Insead vs Georgetown(Mcdonough) vs NUS($$)

Hello classof2024 , hope you are doing great, and congratulations on making it to so many good schools.

I think your dilemma in deciding between Georgetown and INSEAD is well-founded if you are looking not too far into the horizon and your immediate goal is to get some international experience in tech companies in the US. It is relatively well known that people looking to work in the US post-MBA should do an MBA in the states.

In my opinion, INSEAD caters to a certain kind of demographic that wants to remain globally mobile.
I am also not too convinced about your statement that INSEAD does not have a strong name in Asia/East Asia, because in my experience the East Asian students at INSEAD during my time there were at a great advantage for making the cut to most shortlists and interviews due to the language criteria applicable for most jobs in the region (if there are no hard language criteria, a strong preference to hire East Asian natives is prevalent). There aren't many globally ranked B Schools in East Asia, the wards of which would give stiff competition to INSEAD grads in terms of experience and networking skills if the recruitment process is fair. I suggest you connect with a few alums working in the region where you would want to work eventually to get a better idea.

And yes, a one-year program does pose challenges if you want to switch industries. But you can certainly do an internship while studying at INSEAD/ or before, if you are someone concerned about transitioning into tech. Some of the students do part-time internships while studying in the July-August Batch which is a shorter 10-month program.

NUS is a great school if you are an East Asian/Singaporean and looking for opportunities in/around Singapore. But if you want to remain geography agnostic and have strong alumni backing whichever continent you go to, INSEAD certainly is a better brand.

Would love to hear what others have to say. Let us know what you decide

Best wishes

Hello! Thank you for the input.

I don't mind working in any location next 5-10 years and don't mind working in subsidiaries of those companies based in EU/Asia.

The fact that majority of companies that I am targeting have headquarters in US and that internship opportunity will not be through typical MBA-intern programs in EA/Blizzard/Amazon for US programs concerns me.

I take my words back on Insead not having much name, I didn't meant it that way. I just never heard of the company until I started my study(and my colleagues do not know the school).

Hello classof2024,

You will have plenty of opportunities even if you join INSEAD and that is the biggest brand on your list! INSEAD should be your pick.

All the best!

Given that you would like to be mobile for the next 10 years, Insead seems like the better choice. There arguably the best in Europe, well recognised in NA, and have a decent presence (when compared with other top US and European programs) in Asia.

Thank you all for posting replies here.

After my post, I got into Tuck and UNC, and Georgetown offered $20,000 scholarship($10k/year)

I decided to matriculate at Insead, however, due to Visa problems at US, above-average age of mine, and attraction of consulting industry after talking to consultants.

Wish me luck on my journey!