Imp advice for MBA aspirants @ 2nd tier European B schools

Figure out where you wish to apply
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by alunl » Sun Sep 23, 2012 1:10 pm
Excellent advice. It would be good if anyone in the know could give a similar opinion on the effectiveness of the career management services at the top-tier European business schools as well.

Anyone?
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by mbaguy2012 » Tue Oct 09, 2012 9:38 am
Manpreet i will strongly suggest not to look at the cheapest option while considering a global MBA program. 15K is nothing, no good school can run a top class MBA program with this kind of tution fee. If cost is such a big factor why don't you stay back in your own country & pursue an MBA. I believe you are from India right, there are plenty of good schools in India. I know lately SPJ Business School has started a very good international program in Singapore & Dubai and is ranked in the FT top 100.

These are bad times for Europe & North America & these times are here to stay. I would recommend that you only go to the best/top schools like LBS & INSEAD etc if you want to work in Europe. Only think of a tier 2 or tier 3 school if you have a work authorization for EU or you will be dispirited. Europe is in bad shape and in terms of career support, Europe schools are very weak. Consider Asian School of Management, it is a very good school & is cheap.

Also look at Univ of Cape Town GSB. The best BSchool in Africa and certainly there are jobs in Africa. If you are interested in exploring the nxt big thing.
Last edited by mbaguy2012 on Tue Oct 09, 2012 10:11 am, edited 1 time in total.

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by mbaguy2012 » Tue Oct 09, 2012 9:50 am
Dear Dvinoth86,

With a 640 it will be difficult to get through NUS & Nanyang but you never know, give it a shot if you can get excellent recommendations & can impress the school with your essays. Other schools which you could consider are ISB, SPJ Business School Sg/Dubai, Hong Kong University B School, Chinese Univ of HK and Asian School of Management. There are very good schools & since most jobs are in Asia these days, the job market will be favorable. Forget Europe & NA.

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by mbaguy2012 » Thu Oct 11, 2012 2:02 am
Hi Alunl

Since you asked, I want to make a point about the career services here. Career services for most top class schools are good because the school's strong reputation also helps but there has to be sincere effort from school's side. LBS, IMD & INSEAD are very strong. Spanish schools like IE & IESE despite being at the top of the game have not so good career services as compared with Said, HEC & Judge. There is a genuine lack of focus specially for international students.

Cranfield in the UK is a masterpiece in terms of Career support and the results are evident while another top school like RSM in Holland lags a bit behind in career support. Career services in tier 2 schools in France & Spain are nerve wrecking and it can be really frustrating. The recent change in Visa rules doesn't help either and it has become certainly difficult to find a job within 2 months in the UK. American schools fare far better with their evolving career services and their pro-active attitude.

Hope it was helpful.

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by time4analytics » Wed Nov 14, 2012 10:56 pm
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by nirmaljoseph1988 » Tue Dec 18, 2012 1:58 pm
Hi,

My name is Nirmal. I have been working in an IT firm as a software engineer for the past 2.5 years and I do not have much interest in the work that i am doing. So i want to pursue an MBA (which may sound like a bit of a cliche but hear me out) which would help me in jumping industry. I have this passion for automobiles and after some reading i became interested in the marketing side of the industry and i am very sure this is well within reach. After considering all this i thought the best place to start looking for schools considering my interest would be Germany( Considering the number of companies involved in the sector). I did a little bit of research and found that the following schools are rated high in Germany :
1) Mannheim Business SChool
2) WHU Otto Bisheim
3) HHL Leipzig school Of Management
4) GISMA Business School

Can you please tell me if these b-schools are worth joining considering my interest or are there better b-schools which will give me an even bigger opportunity ??

(P.S: I have considered schools in US and other parts of Europe as well, but the costs in US seems exorbitantly high for me )

Any sort of help would be appreciated
Thanks

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by mbaguy2012 » Sat Dec 22, 2012 7:41 pm
Dear Manpreet

15K is not at all sufficient for an MBA abroad. I will recommend that you avoid the schools you have mentioned in your post or you will only be disappointed once you finish the program. Try to look for a good MBA program in your home country. Things are very bad in Europe & you could land in trouble.

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by mbaguy2012 » Sat Dec 22, 2012 7:49 pm
Hello Nirmali

Of the schools you have mentioned, Mannheim business school is certainly the best. Infact it is a very reputed and a wonderful school in Germany but loses its sheen beyond the boundaries of Germany. If you want to work and live in Germany it is just the best. It may not be represented in many rankings but it is certainly the best german business school. With less then 3 years of experience i don't see you studying at mannheim but you can give it a shot with a high gmat score.

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by WouldBeCrazy » Sun Dec 23, 2012 4:46 am
Very sensible post indeed.

The original post was almost 6 months back. The economic outlook probably worsened a bit in the last 6 months. However, the busrsting of few EU countries were avoided and a full fledged EU mess is no more in the radar at the moment.

So what about the 2 tier schools now?

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by ayd0t » Thu Jan 31, 2013 1:58 am
Hi mbaguy2012,

I really appreciate your posts on this subject.

Please in the light of what you have shared what do you think of a school like MIP Politecnico di Milano, I actually have sent an application to the school for their MBA (Enery Management specialisation). My GMAT score is 560 (not fantastic based on what has been shared in earlier posts) with about 4 years work experience in Procurement, Information Management & Customer Service. Also, I had my undergrad in Petroleum Engineering. With experience in several sectors, I feel an MBA would help re-focus my career.

I am also looking at applying to Alberta or Calgary's MBA program.

I really feel confused and not sure if I should get an MSc instead in Petroleum Engineering, especially with all the uncertainty in the world economy.

Your response would be highly appreciated.

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by mbaguy2012 » Thu Feb 07, 2013 10:48 am
Hi ady0t,

Your delima is certain and i am happy you are seeking advice. Will try to help you as much as i can.

Just to begin with, let me tell you an MBA is loosing its sheen in this dwindling global economy. An MBA even from a globally ranked school in the world's biggest economies like US, France and the UK is no guarantee of success, leave aside unknown & unranked international schools where the only bit of internationalization you will find is loads of mediocre Indian & Chinese students in the class (no offense intended). I a not sure what your reason for opting for an MBA is? If you could explain to me in detail, i will be able to give you proper advice.
Last edited by mbaguy2012 on Wed Mar 06, 2013 12:54 am, edited 1 time in total.

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by virginie hubert » Fri Feb 08, 2013 6:48 am
Hello mbaguy2012

I've been following this thread for a few months, actually since last July, and I wonder who you are to call yourself a specialist in MBA's around the world.

You proclaim that you have excellent knowledge of the inner workings of every single school, and yet you have made several incorrect and unfounded statements, defaming some top ranked MBA's !

I'm wondering..... Are you an MBA guru ?....
:twisted:

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by WouldBeCrazy » Fri Feb 08, 2013 5:46 pm
virginie hubert wrote:Hello mbaguy2012

I've been following this thread for a few months, actually since last July, and I wonder who you are to call yourself a specialist in MBA's around the world.

You proclaim that you have excellent knowledge of the inner workings of every single school, and yet you have made several incorrect and unfounded statements, defaming some top ranked MBA's !

I'm wondering..... Are you an MBA guru ?....
:twisted:
Have guts to use your own and original id.

Can you give some examples of 'you have made several incorrect and unfounded statements'?

If you think something to be ABSOLUTE incorrect, my friend, you have a loooooong way to go to be a true manager.

BTW, I too give a damn to the so called top ranked MBAs

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by mbaguy2012 » Mon Feb 11, 2013 3:45 pm
Hi Virginie,

Thank you for your post. Let me tell you that i am not here to defame or to praise any particular school. This is a free forum where people post & advice others on the basis of their own experiences. I tell others what i found out hidden behind the marketing curtains of the so called global business schools. Just to clear your doubts, i am no MBA guru and don't even want to be one. I too was an MBA aspirant sometime ago and took the pain to postpone my MBA by one year when i received dubious replies from a few European MBA programs. I contacted more than 50 schools, several of their alumnus, Hr managers all across Europe, Asia & Africa and went through several blogs & other material regarding the MBA programs. I ain't an MBA guru but i feel that i am knowledgeable enough to help others make informed decisions. I am just trying to help others save time on things that i have already done and can help them with. Of-course my perspective plays a part and this is where i ask others to use their discretion.

I tell others to do their own research & find it out themselves and i am glad that many have found sense in my advice. No MBA aspirant is dumb enough to follow my posts blindly, every one does their own research, i just try to give them a point of reference.

Hope it helps.

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by WouldBeCrazy » Tue Feb 12, 2013 12:06 am
I second MBAGuy fully.

I was looking for my school and I must say that people like MBAGuys helped me more than the sweet coated lies of many schools and consultants (does not matter wheather using pseudonames).

Let the audience decide who is telling truth and who is telling ballant lies!1

mbaguy2012 wrote:Hi Virginie,

Thank you for your post. Let me tell you that i am not here to defame or to praise any particular school. This is a free forum where people post & advice others on the basis of their own experiences. I tell others what i found out hidden behind the marketing curtains of the so called global business schools. Just to clear your doubts, i am no MBA guru and don't even want to be one. I too was an MBA aspirant sometime ago and took the pain to postpone my MBA by one year when i received dubious replies from a few European MBA programs. I contacted more than 50 schools, several of their alumnus, Hr managers all across Europe, Asia & Africa and went through several blogs & other material regarding the MBA programs. I ain't an MBA guru but i feel that i am knowledgeable enough to help others make informed decisions. I am just trying to help others save time on things that i have already done and can help them with. Of-course my perspective plays a part and this is where i ask others to use their discretion.

I tell others to do their own research & find it out themselves and i am glad that many have found sense in my advice. No MBA aspirant is dumb enough to follow my posts blindly, every one does their own research, i just try to give them a point of reference.

Hope it helps.