The Application Process

I have offers from Melbourne business school (Australia) and Schulich Business School (Canada). Regarding reputation, networking, future career options and job placements and average salary, which school do you recommend? Any advice is appreciated.

Anyone?

This is like comparing apples and oranges. Schulich and MBS are both very fine programs but you'd choose based upon where you'd like to work post-MBA, not who ranks higher, whose general reputation is better etc.

If you want to live and work in Canada post-MBA I'd head to Schulich, if you want to work in Aus/NZ I'd head to MBS.

I am MBS student. If I could go back in time, I would never apply again. There is no way to work in AUS after graduation, and the program is not the best, as well. You need to be a permanent resident in order to get a job offer, and the government regulations, plus the lack of efforts of the school to push them into a solution, makes it impossible. Career services do not work, and it is a 100% theoretical program. Go to Schulich.

MBS is good.

I would caution the poster to be very cautious of the two damning data points he has received.

Your best bet is to do more research by reaching out to current students at both schools with a background similar to yours - Schulich could be the equivalent to the MBS in Canada...if it is, you have to then ask yourself, should I apply for another school?

Congratulations on the offers nevertheless.

I'm not sure if the two posters below are anomalies as I had been researching this school as well and there have been quite a few negative posts here as well.

I am current MBS student as well. Although I hate to admit, some of the negative comments on the link above are quite true. I think MBS would need to improve on certain aspects to their program. I am a PR holder of Australia so I won't have problems finding a job after graduation but all my international friends without PR had to go back to the their home countries to find a job. It is true that most Australian companies do not sponsor for PR. However, on the flip side MBS is well recognised, especially in Asia so quite a lot of them go to Singapore, China, India or Hong Kong after graduation.

Regarding the comments on the link pasted below, I would have to agree to some of them. With the current exchange rate, you could get better branded schools in the U.S. for less or equal amount of investment. However, you should also compare the courses provided and not solely on ranking. I also agree regarding the subject (World of Management) to be totally useless course which should be eliminated. Also there aren't enough meeting rooms for the students when the courses are extremely group based. Students usually run out of space to hold group(syndicate) meetings during busy times. Library hours are ridiculous as someone mentioned before. Another problem with MBS is that they do not offer enough electives compared to some of the other top MBA programs in other countries. Final complain I have is that the service provided by career services at MBS is well below average.

However, MBS does have a good reputation and I personally think that MBS's main strength is in their Marketing program. They have some excellent professors who teach classes like brand management, channels of distribution, product management etc. If you do decide to go to MBS the above mentioned subjects are worth taking. Good luck.

---------------------------------------------
These are the comments from the link above
---------------------------------------------


CONS.
- International students needs a PR to work after program. Almost impossible to get one. MBS school does not say so in the website.
- Melbourne is an incredible expensive place. Renting close to the school (a room, utilities excluded is about $1,300).
- The school does not provide any single help to international students looking for house.
- As international you have to pay a NON-REFUNDABLE $2,000 fee, that is not going against your tuition.
- Total fees are about $70,000
- If you do not pass a subject you have to pay for it again. No second opportunities.
- You have to take a 12 days introductory compulsory subject called World of Management (totally useless) at the reasonable cost of $3,200.
- Contents 90% theoretical.
- 95 % Companies coming to the school are presenters not recruiters: i.e. they give a presentation explaining to the students how its career department works, and at the end of the presentation they say that they don't hire internationals without Permanent Residence.
- School lacks of transparency. i.e.- scholarships are given randomly. exchange destinies are given randomly.
- Exchange program seems to be really good. The reality is that the school has a list in the website with the exchange schools they have agreements, BUT, normally there is one spot per school, and these spots are given, again, randomly. In addition, exchange school does not give you access to career services.
- Syndicate groups are created randomly, not paying attention to the background of the students. My last syndicate group was 3 chinese, and 2 australians (all of them mkt specialist).
- Career services does not work. Last internal satisfaction survey showed that just a 32% of the students is happy with career services department.
- Just a 20% of the students of the september intake (FT) were able to find an internship. No internationals for now have found a job before graduation.
- According with the satisfaction survey 46% of the students said that they feel less prepared than other school students to look for a job.
- School does not help you to find companies to work on syndicate projects. You have to find your own company.
- School is made for part-timers, there is rarely space on the school to study, and the opening times of library and syndicate rooms are ridiculous for an MBA program.

PROS.
- Location of the school is good.
- There are some good professors.
- Perfect for people who already has a job, you don't need to use careers service.
- If you are interested in theory, the program is good.
- If you are Australian or a woman, you may get an scholarship.

MBS student wrote:I am current Melbourne Business School MBA student as well. As mentioned above, if I had to reapply for my MBA program I will never apply to any Australian university. Goto Canada or the U.S. This place is like a country side and the caliber of business contacts you make is completely different from the U.S. Getting a job for non residents is almost impossible. More opportunities in Canada. At least you can fly to the U.S. and find more options. Australia is like 15 to 20 years behind in terms of mentality compared to the rest of the world. Maybe because the country is so isolated. Anyway, I would personally not reapply to Melbourne Business School if I had to do it again. Good luck. Cheers.

I think you can word this softer but I think I know what you are trying to say. I guess everyone is entitled to their honest opinion especially in public forums. Here is a GMAT strengthening question for the readers to think about.

There was a special report about Australia in the recent weekly paper, "The Economist" (May 28 - June 3, 2011 issue). Quote, "The universities, too, will need much more money and nurture if Australia is to compete with foreign rivals. The country has six or seven good universities, but even the best of these - Australian National, Melbourne and Sydney - do not do brilliantly in world rankings, and none at all features in the top 50 of the widely used Shaghai table. This matters. Education, through the foreign students who come to study in Australia, is already the country's third-biggest earner of foreign exchange. Yet some say standards are not as high as marks, suggest, and that the universities and technical colleges are not producing as many graduates as the economy requires. If Australia is to compete in anything other than iron ore, it will need a highly educated workforce." (Page 9, paragraph 3)

Thanks for an insider's perspective and clarification on the opinions that were brought up, MBSMBA.

Are there any admissions consultants or experts who would like to throw in their two cents?

jayel wrote:Thanks for an insider's perspective and clarification on the opinions that were brought up, MBSMBA.

Are there any admissions consultants or experts who would like to throw in their two cents?

Hi jayael. Don't get me wrong. I am loving it at MBS. Just wanted to show readers an unbiased opinion. That's all.

Melbourne Business School is not worth the time, choose the other one.

I was a student there and found the teaching second rate, the cost overpriced, and the student cohort largely international.

It's unfortunate because I heard the school has changed a lot in the last couple of years and, previously, it had more Australian lecturers who were actually connected to the local business community.

My advice is run ... choose the Schulich one.