Getting into business school is a lot easier if you bring some international experience to the table.
The global marketplace is not just lip service anymore. Few companies in the Fortune 500 lack an international presence or at the very least, deal with international vendors or suppliers. This means that having a global perspective on business is not just an interesting bonus for the admissions committees, it’s almost gotten to the point of being a requirement.
Having a global perspective is more than just business knowledge.
It’s about being able to bridge the cultural gap between US-domestic students and international students in your cohort. Bringing real global experience to the table is incredibly valuable since much of what you learn in business school is from your fellow classmates. When adcoms are trying to bring new students into the mix they want students with a diversity of experience and perspectives. Having an international viewpoint which stems from real world global experience gives confidence to the admissions team that you will be a contributor, not just a consumer, of the collective learning experience.
International experience doesn’t necessarily have to be business experience.
There are lots of ways to demonstrate an international perspective beyond just working for a multinational business. Perhaps you work in the US, but you often collaborate with international teams in other offices? Or maybe you have dealings with international vendors or suppliers? Some people are just well traveled, and while they have zero work experience outside the US, they have a broad or deep knowledge of international culture from either their family background or personal travel experiences. Whatever you can show to demonstrate an understanding and empathy for global culture or business practices is potentially valuable in an MBA application.
What if you are coming up short on global experience?
There’s not a whole lot you can do other than defer your application until you get some international experience. If you can punt your application to a later round, it might give you time to request an international assignment from your boss, or perhaps even switch to another job altogether which can broaden your horizons.
For information on how we can guide your business school application process, email us at mba@amerasiaconsulting.com or go to http://www.amerasiaconsulting.com/contact