ESCP's reputation outside of France.

Question

Hi guys!

I am thinking on applying to ESCP Europe, but I can't get what is the attitude towards this schools from employers/HRs/Companies located outside of France.

I mean, ESCP Europe has campuses in London and Berlin, but I do not fully understand if it is still regarded as the school mostly for the French market (meaning, the graduates can get the most out of this education only if they stay in France)?

What is the reputation of ESCP in the UK and Germany?  Can it compete with the local 'giants': LSE, LBS, Warwick, Oxbridge - in the UK; and WHU, EBS, Mannheim - in Germany?

eduaudax · Answer

Hi msnc,

this is very personal (and subjective) opinion from my Point of view (German business student) and I exaggerate to get my point across:
I guess it is limited to the German aspect of ESCP (cannot tell much about the other countries).

In my view, ESCP is a school for wealthy students (or students of wealthy parents), who like to live in a very urban, vibrant big-city environment without too much study/academic effort.
Why?

1)
ESCP is a private school demanding tuition. Keep in mind that at German public universities MiM-programmes have practically no tuition fee (or let's say very very low tuition). 
And a comparison of private schools' tuition shows:
ESCP: 27,600 (EU)/ 35,800 (non-EU)
EBS: 31,900
HHL: 25,000
WHU: 19,200 (90cr)/ 23,600 (120cr)
So even compared with other German private universities, ESCP is not very affordable.
ESCP offers very international campus possibilities, but other universities offer exchange terms or double degree options (however, not guaranteed that you get the exact spot you want)

2)
Berlin is the hipster place in Germany, it's cool to live there. Also compare Berlin with the places of the other good business schools: Mannheim, Leipzig, Oestrich-Winkel, Vallendar
ESCP offers great cities for the time abroad (London, Paris, Madrid, etc). At other universities exchange term places are awarded through mechanisms (e.g. ranking) so that you cannot predict beforehand where you are going for your exchange term

3)
Difficulty level seems to be rather low compared to the "usual suspects" in Germany (from talks with former class mates studying now in MiM in Berlin)
(of course very subjective point here)

Unfortunately, I cannot say much about how HR/corporates regard ESCP in Germany.

msnc · Answer

Hi eduaudax,

Thank you for the reply!

Yeah, the tuition fees at those private unis in Germany are really high, but from what I have heard (regarding EBS and WHU) - those 2 offer really good scholarships and internationals are eligible to apply for those as well.

Maybe you know or could ask a friend of yours how is the situation with scholarships (75%-full) at ESCP? Do they allow non-EU to take part in the selection process for the scholarship?

Also, weighting all pros and cons, which B-Schools would you suggest to pursue a MSc in Management/Finance in Germany? (Maybe you could rank them as well)

btw, where do you study right now? How satisfied are you with the quality of education there?

eduaudax · Answer

Regarding tuition, I think that actually school in US, UK, France charge more than the schools in Germany. The point is that in these countries there are no/very few good alternatives with low tuition. 
In Germany, there are good alternatives with low tuition, so that private universities need to offer something. At some places this is quality and career perspective, at others this is specialization (to a certain topic, e.g. aviation...) or the possibility of part-time study along your job.

For specific scholarship possibilities I would need to do the same research that you would do, so better do it on your own.
My general perspective is that schools award scholarships for candidates with demographics that they consider under-represented or that they want to promote. Also in some areas schools are required by the authorities to provide financial support schemes (however, mostly for local students).

Without knowing your goals and situation, to give a specific recommendation (i.e. rank the possibilities) is hardly possible.

MiMEssay · Answer

Well i am a student as ESCP and i can definitely say that you cannot term it as a school reserved for "Rich kids" that is a very gross and misappropriate statement.
Granted its fees are higher than the german schools, but it is pretty low compared to B schools in US and in the UK.
That is one reason ESCP attracted me in the first place, 1) Affordable tuition fees and 2) It offered great merit scholarships to deserving students.

Secondly, ESCP has a relaly good image in Europe, ofcourse it is the strongest in France but it has considerable pull both in UK and in germany. It having campuses there helps in this. As for how is it perceived by the HR, well we are having a corporate recruitment event at Germany next month and there are companies such as P&G, coke, Bayer, Shell, Google, Mckinsey, EY, Roland Berger and a ton others coming to recruit students from the campus. Well i am pretty sure they would not be showing up if they did not perceive a certain level of quality associated with ESCP students.

Ofcourse ESCP's satellite campus in Londin, Berlin etc wont have much recognition compared to the local big shot colleges, but that is something that is common sense. Those schools have been around for decades and hence have strong relations with local companies. But ESCP does give you a fighting chance to find a job in 5 different countries, so that is something i really appreciate.

We compiled some salient features of the ESCP MiM, complete with its application requirements and post grad stats. You can check it out at https://www.mim-essay.com/escp-mim-review.html & review the school yourself.

Hope the answer helped.

ESCP's reputation outside of France.

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