Demand for global business courses has fallen, but many individuals still value the experience. David Jobbins reports
Rob Langrick is one of six Britons out of 261 students in the class of 2006 at Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire.
He wanted to do a two-year programme at a top-ten global school and felt the US was the best option for breadth of choice.
Mr Langrick, 28, gained a law degree from Nottingham University and worked as an equity analyst at HSBC and Cazenove before deciding to take an MBA.
He jokingly cites Animal House (the John Belushi movie about fraternity life loosely based on Dartmouth College in the 1960s) as his introduction to Tuck. He was also heavily influenced by the school's league tables rankings, a presentation in London and talks with "Tuckies" while researching business schools.
He visited all seven schools to which he applied - Cornell, Yale, Tuck, New York University, Columbia, Duke and Berkeley - before making his decision.
It was Tuck's small size, friendly atmosphere and easy access to snowsports that swung the decision.
"Unusually for MBAs, but typically for Tuckies, the social 'return' is as important as the academic and career benefits. This is easy to understand when you take into account the closeness of the Tuck alumni network."
Mr Langrick said he wanted a career in strategy consulting in the US and believed Tuck's strong ties with the consulting capital of Boston, a few hours' drive away, would stand him in good stead.
"If you want to work in the US, then Tuck probably has the edge over British schools due to its stronger brand in the US. If you want to work in the UK, LBS is just as good, although a completely different experience."
Mr Langrick said that he was ready for the rigours of a long New Hampshire winter. "As an Erasmus student for a year at the University of Oslo during my Nottingham law degree, I would hope so."