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Profile Evaluation and information on China MBAs

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Profile Evaluation and information on China MBAs

by wagoboy » Mon Mar 03, 2008 3:43 am
26yr old Chinese Canadian
BA from University of British Columbia, 3.4GPA
~4 years working experience, 1.5 at current job as sales manager in Hong Kong for an Italian company with over 1,600 staff worldwide
GMAT: 690 (Q49, V34)
Active volunteer for local Chamber of Commerce and University Alumni

As I plan to continue working in Asia, I am actually applying to the top schools in China: CEIBS, BiMBA, and Tsinghua SEM. The quality of top business in China are steadily reaching that of top international schools, but the programs are also becoming more competitive as a result. However, with my international background and above average academic/GMAT scores I believe I have an edge.

Also, any information you can share from your knowledge of MBA programs in China would be appreciated!
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by Lisa Anderson » Mon Mar 03, 2008 6:06 pm
Dear wagoboy:

My familiarity with the MBA programs in China is about the same as what you might find on the internet or talking to alumni. You are correct in that they are gaining a reputation on par with other international programs, and you will find most have a partnership with an established program in the US or EU. It would not surprise me if your profile of a Canadian education, high GMAT score, and experience with an Italian company will distinguish you, to some degree, from many of the other Asia-based applicants.

Good luck!
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by jelt » Sat Mar 08, 2008 2:44 pm
Hi,

Have you had the opportunity to visit these schools? I went through the same process as you about half a year ago, and visited some of them. I was thoroughly unimpressed with CEIBS and BiMBA. Tsinghua SEM on the other hand left a very good impression on me. Many of the internationals there had considered and turned down top US schools like Stanford, Ross, and so on for a place at Tsinghua. You'll also be pleasantly surprised just how far the Tsinghua name takes you in China: it's like stamping McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, and Google on your resume all at once, with the quality of alumni as strong to boot.

I would recommend reaching out to these schools. As Lisa has mentioned, they love international students and will do their very best to sell you on their programme. All in all, I personally concur that these schools are definitely going places very quickly. There are better schools in Asia right now- INSEAD, HKUST, and so on- but none of them have that 'local' name that a school like Tsinghua or even Beijing University can give you. The advantageous of that is probably self-evident for someone who wants to work in China post-graduation.

Feel free to reach out to me if you have more questions regarding these schools.
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by wagoboy » Tue Mar 11, 2008 4:38 am
jelt wrote:Hi,

Have you had the opportunity to visit these schools? I went through the same process as you about half a year ago, and visited some of them. I was thoroughly unimpressed with CEIBS and BiMBA. Tsinghua SEM on the other hand left a very good impression on me. Many of the internationals there had considered and turned down top US schools like Stanford, Ross, and so on for a place at Tsinghua. You'll also be pleasantly surprised just how far the Tsinghua name takes you in China: it's like stamping McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, and Google on your resume all at once, with the quality of alumni as strong to boot.

I would recommend reaching out to these schools. As Lisa has mentioned, they love international students and will do their very best to sell you on their programme. All in all, I personally concur that these schools are definitely going places very quickly. There are better schools in Asia right now- INSEAD, HKUST, and so on- but none of them have that 'local' name that a school like Tsinghua or even Beijing University can give you. The advantageous of that is probably self-evident for someone who wants to work in China post-graduation.

Feel free to reach out to me if you have more questions regarding these schools.
Many thanks for the input jelt. I have researched into these schools and the information obtained so far is pretty much in line with your thoughts. I have visited the CEIBS campus and met with some of the current students. What stands out above all with CEIBS is their marketing. They have really established an identity as a top business school in the region, and would be the idea location to study for anything wishing to work in Shanghai.

But of course Tsinghua and Beida MBAs have the prestige associated with their school names, and thus even though CEIBS is the only internationally-ranked school of the 3 so far I am leaning towards studying at either or. I haven't visited their campuses, but have been in touch with their admissions people and will be attending a BiMBA seminar this coming weekend. I'm still in the midst of my applications at this point, so the plan is to apply to all 3 and see how far I can get with each.

And thanks Lisa for your input as well!
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by jelt » Tue Mar 11, 2008 7:24 am
Hi,

A few quick thoughts:

1) with your stats, everyone will grab you. Don't worry.

2) you raise an interesting point with Shanghai VS Beijing. A current American student at Tsinghua also told me that if you want to know local, authentic China, go to Beijing, it's far more representative of China as a whole, and many more contacts can be made that. Shanghai's another world altogether, entirely self-sufficient, and not very Chinese after all.

3) the Beida/ Tsinghua name travels everywhere. The CEIBS name doesn't travel outside of business circles- and even there, not as much as some top American schools.

4) another American-Chinese at Tsinghua told me that if you want to do business locally, the Chinese appreciate you going there to study at their top institutions. This is ESPECIALLY the case for foreign-Chinese. Basically you're the same as them, just born somewhere else. So they want to see you humbling yourself to them: they know your UG schools are good, but they want to see you commit yourself to China. What better way than to say you're 'lao3-tsinghua' or 'lao3-beida'? -disclaimer, this is all her advice, not mine.

GL!
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