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Hi everyone,

I just got the call today and have thankfully made it to INSEAD's Sept intake for next year. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself but I'm hoping to hear from LBS and am confident that I will make it into that class as well as my interview went really well.
So, now I'm coming to the decision of INSEAD vs. LBS

I'm coming out of digital media analytics and want to work in brand management/marketing
I like both schools. Here are the pros as I see them.

INSEAD
- 10 months only - better ROI
- better known for non-finance streams

LBS
- chance for an internship (I am only 24 and worried that lack of internship might put me at a disadvantage at recruiting as most people come with more experience to these schools)
- in London where most of the CPG marketing headquarters are

Any help in deciding would be great.

Hello nm1158

Heartiest Congratulations for making it to INSEAD.

As for your dilemma, if you get into LBS, you should go for it.
As far as marketing is concerned, it is a top area of study at both schools. INSEAD is ranked slightly higher than LBS for marketing. Currently, INSEAD offers 8 electives for marketing while LBS offers 7 (this changes from year to year). Some of the common electives include electives in Social Media & Internet Marketing, managing channels and sales force, Marketing strategies and brand management. In addition INSEAD also offers electives in Pharmaceutical marketing and B2B marketing while LBS offers additional electives in Pricing strategy, marketing planning and decision making; and marketing innovation.

You can go through these links and decide based on the electives offered and what you would like to study in the future https://www.london.edu/education-and-dev ... HWZSNKUeho
https://mba.insead.edu/the-insead-mba/el ... keting.cfm

Hope this helps

All the Best

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Did get into LBS but now I'm confused as ever.
Here are the things that are confusing me:

- More CPG firms and marketing roles recruit at INSEAD (11% vs 3% at LBS); however, I would want to work in London post MBA since that's where most of the major CPG global marketing headquarters are. Everyone I talk to seems to suggest that there are no networking opportunities at INSEAD and if I want to work in London, even though marketing roles don't usually recruit there I would have a better chance getting a job through networking - any thoughts?
- LBS has an internship built-in. I'm going into MBA school fairly young (24 right now) and I'm concerned maybe not having an internship at INSEAD might hurt my chances at recruiting but not sure if that's really a factor
- Have been told that INSEAD is 'losing its touch' in terms of reputation - any thoughts?

Hi nm1158,

Congratulations on getting an invite from 2 of the best schools! I'm sure a lot of applicants would love to have this dilemma, and there is very little wrong you could do here.

However, I understand that the decision is a difficult one. You should take your time and get in touch with a few more people, if you can. What that does is to make you more comfortable and give you a better data set.
When are the deadlines to confirm your decision to these schools?

And do you see any difficulty in terms of getting work permits at any of these places (in Europe, to be more generic)?

I'd definitely say that INSEAD is stronger in Marketing, and I don't think they are losing any touch at all! They still attract the top recruiters in Consulting, Marketing, and General Management.
Also, the kind of firms that recruit are fairly global in nature. So, you do not lose your chance of working in London in the near future anyway. You might need to start somewhere else, but since there are lots of opportunities in London, you could always move there later on. That is why I asked about the work permit thing.

The internship opportunity is a valid point, but if you're confident you can manage the transition (and INSEAD does think you can!), I'd say go for INSEAD.

All the Best with your decision! I'm sure you'll do well!

nm1158 wrote:Did get into LBS but now I'm confused as ever.
Here are the things that are confusing me:

- More CPG firms and marketing roles recruit at INSEAD (11% vs 3% at LBS); however, I would want to work in London post MBA since that's where most of the major CPG global marketing headquarters are. Everyone I talk to seems to suggest that there are no networking opportunities at INSEAD and if I want to work in London, even though marketing roles don't usually recruit there I would have a better chance getting a job through networking - any thoughts?
- LBS has an internship built-in. I'm going into MBA school fairly young (24 right now) and I'm concerned maybe not having an internship at INSEAD might hurt my chances at recruiting but not sure if that's really a factor
- Have been told that INSEAD is 'losing its touch' in terms of reputation - any thoughts?

Hello again

So what did you decide finally?