MBA recognition in other countries

Question

Hi,

I am interested in pursuing an MBA but i am at a loss on where to do this. I have an offer from a US BS and two offers from the top schools in Greece. The thing is that due to the economic situation i am really interested in moving abroad (i do not care where i will go) and i would like to know if getting an MBA from the AUEB or ALBA at Greece will be helpful or meaningless. I mean if a company saw an applicant with an MBA from AUEB would they reject, accept or be indifferent? (other qualifications aside).

I am not going for the big bucks so i am not interested in going to Unis like Harvard or INSEAD but i would like to be able to get a job that will help me have a descend life and put some money aside so that i can send my parents back home to assist them financially. The US BS i have been accepted to is HULT but the total amount required is around 60000 euros. For the AUEB the amount is 12000 (it is low because it is a public Uni) and for ALBA the amount goes up to 25000.

Any feedback would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance.

gmech · Answer

It is like every other MBA. You apply and if you are accepted you pay the installments.

bb · Answer

I think unless it is a well know MBA, it won't be too powerful.
However, it will still count - you will get credit when applying for a job, just won't get any recognition of a value (think of it as a checkmark rather than a plus).

However, if all of your experience is in Greece (worked for a local company, not Nestle or Coca Cola, school, etc), it will be really tough to find a job in the US; US employers prefer to hire from companies they know and familiar with. They prefer someone else to do the vetting and training.

gmech · Answer

Thanks for the reply!

I have done research for a while in G.E. and i have worked at CERN and a Greek company. What i want to try is after the MBA to go to work in an EU country for three or four years and then try to apply to a US company. I know that USA has a very different philosophy than any other country. I have relatives there, my mother is American and i myself have visited NY three or four times so i can say with certainty that it gives you the opportunities that nobody else does. This is why i applied to a US BS also. My main concern is that i do not know how respected is Hult among companies there. This is why i asked for a comparison between Hult and the Greek schools.

My main hesitation comes from the difference in the total amount which is about $75000 (to be frank with this difference i can built a house with a big yard here).

However if a Hult MBA gives me a good chance of finding a good job with the prospect of earning the money back in 3-4 years then i would go for it.

trader1 · Answer

If I were in your shoes, I would go for the top name-brand schools (H / S / W / Insead / LBS / IMD ) to give you the flexibility to work almost anywhere in the world.

Or, go for the top b-schools in a particular country (St. Gallen / Mannheim / IE / Bocconi / Rotterdam / HEC / Copenhagen / SSE / ...) if you have a preference to work in that country post-graduation.

You should apply even if you think it's too expensive or cannot afford it. Maybe you get a scholarship offer or can apply for financial aid. Furthermore, going through the iterations of writing applications and being interviewed will give you the practice and confidence required to be successful in getting the offer of admission.

gmech · Answer

I have applied to few and i have already been through the interview process in three Schools. I had also begun an application to Rotterdam and to St. Gallen Unis but i did not finish the application as the required amount (tuition plus living expenses and rent) is so high that i cannot afford it. I only have 30000 eu but i lack another 25000 which i cannot get through loans.

Hult is the only option (as far as foreign schools are concerned) because i have relatives in the US that could contribute (through meals and reduced rent).

But i really appreciate the information since this is what i was looking for. At least i can now make a more solid decision.

MBA recognition in other countries

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