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Top Business Schools in the UK and Europe
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The world of business has never been more competitive, and more and more students are looking to improve their chances both of landing a job with a top company and of enjoying wider success in their career by continuing on to postgraduate study. If you are one of these people, and are seriously considering signing up for a postgraduate business school to get a qualification such as an MBA, then there are many factors that you need to consider before choosing a business school – because ultimately you want to make sure you enrol at the top business school to cater for your needs.
Factors to consider for a top business school
Location of the business school
One of the first and most important things you should think about when choosing a business school is what type of location is the most suitable for you. We can broadly split the location types into three separate categories: city, rural and campus. Let's have a quick look at all of them.
City location
Many business schools are located right in the heart of the city, this is attractive on many levels. Firstly, it will offer a surrounding environment that is likely to be quite similar to what you will experience if you end up getting a job with a major business or corporation when you finish your business course. As such, you'll be building up some useful experience just by virtue of the surroundings in which you are studying. Secondly, living right in the middle of the city will give you direct access to a great social scene and cultural opportunities such as theatre, art and music. So what is the downside? Well in some ways, the disadvantages are the same as the advantages. For some, working in the bustling environment of a city centre with all its accompanying distractions only a stone's throw away can be detrimental to what should be their main focus, ie their studies! Making sure you know what surroundings are most beneficial to you and your study style is crucial in making the correct decision.
Rural location
Some business schools are situated in rural locations, far away from the city. The tranquillity of such institutions is likely to considerably lessen the chances that you will be distracted from your studies. At the same time, some students may feel rather bored to be stuck out in the countryside all the time, so for them a rural location would be a bad choice.
Campus location
A campus location can offer a great compromise between the city and rural locations. On the one hand, your campus is likely to be located just outside or on the outskirts of a city, giving you the space and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of the town centre to concentrate on your studies. Equally, the sights and sounds of the city will be just a bus or train journey away, so if you want to let your hair down, you'll certainly be able to. For many students, the campus location offers the best of both worlds.
Networking Opportunities
We all know that networking is one of the key skills required of anybody who achieves business success. As such, you should seriously consider how your prospective business school could help you in this respect. Whilst you may love the syllabus that is on offer at a smaller, lesser known institution, you should also consider that the number of future (and current) 'movers and shakers' in the business world who you can network with may be fairly limited. As ever, you'll need to size up the pros and cons of each school you're looking at, and come to a decision.
Business School Links With Industry Players
As much as students want to work for great companies, companies are always on the look-out for great students to work for them. In order to achieve this goal, lots of companies have formed formal and informal links with top business schools. This can give students at certain business schools a great head start in getting work experience or even a full-time job at that company. So, when you're looking through your list of possible business schools, make sure you do some research into their industry links. It may just be that the school you had discounted has links to the company you've always dreamed of working for.
Size Of Faculty
Big or small? That is the question! Some students enjoy the friendly and close-knit feel of a smaller sized faculty. Another plus of a smaller faculty is that teaching groups will probably be smaller, so your chance of direct interaction with the teaching staff is higher. At the same time, other students thrive in the bustling atmosphere of a huge faculty. You should also bear in mind that networking opportunities (see above) are also likely to be more numerous in a larger department.
Necessary Facilities
How well equipped is your prospective business school? Do they have the latest business technology and equipment available for you to use and gain experience with? Whilst it's not necessary (nor financially viable) for schools to keep absolutely up to date with all technology trends, if you walk into the department for a tour and find rows of dusty old computers, it's probably an indicator that the school is not at the cutting edge technology-wise. Do not underestimate the importance of this; technology is more and more crucial to every aspect of business, so you need to make sure you are as up to speed as you possibly can be.
Particular Specialisms
Consider the business specialisms on offer at your prospective business schools. Is the postgraduate diploma in entrepreneurship what you've always dreamed of studying for? If so, great, but bear in mind that not every business school will offer this qualification. On the flipside, if you want to study for the familiar (but undoubtedly useful) MBA, you'll find that almost any business school you come across will train you for one of those. Also, do bear in mind any particular areas of business that are of interest to you. For example, if microeconomics is your passion, then with a little bit of research you'll certainly be able to find a business school whose teaching staff includes a renowned leader in that field.
Rankings
We left rankings for last, as we are sure that most people are aware of them and have looked at them already when considering the top business schools in the UK and Europe. Without question, to have studied at one of the top ranking business schools in Europe will carry with it a certain cachet that will open doors for you in your career. However, as our guide has hopefully demonstrated to you, there is a broad range of criteria you should be looking at and measuring up against your own personal requirements and skills, rather than being hypnotised by 'league placings'. It could be that the number one ranked business school you think you'd desperately like to study at, is in fact a very high pressured environment with a total focus on exam grades and nothing else – and is totally unsuitable for your needs. This is great if that fits your character, but for others there may be better choices out there. Don't forget that there are many different areas of business and you can find success in all of them. It may well be that the very top business schools (according to some rankings) aren't in fact perfect for the area of specialisation that most interests you.
We hope that our short introduction has given you a clear idea of what to look for in a business school – and the components that make up a top business school. As you can see, there is a lot to think about. However, with a reasonable amount of research and some common sense, we are sure that you will find the business school that is absolutely perfect for you.
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