Cass vs. EM Lyon vs. SDA Bocconi

Question

Hi everyone -

I would like to know your thoughts on these 3 schools Cass in London, Bocconi in Milan and EM Lyon?

Which one has more prestige worldwide?

Which one has more prestige in the US, as I might be moving after graduation with my wife over there?

Thanks,

bsd_lover · Answer

cucussa generally it is not recommended to study at an overseas school if you want to work in the US. Even some of the Ultra Elite schools(such as INSEAD and LBS) have difficulty getting rightful recognition when compared with the best schools in the US region.

If you look at our rankings : ranks-and-clusterings-of-various-international-b-schools-78320.html you will notice that Cass is deemed a Trans Elite and Bocconi is deemed a Regional Elite and there is no mention of EM Lyon. This recognizes the strength Bocconi has regionally in Italy and the access to London that Cass provides, but neither schools are known as well outside of their regions.

Perhaps if you outline your aims, we can discuss other schools that might fulfill them better.

cucussa

Hi everyone -

I would like to know your thoughts on these 3 schools Cass in London, Bocconi in Milan and EM Lyon?

Which one has more prestige worldwide?

Which one has more prestige in the US, as I might be moving after graduation with my wife over there?

Thanks,

cucussa · Answer

Thanks for your reply. Vey insightful post on the clustered rankings.

I don't want to bother you with my personal situation, which pretty complex at this point in time. I am from Spain, I have worked 5 years at Accenture in Management Consulting (2 in Madrid and 3 in New York).

I am looking for a 12 month strong international program in Europe, as I do intend to pursue an international career anywhere really, Europe, Asia, US. The reason that I applied to these 3 schools, a pretty sloppy one... I had to apply last minute, and very few schools ranked within the first 50 schools in the FT had the rolling admissions or summer deadlines... so I cant apply anywhere else... I am looking to specialize in Product Marketing in the Consumer Goods industry.

What are your thoughts?

bsd_lover · Answer

I'm surprised that you didn't aim a little higher. Your international experiences would put you in INSEAD territory (did you look into the January 2010 start ?) with backups of some of the Elites (esp IMD / IESE / Oxbridge) or even the Spanish Near Elites (IE and ESADE). I didn't include LBS because you want a 12 month program, however, I have seen LBS to be very open to admitting folks from Accenture.

Anyway that is all in the past now. Out of the 3 schools you mention, I would suggest that Cass would give you access to London and hence more global opportunities (although FT ranks Bocconni 38 and Cass 41 in 2009). EM Lyon is probably the weakest (its not even ranked in the top 100 by FT). Although I must admit I don't know as much about these 3 schools as is required to give you a truly qualified answer.

cucussa · Answer

Thanks for your help... I thought Cass was the better option too... I would have attempted other schools however it was too late in the game. Plus, being such a competitive year, with applications up more than 30%, and a mediocre GMAT 630, I think it would have been a very long shot.

I think both, Cass and Bocconi are strong second tier schools with significant internatonal recognition. I am not that concern that it's not a top 10 school... I am a long distance runner, no need to get the highest paying job right after school. As long as it gives me a global business outlook, strong academics, a good network, and the possibility to transition to a Marketing career I will be happy.

I have the interview with Bocconi on Friday and next week at Cass and Lyon so wish me good luck. I will keep you posted.

Thanks a lot,

bsd_lover · Answer

That's excellent - the very best of luck buddy. We need more evangelists for Cass / Bocconi on this forum. If you end up in Cass, give us a yell in London and we can drink a pint to the admissions process.

Paradosso · Answer

I went to Bocconi for undergrad and I have a lot of friends, acquaintances and collegues from its MBA. It definitely has some strong recognition in Italy (strong placement into M/B/B, which makes for a stellar ROI), but I have come to discover it also has some suction at the European level.

SDA Bocconi places strongly in management consulting in London and in industry position --I've heard of position in big oil finance and procurement in pharma.

I would say that Bocconi is less regional than both Cass and EM Lyon.

Having said that, I do agree with bsd's point: if you want to work in the US, maybe Bocconi is not your best option.

bsd_lover · Answer

Thanks Pardasso - cucussa, listen to the man. He has a far more qualified opinion than mine about Bocconi.

buffdaddy · Answer

I'll try to chip-in based on the very limited knowledge of these schools that I have.

You mention that you want an "international career", but you don't say what sort of role you'd like. Cass's tag line seems to be "we are in the financial district of London", so the pitch very much is geared towards people who want roles in the finance industry post-mba in London. So I think I'd choose Cass wisely if I were you.

wish you all the best!

aval · Answer

I'll second what buffdaddy just said. Two of my friends got into Cass this year. After talking to them, i got the same vibes. It is good school for finance and thanks to their proximity to their tieups with the London business firms, it is a good school provided you want to pursue a career there. I then talked with another friend (got admitted into Duke - lucky dog!) - he told me most people in the US have not even heard of CASS! Go figure...

baky · Answer

Does someone know more about EM Lyon ? Is it more a local school for French employment or has it a true international scope ?

bitalo · Answer

Hi French Guy !

And what about ESC Grenoble? Do you want to go to EM Lyon Backy ?

Cass vs. EM Lyon vs. SDA Bocconi

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