Help to select European schools

PhDMBA

4 7

Posted Nov 24, 2019 16:40

Hello,

I'm currently considering to apply for MBA programs, mainly in Europe. My goal is to switch career into consulting or Pharma (in order of preference) in Western Europe. I have a life science PhD with total working experience of 6 years.

Currently I'm considering the following schools:

Dream schools (as they are expensive):
INSEAD, LBS, IMD

My Tier A:
HEC Paris, SDA Bocconi, St Gallen, Mannheim

My Tier B (as they are rather expensive, but not at INSEAD level):
IESE, Said, Judge

Safe bet (with the help of discount, scholarship, etc.):
ESMT, EDHEC, ESSEC, ESCP, CBS, Imperial

As you can see, it's rather long list and perhaps a bit unfocused. Any help to narrow down the list given my goals? I would prefer programs that have good career placement and rather affordable. Also how would you rate my safe bet category? Is it really better to have significantly more loan for a slightly better school or any of these schools would be fine?

Kind regards,

[Edited by PhDMBA on Nov 26, 2019]

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Duncan

14.013 15.475

Posted Nov 24, 2019 19:18

There is no rational basis to make affordability a criterion. Focus on fit with your goals and any difference in fees will be tiny.

Also read: Is there an efficient frontier in MBA selection? http://bit.ly/MBAfro

[Edited by Duncan on Nov 24, 2019]

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PhDMBA

4 7

Posted Nov 24, 2019 21:02

Hi Duncan,

Thanks for your response. Aside from the affordability, what do you think of my safe bet category? Should I stay away from them, or are they good enough?

The graph in the link looks very relevant, but I guess we can't really derive general reputation and career placement effectiveness from only one ranking (in this case FT)?

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Duncan

14.013 15.475

Posted Nov 25, 2019 09:41

This hinges on your GMAT and quality of work experience.

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Inactive User

2.941 1.801

Posted Nov 26, 2019 20:08

The graph in the link looks very relevant, but I guess we can't really derive general reputation and career placement effectiveness from only one ranking (in this case FT)?

I'm not sure there are any other sources that survey salary outcome with the same rigor as the FT.

But keep in mind the outcome is based on averages, and as you probably know certain post-MBA career paths pay more than others.

Consulting does tend to pay the highest, and generally speaking, the more expensive MBAs will place in the firms that pay the most. LBS and Insead for example are expensive but have strong recruiting funnels into Bain, McKinsey, and BCC.

If there are other firms that may be appropriate to your expertise and career goals, you can always research these on LinkedIn to see where their employees did their MBAs. This might reveal some other options.

[quote]The graph in the link looks very relevant, but I guess we can't really derive general reputation and career placement effectiveness from only one ranking (in this case FT)? [/quote]
I'm not sure there are any other sources that survey salary outcome with the same rigor as the FT.

But keep in mind the outcome is based on averages, and as you probably know certain post-MBA career paths pay more than others.

Consulting does tend to pay the highest, and generally speaking, the more expensive MBAs will place in the firms that pay the most. LBS and Insead for example are expensive but have strong recruiting funnels into Bain, McKinsey, and BCC.

If there are other firms that may be appropriate to your expertise and career goals, you can always research these on LinkedIn to see where their employees did their MBAs. This might reveal some other options.

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PhDMBA

4 7

Posted Nov 27, 2019 17:14

Thanks for your insights!

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