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.

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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."

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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."