Calling all HHL Leipzig MBA Applicants: (2016 Intake) Class of 2018!!

LOW COST, HEALTHY JOB MARKET AND HIGH ROI MAKE HHL LEIPZIG AN ATTRACTIVE MBA DESTINATION

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I am from hardcore mechanical engineering background and major part of my career has been outside India. However, because of the highly technical nature of my job,my career came to a stagnation and I decided to pursue MBA. I scored 780 ( Q50, V47) in GMAT in my first attempt.

When I started considering various options of MBA studies, I decided to think "myself" and not think with "the crowd". (With a score of V47, I reasoned that my logic-train won't go haywire ). My requirements were simple ( and mostly in line with other MBA aspirants from middle-class families) :

1. Cost should be minimal: I would not have preferred taking out a major amount from my savings or take stellar loans, which would burden me financially for a long time.

2. Risk should be minimal: I should go to a market that have a large deficiency of managerial workforce and I should have a fairly high chance to get a decent job. (In addition, of course Europe has always been my dream destination.)

3. The school: The faculty and of course the job opportunities are the main things to look at.

After doing my survey, I realized that Germany fits in and in fact leaves behind other countries in fulfilling both the above requirements:

1. Cost: With scholarship for exceptional students, the cost of studies are extremely low, way below other US / UK counterparts. I got 3 scholarships ( again thanks to my GMAT score), that supported me considerably in not just my tuition fees, but also my living expenses. However, the competition for scholarship is high.

2. Risk: Germany is the center of European economy and needs a large number of managerial level personnel to fill in it's deficiency. For this reason the German government has relaxed the visa norms for highly educated persons who qualify from recognized German Universities, and allows them stay in Germany for further 18 months after completing their studies to search for a job. Therefore I decided that getting a job in Germany, post-MBA, will be much easier than getting in US/UK. (UK visa norms have been a total catastrophe of late, and US visa norms are not very conducive as well ). From the perspective of averting undue risk, I found Germany the most favorable location.

3. The school: There is absolutely no question about the quality of teaching faculty here. Since we are from India, I was specifically impressed to see an IIM Calcutta professor teaching us Corporate Strategy here !! A great advantage HHL has over other schools in Germany - the one that played a major role in my final selection of school - is that the MBA class size is just about 35. When you have less students in the class , you have less competition for job - a simple fact that many aspirants fail to take into consideration while selecting a school. Moreover, you get personal attention from the professors (almost all of them call you by name), and more importantly from the career management team ! Although I got scholarship offer from other German school, this one fact swung me towards HHL.

Please also note that it is desirable that you speak some German by the time you graduate in order to have broader scope in your job search. Here HHL plays a major role:it has in-built German language courses in the curriculum and since the course period is 21 months, one may comfortably get through the 5 stages of the language during the tenure of studies.

Feel free to ask, if you have further queries.

https://www.hhl.de/blog/en/why-hhl-is-an ... stination/

Hi sayantanc2k,

I have my interview coming up tomorrow with Dean Dr. Andreas Pinkwart. Can you tell me about your interview experience, what questions did he ask etc.

Hi, Very sorry I could not reply to you in time.... term-end exams were going on..hope your interview was good.

Hi sayantanc2k,

I was searching rigorously for this page.First of all,I would like to thank you for sharing your thoughts about the program.
I finished my interview last week and was given an unofficial confirmation that my admission is secure.
Prof Vivek Velamuri was my interviewer and he said that only after further evaluation of the profile,the scholarship chances would be revealed.
Since the festive season is ongoing,I am kind of freezed right now.
I come from a middle class indian family and my final decision depends on the overall expenses and this puts me in a state of quandary.
Here is my profile in brief :

GMAT - 690(Q49 V35)
TOEFL - 111
Work-Ex : 3 years(as of now)
Undergraduate GPA : 8.9/10

I would greatly appreciate if you could evaluate my chances for scholarship?
In case I don't get any scholarship,is it still recommended that I take admission in HHL considering the overall benefits of the program?

Thanks in advance!!

Best Regards
Vijay

Hi Vijay,

Good to hear that you got an unofficial confirmation. I can assure you that it would be a prudent decision to join, even if you are not offered a scholarship. I can vouch more strongly because I just completed my first semester here and seen the college, the location and above all the job prospects more closely.

As for your chances for scholarship, unfortunately I am absolutely not in a position to make any comment. However I wish you the very best for the same.

Please feel free to write back if you have any further queries.

Regards,

Sayantan

Hi Sayantan,

Thanks for your prompt reply!!!

I would like to ask you another couple of questions.

How is the landscape for the internships.I have come to know from my friend that one would land up with an internship opportunity in 4-5 months after joining.
Besides,I have an offer from University of Cincinnati for the Business Analytics program.Which according to you would be a better choice an HHL MBA or Business analytics from University of Cincinnati?

Best Regards
Vijay

Hi Sayantan,

I gave my GMAT last week and completely bombed it could manage only a 660 Q48 V33.
My over all profile is as follows.
Btech in Production Engg from NIT, Agartala - 8.26/10 CGPA
40 months of work experience in Supplier Quality Assurance and Vendor Up gradation with an Indian MNC Automobile OEM.
Is there any chance ,if i apply now, to get shortlisted?
Also i calculated the total fees to be around 15 Lakhs is this right ?

Please guide.

Thanks in advance.

With Regards
Rahul Nair

Hi sayantanc2k,

U mentioned that the class size is 35. Does that mean that the total intake in the MBA program every year is only 35? Excuse me if that sounds stupid.

Hi Rahul,

I am not really in a position to evaluate whether you could be shortlisted, but factually 660 is roughly an average score of Indians who got selected here.

The tuition fee is higher (about 29,000 Euro, roughly INR 22 lakhs).

Regards,
Sayantan

Yes, your understanding is correct.

Regards,

Sayantan

Hi Vijay,
Yes, getting an internship seems to be easy, but I cannot provide any first-hand information at this moment since I have not started searching yet. Nonetheless, I know of people who this year got into the most prestigious ones such as Mercedez.

Personally, I would always, and very strongly, back HHL, because I have personally experienced the situation here. Fees, visa norms, job opportunities, all seem to work out quite well. I suppose you have read my post above.

Regards,

Sayantan

From The HHL Blog: This Was My December: Leipziger vs Dresdener Weihnachtsmarkt

With two weeks to go till the First Deadline, here's a short read of what you can expect from the city of Leipzig. Dewi Kreysa is a MBA student at HHL and she shares her experiences during what is undoubtedly the cheeriest time of the year...Christmas!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go…

The most beautiful time of the year, Christmas, is just around the corner. It is a perfect timing to explore two of German well-known Christmas market.





After an intense first three months of full-time MBA program at HHL, Christmas market is definitely a nice treat for my eyes, nose, ear, and of course belly. Huge Christmas tree with pretty decorations and lights, plenty of beautiful hand crafted gifts and souvenirs (candles, wooden crafts, knitted accessories, etc.), live music along the whole market from Peter Strasse to Grimmaische Strasse, smell of smoked sausage and other yummy food I just can’t tell which one is which food , and most importantly (very important) indulgence for tummy…

It is the first time I am experiencing the “real” Christmas market in Germany, and indeed Leipziger Weihnachtsmarkt is an excellent place to start. The Leipziger Christmas market is open from 22nd of November until 24th of December in a centralized location in the city center. With three different styles of Christmas market from approximately in 7-8 spots of the city center, it is a lovely area to just stroll around the city centre.

When I wanted to explore other Christmas market aside from Leipzig, I just took a bus to Dresden which only used up an hour of travel. It was the perfect time to go in early December when the Christmas market was fully settled. I realize that Christmas market in Dresden is slightly bigger than Leipzig and they also have more selections of food, drinks, and souvenirs. Each of the shops are decorated differently that makes them very unique and astonishing to see. Best to see the top overview of the Christmas market is from Kreuzkirche, it was indeed the best way to close the day-trip.



Here are some of my “must try” list (after trying pretty much all of the food and drinks selection I could find in both market) when you visit Leipzig and Dresden Christmas market:
1. Glüwein (Mulled wine) – Oh yes, this just can’t be missed! First thing to have once you step in the entrance of the market.
2. Eierpunch – Punch made from eggs. It is a definitely a punch to your belly, stronger than Glüwein.
3. Bratwurst – Smoked sausage, who doesn’t like it? (except vegetarian) I just can’t get enough with this. It normally comes with small baguette or just normal German bread, although I prefer to substitue it with Pommes frites (french fries), and best to have both ketchup and mustard on top of it. But of course it depends on your own preference.
4. 1/2 meter Wurst – you can tell from the name, it is that long! The taste is slightly different from Bratwurst. But generally is an experience to have that long sausage that you barely find in other country.
5. Dresdener Handbrot – handmade bread with melting cheese as the filling and can choose either mushroom or ham to go with it. Super filling! And I can basically smell the food from 20 meters away of the shop. It is a typical Dresden food, however, can also be found in Leipzig.
6. Kräppelchen – small fried dough with powdered sugar topping. Ensure to find the shop that sell fresh made one, it taste so much better when it is still hot and warm… Yummyyyy….

I hope some of food & drinks recommendation helps for the newbie in the town during Christmas period. Looking forward for the next Christmas market and hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas. Happy New Year 2016!

Hello All Prospective Students,

Less than a week to go before the Early Bird Deadline so many of you might still be busy putting together your application. If anyone has any queries (application related or program related) then don't hesitate to ask and we'll do our best to clear any doubts.

All the best!

The decision to join HHL turned out to be fruitful. Just 4 months completed and already bagged an internship offer starting September in a German firm...... ........ with an indication of conversion into a full-time position !!

tvrs09 Hi Vijay, to answer your query... the internship I got is in a typical "German Mittelstand" company. Take a look at this link.

https://www.bmwi.de/English/Redaktion/P ... b=true.pdf

Great news for prospective students. This school is on my radar.

Does anyone know average GMAT score for part-time MBA?
https://www.hhl.de/en/programs/part-time-mba-program/#9