Raneem Alnrshe won a place on the MBA programme at HEC Paris in March, just as France and much of the world went into lockdown. The 27-year old Syrian, who was working as an architect in Abu Dhabi at the time, is typical of the diverse, highly international students who apply to European business schools every year. But like many of her cosmopolitan intake in 2020, she had to overcome an obstacle course to start the new academic term on campus, writes the Financial Times.