How to select the right city for MBA: 4 factors to keep in mind

You have scored well in your MBA exam. Now the time has come to choose an MBA college. Do you have any preferences? Do you have some aspects factors to consider before finalising a college?

Before working on factors for choosing college, what do prefer the most—the college or the city?

According to Shiksha survey, it is the city or location that takes precedence as students seek their post graduate degree in management education. As many as 36% students surveyed stated that they will choose a city first before picking the college to pursue their studies.

Students need to be very clear about the reasons of selecting a particular city or location. Keeping that in mind, here are five factors a student should consider while selecting the right city for MBA:

1. Industrial or commercial belt

Wouldn’t it be great if you have options to choose from various companies for industrial training during your MBA studies? How easy it would be if you could drive from your campus to the dream internship firm?

These facts matter a lot when you have to start your industrial training. It becomes difficult for one to commute daily from the campus to the company. And if you have no good options in your city, either you have to compromise with stipend and the brand or go to other cities. You can save yourself from this kind of problem by choosing right city at the start. Go for a city in the industrial belt and or one with constant commercial development.

According to the Shiksha.com survey, presence of big companies in a city is the third most important criteria for choosing a city, as one would expect management grads to be much more focused about employment potential than the prospect of having a fun campus life.

2. Accessibility & Location

You might think that the location of your campus merely affects your studies. How would it be if your campus from your place is far away and there is no direct transportation to reach there? Suppose, you have to first take a bus, then an auto and again a bus and finally a rickshaw. God! It’s a really long journey! Half of your time is wasted in travelling from your place to the college. Due to this, study time is automatically minimized. Choose a campus which can be reached comfortably. This has to be experienced before your final yes to the college. Look for a city where you can drive easily or walk to your campus.

Taking up extra classes or studying in library becomes difficult for you, as it might get dark when you leave for home. Also, if your college is situated at isolation, then also it is a problem. No entertainment, no place for outing and no restaurant food. It’s better if you look for a city first and then go for a college. Realizing these things after entering into college might be too late for you.

3. Metro cities

MBA is a programme which requires lots of networking, projects to work upon, places to travel, etc. The ideal place for such a programme is a developed or metro city. It becomes easier to commute between the places. Resources are also availability easily. With all facilities around you, it becomes easy to walk on the path of success and focus on your course.

Around 66 % of students residing in Non-Metros look to migrate to a metro for better education, reveals Shiksha.com survey.

4. Sustainability

Are you a pure vegetarian and the place where you resides has no vegetarian food? This can be quite scary for someone. Choosing a college in another city / country without proper research of the place can prove dreadful. Choose a place where you can stay comfortably. It is important for you to remain unaffected by external factors so that you can concentrate on you studies. A proper accommodation, hygienic place, your favorite food and nice people around you are important factors to consider before you choose college.