MiM- Bocconi vs ESSEC

Question

Hello everyone,

I need to ask for help with choosing the right school for me. I was accepted to  Bocconi International Management CEMS  and  ESSEC Master in Management Grande Ecole  program. I think both of those schools are excellent places to study and I have a problem deciding where I would like to start my next academic step. I have time until Tuesday to accept an offer from one of them.

I am not sure which branch of business I would like to work in but my guess would be either consulting or luxury goods. I’m not sure about the country I would like to stay in for a longer period. For most of my adult life, I was moving around the world so I have high flexibility in this case.

To help me decide I made this small table, maybe you would like to add something that could help me decide. At first glance, Essec wins for me but something is tempting about Bocconi I cannot underestimate.

Pros of Bocconi: 
-Higher prestige
-Second-year in other CEMS University
-CEMS diploma along with regular one
-Good partner schools for exchanges as well
-Higher chances of living outside of Italy after studies (than outside of France after Essec, on paper)
-Living in a big city instead of small-town
-People look at it as an old but good, recognizable university
-Alumni network (but I heard not as good as after Essec)
-Milan is surprisingly saver than Cergy (on paper)
-Better recognizability
-I heard it has a good placement in consulting and Luxury goods industry

Cons of Bocconi: 
-Italian is a less spoken language than French
-Lower-income after Bocconi than Essec (on paper)
-The Italian economy is worse if I had to stay in Italy after it

Pros of ESSEC: 
-Higher in rankings
-Grande Ecole
-Can spend some time in Singapur
-Good exchange partner schools
-During studies internship opportunities
-French is a more spoken language
-Better country to live in (personal belief, no offense, I have more friends there)
-Higher-income
-Flexible of the program
-Bigger alumni network
-Chair classes
-I heard it has high M7 placement if I wanted to do an MBA one day
-France economy is better than the Italian

Cons of ESSEC: 
-Less prestigious
-Living in the small town
-The surprisingly high crime rate there

Please let me know what you guys think!

Nik11 · Answer

Hi dude,

I have originally taken into consideration these programs but have not a very deep knowledge of them, so take this with a grain of salt.

If you had a specific language preference or job market It would have been much easier.
In this particular case in my humble opinion you should chiefly take into consideration 2 things: kind of environment in the school and prestige/brand, whit what name you will marked for your whole life
And these are very very subjective; If I were in your position I would have many troubles because I would definitely prefer to have Bocconi on CV but the environment is very bad for me.
What I can suggest you is just to talk to as many students/alumnis as possible, mainly through linkedin.
Hope can help
Good luck!

Posted from my mobile device

Poldekmaster · Answer

Thanks for your answer! I will take it into consideration.

MiM- Bocconi vs ESSEC

Which one to choose?

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