European business schools expand to American market

Spenser Altman, the adviser from New York and МВА candidate, thought to enter local business school in Columbia University or New York University. But romanticism of Paris was too attractive.

«I have thought, that it would be quite good to live in Europe and have started to be interested, how much it is possible, to receive МВА there», Mr. Altman tells. After some research, Altman has noticed, that HEC School of Management in suburb of Paris recently began to appear even more often on tops of ratings. And it meant, that the given school could become good stimulus to language studying, and also give the chance to study deeper special cultural approaches to business dealing in the Western Europe.

МВА, maybe, is the American invention, but many American students even more often choose the European business schools which become more and more competitive. Many European schools have very much promoted in the American market, offering advantages of a combination of various cultures and training in the conditions of more and more global economy. Some schools advertise the year programs as the best alternative to a standard biennial course which is offered by schools of the USA.

«It is a huge niche with which we can occupy, since as a rule, Americans are focused only on the culture and do not know much about the European alternatives», speaks Janet Shener, the director of department of marketing МВА in IMD, Swiss business school which more and more attention gives recently to advancement on East and Western coast, and also plan to aim at Chicago and Houston.

IMD is, certainly, it is very perspective. In 2004 Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) has calculated, that 98,43 % of all results of test GMAT have been dispatched in the American schools. It can tell  that in the USA there are really many authoritative business schools. Besides, some people are assured, that in case of returning in States with the European diploma, many employers cannot adequately estimate quality of the education got in Europe.
Also a language barrier exists. Americans seldom speak several languages, therefore many of them reluctantly go on receiving МВА in other culture that is responsibly and demands considerable efforts. And though the majority of the European courses of management use English language as the worker, is expected, that students in the course of training should learn still at least one language.

«Americans, as it is known, are frightened, when it comes to a foreign language», Dalf Atkinson, the president of GMAC says. «For them it appears a big obstacle if a school at a stage of entrance demands presence of the second language. But even, if such requirement is not present, remains fear to live in other culture where it is necessary to know local language, at least to explain in a shop».

Some schools I focus attention on disinterest in the American students who simply have passion to travel. «We wish to see people betrayed to business which already worked abroad or in the international companies in the USA», dean Insead business school, in Fonteblo, France Gabriel Havauini says. This school offers grants specially for the American students, and recently has concluded the contract with PR company for the purpose of advancement of on the American market. Insead is famous for the rigid requirements among all European business schools. Applicants necessarily should know two languages, and are obliged to learn the third in the course of program.

To intercept the places reserved by Americans at employers, the European schools offer an individual approach. Smurfit School of Business in Dublin, for example, has entered the program under the name "Experience" which invites the American students to stay for a while with itself 4 days.

HEC, Paris, tries to acquaint applicants with graduates and students of the American schools. It gives the chance to be convinced of an inconsistency of their fears about discrepancy to work or complexities in its search.

«Many Americans do not have possibility to arrive directly in school and to be convinced of quality of offered teaching. We use any possibility  to arrive to States and to convince potential entrants that the offered course will be taught in French or English language that will make injection process in culture smooth and painless», Allis Mikles says, the manager on development МВА, «in BORE fifth part of МВА class this autumn are the American students, and it is more than twice more than last years» have made.

And still, the most attractive variant for Americans is Britain, there are no problems with language there, and names of schools famous with Americans. Said Business School at University of Oxford has entered a one-year program only nine years ago, but the American students make a quarter of all students of school. Certainly, the attractive name Oxford has served also. «We are assured, that it is impossible to carry the name of the international school, not having American students», dean Anthony Hopvud says.