Calling all IMD Applicants: (2016 Intake) Class of 2017!!

Have been receiving emails over the last 10 days regarding new finance courses from IMD. Not sure if there is a hidden message?! Have others been receiving these emails as well? Any assessment day calls?

Just a quick update on my assessment day experience.

For the impromptu presentation, there were no plastic slides. On my day, we were given three pieces of paper and some markers and they have this new technology that could project what you wrote onto the screen.

For the other parts, you could find them on the internet, they are pretty much the same.

How was your role play? Did you enjoy?

I really enjoyed it, and in fact, I found it the most challenging and I couldn't stop thinking how I could have done better after the excercise and the short feedback session with the Adcom

Hey guys!

Please check below one of the most recent interviews of April 2016 with Dr. Ralf Boscheck, IMD MBA Program Director.

https://touchmba.com/imd-mba-admissions-interview/

It's an interesting one-hour interview where you can listen:
- What were the changes at IMD during the last few years and why.
- What Admission Committee is looking at during the Application process. There are few nice tips what Admissions expect to see in the candidates during the assessment day.
- How students choose their career post MBA path and why.
- What are career prospects of IMD MBAs.
- Why it's important for IMD to track 5 year salary after graduation, not immediate salary of the first year.

And many many more insights.

Enjoy.

I listened to the interview, He is doing bad for the program. He forced many good people to leave the program last year including Lisa Piguet and the head of career service. The result is that new grads face difficulties in the job market (check linkedin) and even the ones who got jobs they got it with similar or less salaries of other second tier school. His mention to the five year gain is naive and misleading. He basically using the parameter used by Forbes which is the only rank IMD did well recently. The reality is that Five year down the road the MBA school is irrelevant, everyone knows this. It is five years, during which there will a lot of work experience, changes, and more getting older. During five year, you will be connected with different people, may be clients, suppliers, contractors, etc.. I really see his mentioning to the five year is just misleading. This director is a disastrous to the program and I didn't feel comfortable when he always down play the american management style and emphasizing on his german way of doing things. The neighboring st gallen MBA (where Lisa joined) is doing much better in the full time placement, check it, in salaries, names of employers, and the program affordability. Another no good thing, is the cold reaction of the program alumni, they are not supportive as INSEAD or IE alumni when meeting them. IMD MBA was fantastic 3 or 4 years ago, but now, many admission consultants advice to avoid it if get into one of the other top 5 european programs. Now, It is quite hard to find someone turn down INSEAD for IMD when it was usual five years ago. All top schools published the career report for class 2015 except IMD, I bet the reason wasn't the editing process.

I am sorry to write this here, but I really hate the superficial justification of this man. Let us hope that the incoming president will bring INSEAD culture to the dying program and bring life to it. and It is rumored that he will double the class size to have a meaningful alumni base.

https://poetsandquants.com/2014/10/30/mo ... a-program/
https://poetsandquants.com/2016/05/04/im ... president/

Disappointed to read this Pandal. I also listened to this interview and I did not get the impression he is playing down the American management style. I see it as a unique offering, distinct from other large MBA programs. In my research of the school I spoke to 5 alumni from 5 different years and found the Alumni exceptional helpful and supportive in how to best prepare for the school. They also highlighted that an IMD MBA is not for the faint hearted. All of them have strong post-MBA career paths so I am not sure this true either. To me I don't care about other peoples 5 year progress as it has nothing to do with me. If you are good enough you will make it.

Are you an IMD alum disappointed with the school or are you basing your opinion of the IMD MBA program on this interview? I am curious as I feel I am missing something.

FROM IMD Admissions Blog: My Munich Trip with IMD

​Last week our class was split in three groups to visit Zurich, Munich and London with one-day trips on occasion of spreading out our job on the Navigating the Future conference. This time, for each destination only a few topics were selected to be presented in front of local IMD alumni communities. To get our group to Munich the MBA office organized a comfortable bus. The trip was rather long, but, like in the concept “Transportation 2.0”, we had freedom to do whatever we wanted: chat to each other, dream, stare at the window and admire Swiss nature, listen to music we had no time to listen before or prepare for the presentation in the afternoon. With almost no barriers in crossing the borders between the two neighboring and close in many senses countries, there was a clear sign in the 4G interruption and some differences in architecture and general outlook. Globalization vs localization… Our event was hosted in the spacious room with a nice terrace of the Münchner Bank. Forty to fifty high-up guests, most of them IMD alumni came to listen to our presentations, and network. It was clear that IMD gives very strong bonds, irrespective of the type of the program or a graduation year. Our fellow class of the MBA 45th members was honored to shake hands and talk to successful leaders, MBA 4 or 8. After having studied some of the topics during the program, I had some amazing discussions on the real things people do in their respective industries. Thoughts on the non-commercial dilemmas that business faces with the development of the Artificial Intelligence, or Revolution 4.0, or Big Data management were rather deep and ambiguous. What is the future of work? Whom to save in a traffic accident involving self-driving cars? How to lead diverse teams, in which generation gap, level of digitalization and other psychological differences are becoming huge? My classmates did a great job in presenting topics of Business Model Transformation, Technology Push and Energy Futures. Robin moderated our conference smoothly, leading us from food for thought to food for living. At the end of our event Prof. Ralf Boscheck gave a multi-faceted outlook on the today’s economics and its implications on business and society, that stimulated many discussions. It was rather late when we exited the hospitable building and found ourselves under the cloudburst. Yet we wanted to keep the momentum of our triumph of the last 6-month effort and friendship. By metro we went to the beer house in the city center and, on the second wind, enjoyed another side of the event… Till soon, Aysylu

FROM IMD Admissions Blog: Summer Project

​Summer is here. In some ways it is a respite from a clockwork like schedule of the classroom but that doesn’t imply that summer is going to be all play. In fact a lot of it is going to be work. This week I have arrived in Paris to kickoff my summer project with one of the largest Energy companies in the World. I am so excited to finally have the opportunity to pursue my passion – solar energy. I remember my IMD application was splashed with one and only one goal and that was to get to learn as much about Solar energy as possible. Of course at the time it was an aspiration, a very serious one, but nonetheless an aspiration. But today I finally have the opportunity to take the first few steps in the direction of making that aspiration a reality. As I had mentioned in my last post, the slow re-entry into the real World has begun for me and my classmates. NTF conferences (about which Aysylu and Fouad have written) was one such avenue. It was quite an experience to present our views on myriad topics to business professionals from across industries. We received some very encouraging response and gained confidence by realising that in most cases our perspectives were just as attention-worthy as any others. The Summer project is yet another opportunity to bring our unique perspective and skills to the real world and hopefully make a small but noteworthy contribution to the organisations that we will interact with. And yes, it is hard to explain the feeling of seeing France win the semi’s in Paris. The French brought the city down but then they deserved it. Wish you all a great summer. Take care! Kunal

FROM IMD Admissions Blog: On the best part of the MBA so far… and how sometimes you just mess up (and learn from it)

Sit tight, this is going to be a long one So… as a blogger I have a commitment to keep the readers up to date with what's going on on the IMD MBA. Weekly if I can. Bi-weekly if I must. Once a month if things are really ugly. Which makes it almost painful to admit I have not blogged here for almost 3 months. I could write a long list of perhaps even valid reasons for that - and maybe I would have done that before the IMD experience. But reality is that it doesn't matter. I failed in this. Some other amazing victories during this time? Yes. But not this one. Halfway through the MBA and already wishing time went by slower, I can now state that IMD MBA - of course, if you really put yourself into it - will change your life. You won't know in which way, intensity or angle - but rest assured life won't be the same after you step your foot in the legendary Lorange Auditorium for the first time. These past three months were incredible. Also intense. Also hard. Also time consuming. But with a bit of a taste of reward for all the work we've put in. Here are some highlights of the time I was offline: [*]Geneva Class Trip: Professor Carlos Braga was kind enough to invite us to his book launch nowhere less than the main conference room at the WTO (World Trade Organization) Headquarters in Geneva. And since we would be there, he worked his impressive network and took us for a visit to the Red Cross Headquarters hosted by the ICRC president Peter Maurer. The ICRC wrote about our visit here. [/*] [/list] [*]Speakers: We have had powerful speakers from across industries, markets and functions. Won't risk listing them all and leaving some behind - the list is long and inspiring. A special mention to Patrick Aebischer, EPFL's President - and deemed to be the one responsible for EPFL's remarkable trajectory - hosting us there and sharing his story in a very open and close way.[/*] [/list] [*]Finance Course: Probably one of the most painful parts of the MBA, Finance classes came to an end in an exciting learning experience that helped us get a sense of how much we've learned along the way. I speak for myself: Nuno Fernandes is a miracle maker. I was hopeless - even after a 4-month course in one of Brazil's most prestigious Finance schools and an executive course in Fontainebleau - and now I finally understand the mechanics (and beauty) of Finance. <3[/*] [/list] [*]Alumni reunion and Mock Interviews: For the first time the current MBA class was invited to the all-class MBA Alumni Cocktail. It was a great networking opportunity and our debut into this powerful group of incredibly successful people in all sorts of ways you can interpret success. Building on that, IMD organized for us to have mock interviews with seasoned alumni - which included a full and candid feedback afterwards. Invaluable. [/*] [/list] [*]Navigating the Future Conference: Ok, I know I'm starting to sound like the positivity freak with all these superlative adjectives… But NtF was just over-the-top AMAZING. We were all so proud of each other. Our classmates delivering killer presentations and an engaged and extremely senior audience. It was rewarding to see how far we've come in only 6 months. Please check out some videos here.[/*] [/list] [*]Movers, Shakers, Preachers, Pragmatists Class Trip: With the sad events happening in Turkey our Istanbul trip had to be adapted and we had a very unique chance to be in one of UNESCO's world heritage sites for a week. In Santuario di Oropa  we had sessions on character, ethics and ambiguity. Discussing difficult agendas such as preferential treatment, gossip, minority quotas, income inequality, among others. The trip itself called upon ethics and moral judgment of the class and hopefully we all brought back in mind many reflections on top of the beautiful landscape memories.[/*] [/list] [*]Navigating the Future goes to Europe: In a new project for 2016, Ralf expanded the Navigating the Future conference into some of the most influential cities in Europe.  Before we all split throughout the  world to start our summer company engagement projects, we were split in 3 groups and brought a shorter version of the conference to London, Munich and Zurich simultaneously. Some of the classmates' blogs on those will be here soon.[/*] [/list] As you can see, not a lot going on over here (LOL). Today I am excitedly one week into my Company Engagement Project and being able to feel the power of the IMD brand every time I present myself to someone new. Impressive. Now it's up to me and all of us to measure up to and strengthen this unique and powerful brand! Onto the next challenge… and back here soon. Warm wishes, Sílvia​

FROM IMD Admissions Blog: Photo blog – NTF goes to Munich

Following Aysylu’s article on the great Navigating the Future in Munich, here are a few picture from the event. Fouad

FROM IMD Admissions Blog: Summer project

Summer is here. In some ways it is a respite from a clockwork like schedule of the classroom but that doesn’t imply that summer is going to be all play. In fact a lot of it is going to be work. This week I have arrived in Paris to kickoff my summer project with one of the largest Energy companies in the World. I am so excited to finally have the opportunity to pursue my passion – solar energy. I remember my IMD application was splashed with one and only one goal and that was to get to learn as much about Solar energy as possible. Of course at the time it was an aspiration, a very serious one, but nonetheless an aspiration. But today I finally have the opportunity to take the first few steps in the direction of making that aspiration a reality. As I had mentioned in my last post, the slow re-entry into the real World has begun for me and my classmates. NTF conferences (about which Aysylu and Fouad have written) was one such avenue. It was quite an experience to present our views on myriad topics to business professionals from across industries. We received some very encouraging response and gained confidence by realising that in most cases our perspectives were just as attention-worthy as any others. The Summer project is yet another opportunity to bring our unique perspective and skills to the real world and hopefully make a small but noteworthy contribution to the organisations that we will interact with. And yes, it is hard to explain the feeling of seeing France win the semi’s in Paris. The French brought the city down but then they deserved it. Wish you all a great summer. Take care! Kunal

Interesting comments regarding Alumni engagement. I have been looking at IMD as a school for a long time and when I made an impromptu trip to Geneva to visit the school the admissions team provided me with the contacts of 2 MBA alumni located in various parts of the globe and in my field of expertise who were extremely helpful in answering all my questions. I do tend to agree that the small class size is a negative when it comes to Alumni growth but to say that the Alumni is not willing to engage is inaccurate from my personal experience. In total I spoke to 4 alumni prior to submitting my applications.

Can't comment on what is happening behind the door. However from my personal experience of the whole admission process, all I can say is that the selection process is not very competitive, and they are not really attracting a large number of applicants. When I started my MBA preparation, it was my first choice because of my age and experience, but now I am heading to a different school. The cost of the program was also a big deterrent.

FROM IMD Admissions Blog: On the best part of the MBA so far… and how sometimes you just mess up

Sit tight, this is going to be a long one So… as a blogger I have a commitment to keep the readers up to date with what’s going on on the IMD MBA. Weekly if I can. Bi-weekly if I must. Once a month if things are really ugly. Which makes it almost painful to admit I have not blogged here for almost 3 months. I could write a long list of perhaps even valid reasons for that – and maybe I would have done that before the IMD experience. But reality is that it doesn’t matter. I failed in this. Some other amazing victories during this time? Yes. But not this one. Halfway through the MBA and already wishing time went by slower, I can now state that IMD MBA – of course, if you really put yourself into it – will change your life. You won’t know in which way, intensity or angle – but rest assured life won’t be the same after you step your foot in the legendary Lorange Auditorium for the first time. These past three months were incredible. Also intense. Also hard. Also time consuming. But with a bit of a taste of reward for all the work we’ve put in. Here are some highlights of the time I was offline: Geneva Class Trip: Professor Carlos Braga was kind enough to invite us to his book launch nowhere less than the main conference room at the WTO (World Trade Organization) Headquarters in Geneva. And since we would be there, he worked his impressive network and took us for a visit to the Red Cross Headquarters hosted by the ICRC president Peter Maurer. The ICRC wrote about our visit here. Speakers: We have had powerful speakers from across industries, markets and functions. Won’t risk listing them all and leaving some behind – the list is long and inspiring. A special mention to Patrick Aebischer, EPFL’s President – and deemed to be the one responsible for EPFL’s remarkable trajectory – hosting us there and sharing his story in a very open and close way. Finance Course: Probably one of the most painful parts of the MBA, Finance classes came to an end in an exciting learning experience that helped us get a sense of how much we’ve learned along the way. I speak for myself: Nuno Fernandes is a miracle maker. I was hopeless – even after a 4-month course in one of Brazil’s most prestigious Finance schools and an executive course in Fontainebleau – and now I finally understand the mechanics (and beauty) of Finance.❤ Alumni reunion and Mock Interviews: For the first time the current MBA class was invited to the all-class MBA Alumni Cocktail. It was a great networking opportunity and our debut into this powerful group of incredibly successful people in all sorts of ways you can interpret success. Building on that, IMD organized for us to have mock interviews with seasoned alumni – which included a full and candid feedback afterwards. Invaluable. Navigating the Future Conference: Ok, I know I’m starting to sound like the positivity freak with all these superlative adjectives… But NtF was just over-the-top AMAZING. We were all so proud of each other. Our classmates delivering killer presentations and an engaged and extremely senior audience. It was rewarding to see how far we’ve come in only 6 months. Please check out some videos here. Movers, Shakers, Preachers, Pragmatists Class Trip: With the sad events happening in Turkey our Istanbul trip had to be adapted and we had a very unique chance to be in one of UNESCO’s world heritage sites for a week. In Santuario di Oropa  we had sessions on character, ethics and ambiguity. Discussing difficult agendas such as preferential treatment, gossip, minority quotas, income inequality, among others. The trip itself called upon ethics and moral judgment of the class and hopefully we all brought back in mind many reflections on top of the beautiful landscape memories. Navigating the Future goes to Europe: In a new project for 2016, Ralf expanded the Navigating the Future conference into some of the most influential cities in Europe.  Before we all split throughout the  world to start our summer company engagement projects, we were split in 3 groups and brought a shorter version of the conference to London, Munich and Zurich simultaneously. Some of the classmates’ blogs on those will be here soon. As you can see, not a lot going on over here (LOL). Today I am excitedly one week into my Company Engagement Project and being able to feel the power of the IMD brand every time I present myself to someone new. Impressive. Now it’s up to me and all of us to measure up to and strengthen this unique and powerful brand! Onto the next challenge… and back here soon. Warm wishes,  Sílvia

IMD posted this week Career Statistics for 2015.
You can find the updated data by the following link:
https://www.imd.org/uupload/IMD.WebSite/Oep/Mba/Home/MBA-career-statistics.pdf


I made a short overview of their career statistics for the last 5 years to compare, please check the attached file. Here are the keypoints:
- Average salary in US dollars is on its minimum of 120K. However, in Euro the salary increased to its peak of 108K, and that's the highest amount ever for the last 5 years. Although 70% of grads stay in Europe, it is still not clear how many stay in Switzerland and what is the salary effect of that.
- The share of consulting increased to 30% from usual 20-25%.
- The difference btw mean and median is minor, meaning that class profile has become more universal.

I see this year class is far from competitive. 8 people from the current class are aged 36 and 37! There is no sponsored students from MBB as it was normal to have one or two in the past. The number of applicants declined sharply from 440 in 2013 to 327 last year and the number is around 200 or so for the major 3 rounds this year. Most MBA expert and consultants noticed the sad decline in this program. The program dropped in every major ranking. and will further drop because the results from the employment report are not encouraging anymore. Given the non transparent career report the release, it is quite clear the current status of the program is far from being considered elite or top tier. The main reason is its current director who just destroyed everything. In a single move, he forced five key people to leave the program. He is so narcissist and dictate all things, he is the program director, the admission director, the ICP director, ..etc. Everyone knows that such concentrations of responsibilities in one man is dead wrong. The mother school, IMD, simply does not care, because of one main reason, it is run as a business and because MBA counts for only 4% or the revenue, why do they need to care. To be honest, they are right, the main business for IMD in which it is really super, is the executive education, not the degree program.