Tuck - a cold place with warm people

Demand for global business courses has fallen, but many individuals still value the experience. David Jobbins reports

Leela Damm, 31, a history and English literature graduate from Edinburgh University, spent five years with Business Wire, a commercial newswire service in the US, before applying to study for an MBA at Tuck School of Business.

Ms Damm, who married an American, said: "The thought of coming back to the UK for an MBA barely crossed my mind. I feel that the value of this type of education is not recognised as much back home, whereas an MBA could be a critical factor in my continued success in the US."

Tuck's performance in the ratings attracted her, while business colleagues were enthusiastic about the quality of Tuck graduates.

Ms Damm also got an interview at Harvard Business School - something of an achievement. "I didn't get nearly the same sense of community from HBS as I did from Tuck. My interview was also a nightmare."

Her Indian cousin came to Dartmouth for his undergraduate degree and loved it. "I remember him sending me pictures of himself standing in the middle of Dartmouth Green, knee-deep in snow. I recall wondering what on earth had possessed him to go to such a cold place for university. I think I now understand. I came up here to interview in late January. It was many degrees below zero outside, but the warmth and energy of the people - admissions office, the students, faculty, the ladies in the dining room - was infectious."

Ms Damm intends to work in the US on graduation. "I need to get some hardcore Wall Street experience under my wing and from a network perspective, that would have been significantly more difficult coming from a British school."