oxfordstgallen wrote:
Hi guys,
great forum here. Great to have found you.
I have to ask you for your help.
I am in a trap, which is probably a luxury problem, but still a problem.
I have offers from St Gallen and Oxford and I am completely undecided.
I am 29, German, have some family ties in Switzerland. Placement records of St Gallen
in the German-speaking part of Europe are excellent, apparently better than
Oxford's placement record, but I am not sure if I want to stay in the area after MBA.
Oxford has a international brand name worldwide and I just like the fact of being "Oxford-
educated."
Furthermore, Oxford feels like an "ego-booster" for me. I am sure you know what I mean.
In conclusion, my subjective gut feeling says Oxford, my brain says St Gallen.
It would be great to have some advice and input from outside!!
Thanks in advance!
Oxfordstgallen,
First of all welcome to the forum! Sorry that the first response you got was both equally arrogant and unhelpful.
As far as your quandary, you're totally right in your assessment of the two universities...but it's a great decision to have to make (as you said, it's a luxury)! I attended HSG as an exchange student in undergrad and it most definitely was the Harvard/Wharton of German-speaking Europe. I have friends who work for UBS, Credit Suisse, ABB, etc. primarily thanks to the HSG name. Placement in CH will be excellent, both within banks and industry (ABB/Novartis/Sulzer/Nestle/etc). However, I'd think that career placement in the rest of the world is better at Oxford.
If you absolutely want to work in DE/CH/AT after MBA, then St. Gallen is your choice without a doubt. If you want to perhaps have a more well-renowned, higher-ranked, probably more international education, then I'd go with Oxford. You will without a doubt have DE/CH/AT classmates who can connect you to companies they may have worked for, and I'm sure recruiters look to hire for positions (though perhaps less so than HSG) in DE/CH/AT.
HSG is a great university. But, like HEC, it is more well-known for its Bachelor, M.Fin, M.etc courses than it is for its MBA. Much like HEC, your placements will not be strictly limited to DE/CH/AT (or France, in HEC's case), but it will have a smaller sphere of influence. On the other hand, Oxford's brand name is as well-known in the world of education as Coca-Cola's is in the world of brown carbonated beverages. Its MBA program is more well-known around the world because of this, but looking at rankings it is perceived as a better program (regardless of brand name) anyhow. One thing to consider as well is class size / alumni network / post-MBA networking possibilities. IIRC, HSG's is only ~50, whereas Oxford is >100. That is twice the networking potential in your immediate class, and since Oxford MBA has been around considerably longer than HSG's, the depth of networking is obviously greater.
Even though I'm eager to get back to Switzerland (have lived & worked there 4 years), I'd still go with Oxford. It'll be a more enriching experience (I mean come on, you'll be living on one of the most famous, steeped-in-tradition campuses in the WORLD), probably a broader education, and your career opportunities outside your immediate geography will be greater. If you want to work in the US and leverage your MBA degree, nobody knows who HSG is, so you're s*** out of luck, as we say. However, if deep down you want to work for UBS/CS/ABB/Novartis in DE/CH/AT, then I'd say HSG is your choice.
Also wünsche Dir viel Glück mit deiner Entscheidung und auch viel Erfolg mit dem Studium, egal wo es sich befinden sollte.
As a totally unnecessary side...@mbasloanguy: c'mon man, really? Don't be a douche. Help the guy out or move on, but don't burst his bubble just because you're not impressed with his schools.