US for an MBA, India for a career

Visa restrictions imposed by the United States after 9/11 may have deterred many foreign aspirants from pursuing management studies in America, but not Indians.

The number of Indians taking the Gradaute-Management Aptitude Test, a test required for admission in American Business Schools, increased by 19 per cent reaching 7123 last year, a Business Week report said.

The Class of 2007 at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina has its highest number of Indian students in the past seven years, with a total of 20 out of about 275.

Though the overall applicant pool decreased by 9 per cent last year at the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University, which usually receives close to 2000 applications, the number of Indian MBA applicants rose by 16 per cent.

Complementing the burgeoning Indian economy for creating a 'serious demand' for high-quality managers, the report said the growth of middle class in the country made the brand-name American degrees affordable for more Indians than ever before.

With opportunities beckoning the 'newly minted' Indian MBAs in their country, the weekly said it was interesting to know how many of these people plan to use their degrees back home.

"There is a desire for Indians to get trained to help their own country move forward progressively," Rosemaria Martinelli, an Associate Dean at the 'University of Chicago Graduate School of Business' said.

"Just a decade ago, the Indian population was lamenting a brain drain. Now, it is heralding a renaissance," R Ravi, a Professor at the Tepper School said.

Ankit Gupta, a first year student at Anderson, is one among growing number of second and third generation Indian entrepreneurs, who is earning an American MBA as a way of garnering skills to lead a family business.

He plans to return to India soon after completing his graduation. "India is a land of opportunities. It's very easy to make money and the MBA gives you a valuable platform." The weekly said it was too early to tell if 'Corporate America' was losing out due to the number of Indian students choosing to go back home after garnering some experience here.

Business Week said students favoured long-term opportunities and the chance to be a part of their country's exciting new economy that's driving their decisions to return to India -- not short-term return on investment.

For some American-based corporations that are looking for Indian nationals to work in their divisions abroad, an international employee with a desire to go home -- and firsthand knowledge of the culture -- is a treasure, it said.

Though B-schools are sprouting across the country, the weekly said that many of the well-qualified people find it difficult to secure an admission in Indian institutions because of large number of applicants and less seats.

"Those who don't make the cut are usually well qualified and find they have a better chance in the US. Most of them speak English fluently, so language isn't a barrier," it said.

Besides this, 'few Indian schools can offer the same breadth of B-school education that the top US programmes offer,' says Shyam Sunder, a Professor at the Yale School of Management, said.