Events included one-to-one meetings with b-school admissions directors, GMAT preparation seminars, a forum for women MBA, as well as the main tour, which attracted 70 top business schools from around the world. QS also has US$1.2 million in scholarship funding up for grabs for people who attend its events.
As well as the likes of London Business School, INSEAD and Chicago Booth there were business schools from across the US and Europe and emerging powerhouses China, India and Mexico in attendance.
The applicants we spoke to were pretty evenly split between those interested in pre-experience Masters programmes and those interested in a traditional full-time MBA.
One Oxford-educated management consultant had a first degree in Genetics. After four years in financial services consulting, covering the Middle East and Africa, she wanted to pursue a full-time MBA in the US, with the goal of switching into venture capital (VC). Top of her list was Stanford for its great connections with the VC world and the biotech industry.
Media high flyer Daniel, who had worked for United Business Media and Dodd Communications wanted an MBA to build “business underpinnings with a marketing specialism”, to qualify him for global; marketing roles. He was looking at an array of schools: Kellogg and ESSEC were two that impressed him at the event.
Stefano from Italy was eyeing the St Gallen Masters in Management, saying that it would be a great boost to his resume and also help him get a first job in consulting, an industry where St Gallen has a good reputation. Two Warwick undergraduates studying Maths and Statistics were interested in London Business School’s Master in Management as a resume-booster and great networking opportunity.
We also caught up with founder and CEO of QS, Nunzio Quacquarelli, who started the firm in 1990 while he was still on the Wharton MBA. Originally housed in a “glorified cupboard” on Wharton’s campus, the firm now has offices in ten cities around the world.
As well as running events, QS publishes rankings, does research on higher education and the job market for MBAs, and provides consulting services globally.
Quacquarelli discussed the recent data showing that applications to full-time MBA programmes were down in both the US and Europe. In the US applications are down compared to the very high levels that immediately followed the outbreak of the financial crisis, but are still higher than in 2007.
Europe, however, is suffering from the prolonged uncertainty associated with the Euro crisis. The UK has its own set of problems, because the restrictions on post study work visas had turned a lot of applicants off.
Quacquarelli said, however, that this is the first recession during which MBA employment has continued to grow. Hiring is growing in a few different areas: in emerging markets in general, consulting, and in technology, which has seen a 27 per cent uplift in MBA hiring over the last year.
More details will be published in a forthcoming QS MBA careers report, which includes a survey of over 3,000 MBA recruiters worldwide.
Stay tuned for video highlights of the QS World MBA Tour in London! Click here to see the rest of the tour dates in Europe, North America, Asia, India and the Middle East.
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