Do Tier-2 European MBAs really offer what they promise?

hi !

Nice post and good questions.

Before I begin let me just say that in Europe (this is of course what I have learned from my own interactions from people at Deutche Bank, P&G and Bain) the Elites are Insead, LBS, HEC Paris, IMD and then the rest. Spain has IESE and IE but given the current crisis in Spain I would prefer the others (although they have strong reputations they are not as strong as the others). Not wanting to blow my horn (since I will be attending) HEC Paris is an extremely strong school in Europe. Someone at Bain compared it to the Wharton of Europe. Its US reputation however is not as strong. But in Europe its king and in Asia its extremely strong due to French companies (LVMH, Hermes, BNP etc which all prefer HEC to any other school..its the no.1 business school in Europe for the past 6 FT rankings so it counts for something)

And to move to a more direct reply...My pespeptionis that you can get a good job anywhere with a fairly good MBA. There are people who work at BNP or JP Morgan who aren't from Harvard and Insead. You have to put in the effort, you have to a strong candidate in your own merit and search for jobs. I have rarely heard people praising their acreer services departments whether they are from Berkley, HEC, Oxford. Some MBA like Tuck, IMD, Insead (of course the big 3 in the US) are excellent. But even there I think its up to you. Even with a Harvard MBA you wont find a job unless you look for one.

With the French MBA's you listed I have no knowledge of their career services but I believe in French speaking countries and with French companies you should have no problem getting a job. The French love the French schools. (as does the US love US schools). If you want a career in the UK I would recommend Cranfield that has a strong academic program (no exchanges sorry but its only 1 year), low cost and good employment stats. In 2011 after speaking with graduates from Said they said they were having trouble finding a job in London (of course the current crisis dosent help). So a good job is hard to find anywhere from any MBA (Said is of course an elite school for the UK).

On a final note, I believe the quality of education from any of these will be top notch. All these MBA's will provide you will the academic knowledge you need. After that, I would focus on what "experiences" they can provide..such as projects in Africa, exchange opportunities, dual degrees etc. In todays world I believe experience in Africa is what will set you apart (everyone has been to Asia, Europe and the US...but not Africa...yet). Ross for example has a great MAP program. That's what I would focus on when choosing an MBA program.