Should Coronavirus Impact Your Choice Of Business School?

How should Covid-19 impact my choice of business school and program?

Dear BusinessBecause,

I want to apply to business school this year, but the outbreak of Covid-19 has caused a lot of uncertainty.

Should the outbreak influence my choice of program? Should I try to study online instead? Should I delay my application altogether?

This week's Applicant Question was submitted by an anonymous reader.

The Answer

This week's Applicant Question is answered by Joël McConnell, executive director of marketing, recruitment, and admissions at Imperial College Business School, London.

It’s a challenging time for both candidates and schools. Both need to figure out what the impact of COVID-19 means for the coming academic year, and for candidates particularly, the question is now ‘How do I choose the right program?’ given all the uncertainty— especially candidates who had plans to study abroad.

Short-term effects

Short-term, business schools have had to move full-time degree programs to remote delivery, which often means using videoconferencing tools like Zoom to continue to deliver lectures, facilitate class discussion, and enable group collaboration.  

And, while high-quality degree programs designed to be delivered in an online format will likely experience an increased demand, as candidates are less able or willing to travel and relocate, the question is how full-time programs will evolve should face-to-face study be delayed beyond September, due to COVID-19 related measures.

For the candidate that is considering their options, given the current severity of the situation, I suggest they:

Continue to focus on the quality of education.

Ensure the program and school has a clear strategy and contingency plans in place for how they will continue to deliver their degree programs regardless of the delivery format.

Read another Applicant Question

Long-term effects