Hello, I found it very interesting to read your comments! It's true that one has to be a bit careful about religious affiliation of Spanish schools - I at least would be quite bothered to spend a year or more studying in some severely catholic environment.
Besides, what you say about the achievements of IE in the field of entrepreneurship and innovation sounds incredible, that's a very useful insight. Thanks for that!
I was trying to decide between Madrid and Barcelona, but by now I think this question is not relevant at all..
kata

I'm trying to decide between these two schools right now as I've already been admitted to both (also applied to IESE and am still waiting to hear back from them).

There's no doubt that IE has the higher ranked program, but ESADE is definitely on the rise. The major differences are the cities (maybe not a huge factor, but definitely something to consider) and the length of the programs.

IE is a 13 month program which offers the advantages of less time away from the workforce and less tuition/living expense cost. However, there is no internship opportunity here because there is not enough time and your Spanish skills may not be as good when you come out of the program. You CAN do a short exchange program with another school though.

ESADE's program is 18 months and they have one of the best language programs in the country. They almost guarantee you'll be fluent in Spanish by the time you leave. The longer program also offers you the opportunity to do an internship (which is important to me) AND and a exchange program if you wish.

One other advantage to IE is that it is part of the UK's Highly Skilled Migrant Program, which automatically allows you to look for work in the UK immediately upon gradutation for a period of 12 months. As I would like to work in London, this is a big deal.

I have attended events held by both these schools here in Washington, DC and have been impressed by both of their presentations and their alumni. This is a difficult decision for sure, but I don't think I can go wrong either way. I'm going to try to fit in a visit to both schools before I make my final decision if I can find the time.

Right now I think I'm leaning towards ESADE because I really love Barcelona (although the school is located about 30 minutes from downtown whereas IE is right in downtown Madrid), it's important to me to become fluent in Spanish and I really like the idea of doing an internship.

Anyway, I'm just writing out my thoughts here to help me decide for myself, but also to offer the people on this board some insight. Hope it helps. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or for more unbiased information.

it isnot totally relevant, but i would like to ask one thing since i found some people who definitely have a good idea.
do you know if eada offers an internship at the end of its program?

Hi,
I have an admit from ESADE. Will you please let me know what you meant by religious affiliation? How does ESADE rank in terms of brand value and popularity apart from LBS,IMD and INSEAD which I believe are in a different league? How will be the job prospects in Europe/USA after completing ESADE?
I really need to decide quickly about this. Hence any advise is greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot.

ESADE is a Jesuit school (like Georgetown here in DC), but they don't push religion at all as far as I can tell.

I would consider schools like INSEAD and LBS tier 1 schools and ESADE a very strong tier 2 (IE and IESE are probably lower tier 1). However, there are major differences in the programs (INSEAD only being a 10 month program being a huge difference). ESADE is definitely on the rise while all the others are pretty stable in their positions. I think job prospects out of any of these schools are extraordinary, but I know for the Spanish schools most of their help is with finding jobs within Spain or within Europe at the most.

You really have to decide what you want to get out of a program, the jobs will come no matter what if you attend any of these schools.

That is dart of a reply. Many thanks for your response.
I am looking at getting a good handle on strategy and entrepreneurship. Short term I would like to get into senior management roles as I have a good amount of work exp 12 Y). I thought their 1 year program will give me those. I haven't really applied for any other school as ESADE's program starts right when I can take a break from my job. Should I explore other schools in Europe? Will ESADE give me good amount of networking? Will it be easy to survive in Spain for a non-Spanish speaking person? Thanks again.

Ah, you're doing their 12 month program. I think that will be perfect for you with as much experience as you have. I would say IE is more known for their entreprenuership focus, but ESADE is certainly no slacker in that field. Plus, I believe all of the other programs begin in Sept. (ESADE's 12 month program starts in April, right?) so if ESADE fits into your schedule I don't think you'll be disappointed. I definitely know more about their 18 month program, but I'm sure the 12 month is similiar enough. I would bet you'll have great networking opportunities and a plethora of job prospects.

P.S. Barcelona should be easy enough to get by in without speaking Spanish. As easy as any other big non-English speaking tourist city.

Yes you are right. Their 1 yr program starts in April which fits into my schedule. I did not apply for IMD/INSEAD due to their timing. Can you tell me about the quality of faculty at ESADE? Are they on par with best B schools of the world? As per Econmic Week rankings for non-US MBA Schools, ESADE was ranked 7th in the world. Do you think it is justified? As it is a big investment for me in terms of time and money, I want to make sure that I get the best value for them. I do not mind to work on chaning the schedule (in terms of getting a break from job and so on) if you think ESADE is more of a tier-2 for some one with strong experience in Management roles. I appreciate and thank you for your excellent analysis and advice.

Julian: Thanks a lot for your comments.
Though I never cared about any religious ties,it was interesting to know and note that there is another angle to look at as well.
My focus is on Entrepreneurship and global management. I have significant experience in project management,relationship management,sales and corporate strategy. Now I am looking at a 1yr program to give me a break into senior management and skills to set up my own business eventually. As I am a non-Spanish speaker, post-MBA, I need opportunities to work in UK/USA in senior management roles. ESADE's statistics tells about percentages in terms of job offers but do not have any information about the levels of offers made (like senior management vs middle management roles etc). Can you help me with this so that I can decide quickly? Would you recommend other schools for a 12Y exp person ? Thank you for your wishes.

I've been following this thread and am frankly quite surprised about some of comments about ESADE's religious affiliation. If a program like IE's has to flag its non-religious affiliation as an asset, then I would worry. First, I'd be surprised if ESADE's links with the Jesuits would make any non-Catholic uncomfortable. If so, then ESADE would attract only Catholic students, which I think is not the case and, anyways, is something you can check by talking to the school. Second, someone said that Spain is something like 75% Catholic (?). Well, that's probably so on paper, but Spain is very secularized. Most people are Catholic by tradition, but don't really follow the religion. This is 2007, not 1946. I'd say about 25% of the population in Spain go to Church regularly, etc. Finally, it seems that "being run like a corporation" is an asset for a business school (?). Well, business schools are eduational institutions. The best universities are not necessarily run "like corporations" but must be grounded on some kind of educational project. Don't get me wrong: good management is a must for a b-school, but a passion for education is also essential.

I totally agree with what you say about the importance of religion in Spanish society. But still I have my doubts that ESADE's religious affiliation has the same minor impact on everyday life for students in that school. Could be very different inside an insitution than in the society in general.
I think in this case we need to hear from people who actually studied at ESADE.

Of course, but how many ESADE alumni have you heard complain about ESADE's religious affiliation? I've searched the Business Week fora that someone else suggested and there are no facts at all, just opinions of people who actually haven't studied there. It all seems like prejudice or intentional strategy of harming ESADE. We should be more serious and talk about facts.

Hi,

I warmly suggest to change your decision parameters and forget about religion.

ESADE is supported by religious organisation and IE is not, so? They are both excelent but one is cheaper and the other is in Barcelona, one offers a shorter MBA and a huge world wide network the other offers a hi-brand level and academically advanced professors...these are some of the point to investigate when choosing an MBA, I believe

Regards

Hi James, I was actually waiting for your comments... ;)
I was sure that you could give us a better idea about this, since you know a lot about the different Spanish b-schools.
So religeous affiliation of ESADE doesn't make any difference at all? No influence on everyday life on the campus, teaching, and so on?

Emailed with a current ESADE student today. Here's what he had to say:

"And yeah, ESADE was founded by Jesuits but you'd never know it. That carries over a lot more through the focus on corporate social responsibility, sustainability outlook, more humanistic teachings. IESE, on the other hand, was founded by Opus Dei and they have crosses on the wall and stuff (which to me at least, was a little weird even though I'm Catholic. I went to a big public school. If you're catholic and don't mind seeing jesus everywhere you go, then by all means...)"

Since yesterday I have not been successful in sending PM to some members. Are some of you facing the same problem?

No problems here...

Thanks for the the quote uconnjay. So we should be aware of rumours spreading through discussion boards...
But I had some fun reading too!