League tables are an important barometer for helping prospective international students to decide what country to study in, say alumni.

The recent success of Imperial College Business School in the Financial Times (FT) Masters in Management Special Report has highlighted the importance of league tables for students when deciding where to study. The Business School has moved up to twelfth place from fourteenth in the rankings of the top 70 MSc Management programmes in Europe. International alumni from the Masters in Management course discuss how league tables have influenced them.

Pooja Gulabani, who graduated from the course last year, says rankings like the Financial Times report are important, especially for international students like herself.  She says international rankings are a trusted source of information for students who may have to negotiate with consultants who suggest unsuitable courses because they receive a fee from a particular university. This makes it difficult for potential students to trust their advice and choose the right place to study.

Pooja Gulabani is now atechnology analyst for the Bank of America Merrill Lynch

“Two years ago when I decided to do my masters at a UK university I was not sure which one I should apply to. It was these ranking that helped me to make my mind up and chose the best college for my particular course,” said Pooja. “A consultant suggested some universities that were not too good for my course, but I preferred trusting these ranking and judging by the Business School’s recent success, I am glad I made the right choice.”

She also says knowing that the Business School was highly ranked internationally enabled her to take more risks with her career.

“I had to resign from my role as a software developer from a fortune 500 company and take a year-long break to complete my masters. In addition I had to borrow a substantial student loan and move to London, which was all a huge risk. However, I thought it would be worth the risk because I knew I was going to a college that was one of the best in the world for my course.”

After graduating from the Business School, Pooja found a role in London where she works as a technology analyst for the Bank of America Merrill Lynch. She says the job enables her to combine her technical skills in IT with the business knowledge she gained from the Business School. In the future, she plans to put the entrepreneurial skills she learned while here into develop her own business.

Alumnus Michal Zdzieborski is currently a business analyst for the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, in the Warsaw office in Poland. He says choosing the right institution to study his MSc in Management was one of the most significant decisions of his life and university league tables such as the FT’s were the most important criteria for him.

Michal says: “These league tables are closely followed by employers, which means that students from the higher ranking courses often have a better chance of securing that all important interview for jobs after they graduate. Secondly, they help to create a stimulating learning environment by streamlining the most talented candidates towards the highest ranking programmes.”

Dr Marco Mongiello, Director of the Masters in Management course at Imperial College Business School, says he agrees with Michal’s assessment. He says:  “The FT is an international source of information and the ranking is truly global, making it one of the few sources for students that enable a like-for-like comparison with other business schools in places such as India, Europe and the USA.”

Dr Mongiello also says rankings are important indicators for prospective students who are looking to find out more about the education experience they will receive while studying. It is also an indicator about how dedicated academics are in helping students fulfil their aspirations.

Dr  Mongiello says: “The FT’s assessment of our programme also takes into account important factors about the student experience such as whether they were satisfied with our the career service and if it helped them to achieve their aims and goals. However, I always tell prospective students that it is not all about rankings. It is also important that they feel that they belong to a programme, that it is right for them.  Our recent success shows that we are on the right track, providing a truly great service for our students.”