xuexoa wrote:
Yeah bro,
I applied several weeks before the R1 deadline, was interviewed (and, thankfully, experienced no problems via a wireless Skype connection). I thought the interview went well except for:
1) both interviewers were native Mandarin speakers and I felt I had to tone down the level of my professional English usage since I don't think they were catching all my words and ideas. I would have preferred if at least one of the interviewers had been a non-Chinese Westerner.
2) The questions were so open-ended and lacking specificity, for example: "What do you think about China and Chinese people?", "Given your previous experience in Asia, "How does China compare to Europe, North America, and other parts of Asia?", "Can you tell us more about yourself?", "Can you speak some Chinese for us?"
I felt my interview was above-average but not spectacular because I felt that the Chinese interviewers were a bit overwhelmed by my level of English usage. I thus had to "dumb down" and repeat some of my ideas in simpler language. They didn't overtly state this but I sensed it. I tried to mantain a balance between the more advanced language that I typically employ in my conversations and a less sophisticated tone.
I also didn't like the open-ended nature of the questions since they should have asked more specific and detailed questions. I answered each one in a timeframe of about 30 seconds to a minute but felt that that such open-ended questions are best addressed in dissertaions and other lengthy tones. Again, more detailed questioning would have been nice, especially when they asked me to speak Mandarin. If they want to have Mandarin conversations then they should ask about the weather, the economy, my family, etc. in Mandarin, instead of asking me to speak a little Mandarin! For example, it's very nerve-racking to be asked to "speak a little English" during an interview, even if English is your native language, since you don't know what the heck they want you to say.
Anyway, I'm waitlisted and will be considered with all you R2 folks. My background is Mandarin-speaker, 6 years WE (some overseas), B.S. (3.7), M.S. (3.9), GMAT 760 (99%).
Good luck to everyone waiting and applying in R2. I'm generally surprised that CEIBS has been accepting so many non-Mandarin speakers. As for the Pagalguy group, which I've been monitoring since early fall of last year, that thread is also full of peeps that don't speak Mandarin yet have been accepted. For those of you who watch CCTV, you'd know that the Chinese government has designated 2011 as an year for "Chinese-Indian Engagement", and has directed various schools and institutions to increase the number of Indian admits. Furthermore, numerous bilateral cultural and economic exchanges have taken place and will continue to take place this year, including rolling out Mandarin language programs to over 80 Indian elementary schools.
I have no problem with accepting so many Indians who don't speak Mandarin but my review of various blogs and testimonies from current and former Indian students of CEIBS shows that most of them don't stay in China after graduation and hardly any of them can speak, read, or write Mandarin at a level required for professional usage in China, which is sad. Of course, this isn't due to their lack of intelligence but rather their lack of sincere motivation to learn Mandarin and understand Chinese cultural practices in order to pursue post-MBA careers in Greater China. Then again, India is growing so rapidly so I don't blame them for hedging their bets against not finding a job in China by returning to their thriving homeland. My point is that I wouldn't consider applying to the Indian School of Business if I didn't intend to 1) learn Tamil or Hindi, and 2) work in India afterward.
Finally, as for CEIBS recruitment, it seems to be largely limited to Mainland China, particularly Shanghai and major metropolitan areas where foreigners tend to congregate. Finding a position in S'pore or HK is largely due to candidates' individual efforts since the school doesn't have that sort of reach. It seems that about half of all foreigners - those who can't find work in China - return to their homelands to work...does this count as "international recruitment"? We need to be realistic about what we will get out of CEIBS. It seems like a great school with a lot of buzz but we'd be lucky to make US $50-70,000 upon graduation if we find a role in China, which is what most European and North American applicants are making right now. I'm amazed at how many foreign applicants continue to be misled by the FT rankings salary figures, which show post-graduation salaries of over US $100,000 for CEIBS, which, of course, are PPP-adjusted. Of course money isn't everything. I don't like those peeps who make b-school considerations based solely on mumbo-jumbo ROI calculations alone...if we used ROI to rule our lives then most people would never have any children...
In closing, we need to realize that CEIBS is what it is...it isn't HBS, it isn't event the "HBS of Asia", as some have said. It is a great school with a growing reputation and increasing academic research facilities. It is also a school at which foreigners come second and are sort of like background props to the main actors, the local students. Most job opportunities and scholarship benefits are "slanted" (no pun intended) towards local students, which makes perfectly good sense.
However, I feel that this arrangement actually benefits foreign students more than it does locals. Having read Mr. Iglesias' CEIBS blog at BW, one senses that he laments the fact that the vast majority of local students at CEIBS don't have much foreign experience and have never left the country (while he is very seasoned in his travels). I think this sort of local student population, while perhaps dismaying some foreign applicants, who may be expecting more wordly seasoned Chinese students, is actually beneficial since it presents a lot of "local flavor" to a foreign student. Additionally, CEIBS' foreign student numbers are skewed by the fact that incoming exchange students are counted, which makes the program seem a bit more international than it really is when just the core group of matriculating foreign students is counted.
I also urge people to be realistic about CEIBS because many Chinese people both in China and overseas have never heard of CEIBS. I often mention CEIBS to young Chinese professionals I encounter and they tell me they've never heard of it. In contrast, they've heard of and very much admire peer schools like HKUST. Furthermore, there is a Chinese MBA ranking (I can't remember the name), that continues to rank Tshinghua's SEM program above CEIBS. CEIBS Has been a perennial #2 in the poll every year and until CEIBS becomes the undistinguished best b-school in China, as it may one day become, I don't think we should fall prey to the notion that CEIBS is the Asian HBS by looking at it through rose-tinted glasses.
Cheers!
Thank you for your opinion and summary of your interview experience. I agree with some of your points, and I have many friends there and agree with it's reputation etc. However, it's a young school - less than 20 years old, and has unlimited potential and growth to the brand. I hope you are not turning negative on the school due to your admissions status, as obviously you've done research and decided to apply to the school.
Obviously they are china focused, but it is in their best interest to admit international applicants even if they don't have the intention of working in china. Many people attend wharton/hbs/stanford and return home to their native country as well.
I guess my main question is...with such an outstanding profile (GPA, GMAT, etc), why did you get ding'd? HKUST and CEIBS are more 'superficial' and carry about stats and you seem to carry it. I know plenty of people with much lower stats (690 GMAT, 2.8 GPA) who've been admitted to both - but especially HKUST. Just wondering if you got a sense of what ADCOM liked and didn't like during your interview. It sounds unfortunate that you did not get Lydia Price or the other western interviewers the other folks have received though.