About Alastair: Coming all the way from the UK, Alastair always wanted to come to the U.S. to pursue an MBA. Having graduated from the University of Birmingham in Business & Management, he moved into the financial services industry where he spent time in a small fund and then onto Hargreaves Lansdown. Initially he came to UCLA Anderson to move into the video gaming industry but caught the consulting itch during the Summer Quarter immersion sessions. In his free time, Alastair loves swimming, Andernoons, and of course video gaming! He is extremely excited to be heading to McKinsey in Detroit to be with his wife and 2 cat-children over the summer break.

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When thinking about the options that are available to an aspiring MBA from Europe, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Acronyms such as the GMAT and M7 start to pop up, as do names like London Business School and UCLA Anderson. Coming from Europe makes this search all the more overwhelming because of the fact that American Business Schools are far from home. So why should Europeans apply to American Business Schools?

1. There is a lot of demand for Europeans at American Business Schools

The best part of my class at UCLA Anderson is the variety of people. The business and cultural experience that this variety brings makes the program what it is. The number of times we have been studying an international business case in class and we’ve had someone bring their real-life experience of that business to the discussion is astounding – and it really adds to the discussion! Naturally, the better you can balance this class variety the better this benefit is, and European representation is an important part of that. Because Europeans are underrepresented in terms of geographic breakdown in American MBA classes, that means that your candidate profile is particularly strong if you come from Europe.

2. The VISA process is not as difficult as you think

Even though getting an F1 (student) VISA is not “easy,” it is nowhere near as difficult as it is made out to be. An application online and 4 – 6 weeks of waiting was all that it took me, and this is the same experience for all the Europeans in my class.

3. Real earnings in America are far higher 

My final point can’t be emphasised enough: your income is far higher in America. To use McKinsey as an example: MBA graduates can expect a salary of up to £129K in the UK (~$162K at time of writing). In the U.S., MBA graduates can expect a salary of up to $200K – nearly 25% more! This theme is consistent across essentially every industry.

All three of these points emphasise the value of applying to American Business School as a European, and I hope that they go some way to guiding your decision!

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• Student Blogger: Alastair Webber ‘25
• Undergrad: University of Birmingham (UK)
• Pre-MBA: Hargreaves Lansdown (UK equivalent of Charles Schwabb)
• Leadership@Anderson: Social Chair, Section A; Director of International Outreach, Admissions Ambassador Corps; Riordan Mentor; Anderson Strategy Group Consultant
• Instagram: @alastairgrahamwebber