Research MBA Programs

Need help, please advise.

I have MBA offers from
Aston
Nyenrode
Tiasnimbas
Emlyon
Vlerick
Smurfit
Strathclyde

Which one do you think is best for me, why?
I am an L&SCM-IT professional from India with 4years experience and want to work on the business & planning side of L&SCM after MBA.
Thanks

Hi Paradise911,

Congratulations on receiving so many offers. It is difficult to say which MBA program will help you propel your career in the SCM function. Nearly all of these schools offer a very General Management based MBA program, where the opportunity for super specialization is very limited. Infact most 2nd tier European MBA programs with small class sizes tend to offer limited specialization options and limited electives, so the focus broadly remains on general management, however you can tailor your learning profile according to your needs & career aspiration.

I would advise to choose between Vlerick & Smurfit as they are the best MBA programs in their respective countries. Vlerick is the very best in Belgium and Smurfit is the best in Ireland and their career services have fared very well in the past. Although Vlerick went through a very bad patch with its MBA placements sometime ago but has recovered substantially since then while Smurfit has been very consistent for years despite Ireland's dismal economic run. Nyenrode & Aston go out of the picture when you have an offer from Vlerick and I am not at all positive about Tiasnimbas, Strathclyde and Emlyon only because of their dismal Career services (as projected by their recent graduates), Emlyon in particular. All these schools will offer a very similar MBA experience & learning, just the one with a stronger career service will lead you to a better job. I will also recommend to check the list of electives related to SCM at these schools before taking the final decision.
Hope it helps.

Thankyou
I feel the same.

I had my mind set on Vlerick, Nyenrode and mainly on Emlyon as it is a very well ranked college and also features in Forbes best 10 mba programs together with ft and economist. A french client i worked with in Paris told me it is as good as Hec if not better.

But i did some research and found that around 20% of their MBA graduates from 2011 are still unemployed in 2013. That is huge when the class strength is only 30.

How is it possible at such a good college?
I am so confused about European schools. I am thinking about applying to MBA colleges in Asia.

Hi,

As i have mentioned before in my various posts, 2nd tier European business schools tend to focus more on the quality of education then on the quality & reliability of their career services. Beyond UK, this fact is more evident and many international students have to face the axe. EMLYON is a very reputed French school and as you mentioned, is one of the few schools which appears in the Forbes list. However my research says its MBA career support is disastrous. Even at Vlerick & Smurfit, it won't be that easy and you will have to be proactive in your job search right from day one but you can expect to receive good support from the school.

Asian schools certainly fare better these days and this is because of the number of job opportunities made available by the economic growth in the region. If you wish to apply to Asian schools you should do it immediately as the final deadlines could be approaching. Australia is another option you could look at. If your GMAT score is 650 & above you can look at MBS & AGSM.

Hope it helps.