Q) Why do Top MBA programs value international work and travel experience?

Atul Jose (MBA Admissions Consultant, F1GMAT): There are schools like INSEAD with a 2-campus structure that explicitly cites the importance of international work and travel experience. Top US schools have a different approach. They value candidates with US residence, either permanent residency or a history of working in the US for the past 2-3 years, either in long-term or short-term projects.

There are primarily two reasons for schools to prioritize applicants with international work, travel, and university experience:

1) Adaptability and Creative Problem Solving

The 2009 research from Maddux and Galinsky shows how professionals who have lived abroad are forced to converge with a culture different from their own and how it leads to scenarios where they must come up with creative solutions to the cultural shocks that they are likely to face.

When you are exposed to a ritual or a value foreign to your culture, the natural reaction is to fight it, but our human and social nature forces us to make sense of any new idea, even the revolting ones. When your senses are fine-tuned to accept novel ideas, you become good at spotting opportunities absent in a person who has grown up and worked in a monolithic culture.

From the school’s perspective, if you have international work experience, preferably in the US, you will adapt faster. With global employers serving multiple markets or employers in a region looking for global markets, they need specialists with knowledge of the region to join the team.

It could mean an Indian or a Chinese candidate working in New York for onboarding or for 3-4 years before moving back to their home country to lead a business unit. There are multiple strategies employers use to ensure that they have a diverse specialist talent pool to manage the changing markets.

2) Future of Employment

TikTok became the first brand from China to be embraced by the US market despite political roadblocks and intervention from the government. This will be the future for brands emerging from Asia. If I were the Dean of a top Business School, I would focus on building a diverse international class based on the market knowledge and the network of global employers each international student brings. This would mean prioritizing candidates from Southeast Asia, China, and India, as companies from these regions will eventually gain market share in the US.  

Business Schools and MBA programs are the best job fairs in the world, with strong relationships with employers in the US. They will now look at international recruiters to spread the influence in multiple regions if they have to be relevant.

By showing your international exposure, you are signaling to the school that your network will be valuable for the MBA class and that your success will have long-term value for the school through alumni contributions and assistance in finding opportunities for MBA students.

If you need help in branding your profile to demonstrate international exposure and fit for the class, contact me, Atul Jose