Sam Weeks
- Nov 18, 2020
- 2 min read

Choosing business schools: By location

Updated: Feb 1

Choosing the right business school is critical. Choosing the school which best 'fits' your profile increases the chances of successful application. This is because admissions staff are trained to identify genuine passion for their school in your application essays and interviews.

An important factor is the school's location:

Where do you want to be physically based during your MBA?

This will be driven by a range of personal (such as family commitments) and professional considerations. The MBA opens up new job markets and especially the market in which you'll study. Based on school employment reports it is clear that a large proportion of students enter the job market in the location of their business school. For example:

51.4% of 2018-19 Oxford Said Business School MBA graduates found employment in the UK and Europe (employment report)
87.8% of 2017-2019 Northwestern Kellogg School of Management MBA graduates found employment in the United States (employment report)

Businesses tend to recruit from their nearest universities based on the assumption that students both want and are legally entitled to work in that geography. This also heavily affects the location of your professional network. For example schools based in major financial hubs such as London and New York tend to have more access to employers in Consulting. Likewise, schools in Texas send many candidates into Energy.

13% of Texas Mccombs MBA graduates went into Energy, the class’s second largest destination sector behind Finance. (employment report)

Travel

All top business schools offer opportunities for international experience through consulting projects, treks, or even have multiple campuses. If wider exposure is one of your motivations for doing an MBA then perhaps you will consider your school as a 'base' in the local region, in which case consider proximity to places you want to visit. For example, London to explore Europe or Chicago if you'll spend time on both coasts of the US.

Decided by your company

Some candidates will have an agreement to return to their previous company, perhaps committing to remain at the company for a pre-determined time post-MBA in exchange for funding. Check if your agreement specifies the location of the business school.