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23 Mar 2026, 10:02
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hey everyone,
25M from India, ~4 yrs workex (research + consulting with a Michigan-based boutique firm).
Admits:
* Georgetown (US) - 2 years, no scholarship
* IE Madrid (Spain) - 15 months, there's a possibility of some financial aid
Trying to decide between going this year vs waiting.
US (Georgetown):
Pros:
* Access to long-term US market (tech, startups, scale)
* Higher salary potential, stronger upside
Cons:
– Visa risk (H1B) → real chance of returning to India
– Not M7/T15, so slightly tougher recruiting vs top schools
– Current uncertainty in hiring
Europe (IE Madrid):
Pros:
* Growing startup ecosystem (esp. Spain/EU push for innovation)
* Potentially easier to stay short-term vs US
Cons:
– Language barrier
– Lower salaries vs US
– Market is more mature/slower → unclear long-term upside
– Still possible I return to India
Option 3: Wait 1 year, reapply (maybe stronger schools / better, stable market, but uncertain)
Goal: Work abroad post-MBA (pivot into tech/startups) + decent ROI
Big unknown:
How much will AI impact hiring by 2028/29 (especially in US tech roles)?
What would you do in my position?
Optimise for US upside, Europe stability, or wait?
Appreciate honest takes 🙏🏼
25M from India, ~4 yrs workex (research + consulting with a Michigan-based boutique firm).
Admits:
* Georgetown (US) - 2 years, no scholarship
* IE Madrid (Spain) - 15 months, there's a possibility of some financial aid
Trying to decide between going this year vs waiting.
US (Georgetown):
Pros:
* Access to long-term US market (tech, startups, scale)
* Higher salary potential, stronger upside
Cons:
– Visa risk (H1B) → real chance of returning to India
– Not M7/T15, so slightly tougher recruiting vs top schools
– Current uncertainty in hiring
Europe (IE Madrid):
Pros:
* Growing startup ecosystem (esp. Spain/EU push for innovation)
* Potentially easier to stay short-term vs US
Cons:
– Language barrier
– Lower salaries vs US
– Market is more mature/slower → unclear long-term upside
– Still possible I return to India
Option 3: Wait 1 year, reapply (maybe stronger schools / better, stable market, but uncertain)
Goal: Work abroad post-MBA (pivot into tech/startups) + decent ROI
Big unknown:
How much will AI impact hiring by 2028/29 (especially in US tech roles)?
What would you do in my position?
Optimise for US upside, Europe stability, or wait?
Appreciate honest takes 🙏🏼
MBAGuide
Joined: 24 Jul 2019
Last visit: 09 May 2026
Posts: 2,399
Given Kudos: 28
Location: India
Concentration: Operations, Marketing
Schools: Insead Sept'18 (A$$) ISB '19 (A)
24 Mar 2026, 00:47
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi Divi007 What will also be useful in evaluating your case is whether you applied to any other schools, and I am sure you must have. Did you get interviews with any? That will help you understand how other schools see your candidacy and whether waiting and reapplying may help turn some dings into admits.
Under normal circumstances, I would pick Georgetown over IE. If I were keen to be in the US in the long term, and not have to navigate learning a new language, again I would pick Georgetown. But as you know, these are testing times, and without the cushion of any financial aid, you will need to consider your risk appetite.
If you could share more regarding your profile stats (nature of work experience, growth trajectory, GMAT/GRE, goals), I am happy to give you deeper feedback. For now, I am willing to stake my opinion on this, even without the full details of your profile, I would try again instead of committing to either of these two this year without exploring what else you could achieve.
Best wishes
Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD MBA alumna, former INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer)
Founder, MBAGuideConsulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aanchal-sahni-83b00819/ |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/| Message(WA): +91 9971200927| email- [email protected]
Under normal circumstances, I would pick Georgetown over IE. If I were keen to be in the US in the long term, and not have to navigate learning a new language, again I would pick Georgetown. But as you know, these are testing times, and without the cushion of any financial aid, you will need to consider your risk appetite.
If you could share more regarding your profile stats (nature of work experience, growth trajectory, GMAT/GRE, goals), I am happy to give you deeper feedback. For now, I am willing to stake my opinion on this, even without the full details of your profile, I would try again instead of committing to either of these two this year without exploring what else you could achieve.
Best wishes
Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD MBA alumna, former INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer)
Founder, MBAGuideConsulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aanchal-sahni-83b00819/ |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/| Message(WA): +91 9971200927| email- [email protected]
Divi007
