ESADE vs Imperial vs Warwick vs ESSEC

Question

Hello everyone

I am having a decision fatigue. To give some context, I am a software engineer from India. I received admits from ESADE, Imperial, Warwick and ESSEC. I want to settle in UK in future.

Profile: GMAT 730(675 focus), CGPA 9.15/10 in undergrad

Warwick has given me a really good scholarship and I will be able to complete the course in barely any cost. But Warwick ranks much lower in Financial times ranking. So I am skeptical.

Imperial made an offer but Imperial announces scholarship much later in the admission process after the reservation fee is paid. So I do not know how much are they going to give me scholarship.

ESADE was my first choice but after receiving imperial offer I am doubtful. But ESADE's rank and entrepreneurial resources makes it the best out of all this. ESADE also seems to have much greater global presence than imperial.

ESSEC i have ruled out as it ranks much lower.

Need help in deciding? Has anyone been in the same situation as mine.

bb · Answer

Hi. Thanks for the ping and congrats on your admits!

What do you want to do when you grow up? 😂
Where are you planning to recruit for?

ChayanikaM · Answer

haha. That was quick.

When I grow up, I want to become an entrepreneur. I have few ideas, I want to use the b-school's incubator and accelerator to develop and grow the product. ESADE has a better brand name than imperial across the world I feel not sure though. Plan B is product management

But I want to settle in UK. And move my business there.

bb · Answer

That changes things quite a bit.

Consider this scenario, you go to the Spain best business school, get a big loan, that requires a big payment and then you move away to complete the different country where Spanish work permit doesn’t work, and you can’t even move to the UK because you don’t have a visa or a work permit to live there.... That seems a little problematic for your goals. Though I am not an expert in European immigration law 😇

if you want to settle in the UK, your best option and bet would be going to school in the UK. Just because you can stay for a period of time after graduating without the hassle of paperwork.

in terms of school reputation, if you’re not searching for a job, you will primarily leverage it for networking, I assume?

I think you need to think a bit about what all the benefits you’re planning to get out of these two years or a year.

I usually advise to entrepreneurs to minimize their costs because that gives you flexibility and allows you to focus on your venture instead of worrying about how to pay your student loans. Many people try to launch, hit some snags which is common and then within six months they have to shift gears and look for a job or do some odd jobs such as admission consulting on the side just to be able to pay their bills and the big student loan bill.

so terms of value that you personally will derive and your personal growth and your setting up success for the future and minimizing risks, I think Warwick would be the best option. Now, I’m sure there’s a lot more nuance and details involved but this is a very knee-jerk type of a reaction based on the input you provided.

PS. Not as sexy as hanging out in Barcelona but ROI is unbeatable.

ChayanikaM · Answer

I will be funding on my own. There is not much student loan involved but anyway I will be paying a huge sum. entirety of my savings.

Working hard for a good GMAT score. I wanted to be associated with a high ranked college.

Frankly speaking I was not even considering warwick but your answer is very practical for my goals. I can save the money and later invest in my startup.

Thank you so much. This gave a different prospective.

bb · Answer

I understand.... and as mentioned, I may be missing the more intricate details and considerations and frankly, the whole "heart" where people go to Kellogg and skip a full ride to Fuqua for example. Totally OK and it is much easier to make these decisions when you are not the one paying or going too so that's just one perspective.

I would also suggest chatting up with some IESE alums and students and see if they take a position. You may be surprised at their take (or maybe not)

I would also suggest chatting up with some IESE alums and students and see if they take a position. You may be surprised at their take (or maybe not)

mysterymanrog · Answer

If you want to be an entrepreneur, I think branding matters the most. Out of all of them, Imperial is the best. It is one of the worlds best STEM schools and certainly will give you the most opportunities.

ESADE vs Imperial vs Warwick vs ESSEC

ESADE vs Imperial vs Warwick vs ESSEC

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