Helping you to choose the right MBA

Market trends: The rise in MBA applications
The return on investment is high for candidates who earn their MBA at top international business schools. In the Graduate Management Admission Council's recent study of MBA graduates, the overwhelming majority of MBA alumni were very positive about the value of their MBA, rating it outstanding or excellent. Due to the slowly economy, business school applications and investment are soaring. In fact, the number GMAT test-takers outside of the United States increased by 20% in 2008 and by the same amount in 2007. Base salaries are expected to increase about 3.9% on average in 2008, matching the average pay increase in 2007, according to a Towers Perrin survey of 4,000 companies worldwide.

Helping candidates to choose the right MBA

The Access MBA Tour is a targeted event focused on high quality, personalised services for MBA candidates. At the event, qualified professionals have the chance to meet with business school representatives in private one-to-one meetings and Access MBA advisors help orient candidates towards the appropriate business schools. This orientation and the personal discussions with Admissions Officers are key in selecting the best MBA program for each candidate. This is what differentiates Access MBA from other fair organizers. “The one-to-one meetings are proven to advance candidates in their decision-making process during the event. This is more valuable than basing an MBA program choice on brochures or rankings,” says Christophe Coutat, Founder of the Access MBA Tour in 2004.

"The tour has a successful format that allows business schools to speak one-on-one with potential students for 25 minutes,” says Deise Leobet, Business Development Director for IE Business School (Instituto de Empresa). The school, ranked in the top 10 worldwide, participates in the Access MBA Tour year upon year.

The Tour proposes roughly 30 events per year in more than 25 different cities worldwide.

Access MBA is a project of the Advent Group, a Paris-based communications agency that coordinates educational and recruiting events throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa and North America.

Event attendees

Candidates who match school's admissions criteria are selected for one-to-one meetings. Qualified candidates are typically English-speaking individuals with at least three years of professional experience and holding a BA degree or the equivalent.

Participating Schools

The ACCESS MBA Tour includes over 100 prestigious business schools that are accredited and internationally ranked. Among them, 70% of the Top 100 MBA programs worldwide are featured at the events. Participating schools include INSEAD, IE Business School, London School of Business & Finance, UCLA, University of Cambridge and more.

Practical information:

Date and times: Tuesday, November 18th from 2:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Venue: Hyatt Regency, Johannesburg
For further information and to register online, go to http://www.accessmba.com