Oxford-Said vs IIMA

Blitz15
In that case I think you should definitely go with IIM A. It is a huge brand in India and much better than Said in the Indian market. UK job scenario is not that good and it'll be extremely difficult to make a career switch. Moreover a 2Y program is always better to explore career options and make a career switch. It'll work even more smoothly in IIM A since majority of folks are career switchers in Indian b schools unlike international schools.

Hope that helps? Feel free to reach out if you have any further queries.

Hi Blitz,

I agree with Rohit about IIMA. Its the most recognized MBA in India (still awe inspiring). More importantly, it has an excellent long term value.

Thank you for the info!

I am aware that IIMA is better for making a career in India, however I am more focused on getting international exposure and working in a different country. Atleast in the long term, I plan to work abroad.

Outside their respective countries, how do the two schools fare in terms of reputation and employment prospects? For example, if I look for opportunities in EU or in some immigration friendly countries like Canada, Aus/NZ or the middle east, which school would help better? I felt this would be a bit difficult at IIM because most of the alumni are based in india.

Another reason I am a bit skeptical about going to IIMA because of the lack of diversity and student culture. Most of them are engineers like me, and against most of them are just freshers from college with little to no work-ex. So there would be little I could learn from my peers.

Would it be foolish to leave IIMA and go to Said for these reasons?

You say this because deep down you know this
I totally understand your willingness to work internationally and I really appreciate that. But the path you're choosing (Said) isn't the best way of doing it. If you had an offer from M7/LBS/INSEAD I would have definitely recommended you to choose them over IIMA. (I myself decided to put down ISB for a US program) But UK is a place to avoid right now. They have already triggered article 50 and for 2 years it'll be only negotiations with the EU and other major trade partners. UK is slipping into elections in next few weeks. I read news all the time of companies freezing fresh hiring and plans to move to elsewhere in EU. I myself applied to Judge and LBS hence did good research on the UK market. If I were you, I would have taken IIM A at this stage. Again, it's a personal decision and at the end follow your heart and not what the world asks you to do. But whatever you decide, make sure you take an informed decision. Wish you all the best

PS: I'll be happy to have a conversation sometime if you feel that might help you in making a decision.

IIMA is still considered to be the awe inspiring for two reasons -->
A) number of applicants.(biggest reasons)
B) Prestige/Brand (in India )



However in light of your comments "I would prefer working abroad (in UK/EU/ME)" I would suggest Oxford.
Honestly you want to do an MBA from your the place you seek to be looking job in.


Alternatively you may choose to reapply to a bunch of other programs next fall.



Regards
Stone Cold

I agree with Rohit. I currently live in the UK and from conversations I've had, Said isn't that strong a brand in the UK. The other problem the MBA in general isn't viewed as favorably as in the US or India. So barring INSEAD or LBS, none of the other schools are thought of that favorably.

Theresa May is promising to cut net migration by 100,000s and they will probably make Tier-2 visas harder to get. You don't want to find yourself in a situation where getting visas has become incredibly difficult right as you graduate from Said.

That said I definitely empathize with your desire to work abroad. Can you defer your admissions for a year and apply to INSEAD/LBS? It seems you're still fairly young and you could afford to apply in the upcoming rounds.

Ok, I see. Thanks for the info.

Well, there are a couple of things I still want to know. Outside of the UK and India, how well are the two schools reputed? How are the employment prospects in other immigrant-friendly countries like Canada or middle east for a graduate from these schools?

I could try and defer my course, but the thing is I resigned from my job the moment the IIMA admit came as the matriculation date there is in the mid of june. The oxford admit came a couple of weeks back, and I have to pay the deposit by this month end. Would it be wise to defer my course, spend some time finding a new job and then apply to Insead/LBS?

Also, what do you think are my chances for Insead/LBS considering my profile? I read somewhere that international work-ex is a hidden pre-requisite at these schools, which I don't have. Do I have a fair chance?

I suggest reaching out to Said's Career Center directly and finding out what the prospects are for jobs in Canada/ME. I think Canada in general is more open from an immigration perspective. Being young and having a master's degree is a plus for their points based system. If you can secure a job there, you're a lock in for permanent residency.

I think this is a great question to post in the Ask Admissions consultants forum (Mention that you got admits to IIMA, Said, but did not get admitted to certain other schools) - to give an idea to them and potentially point out your strengths/weaknesses. They will be able to provide input and as MBADecoder suggested, maybe even offer a conversation/free consult.

I think Canada is going to be very very competitive next year (one reason is US Immigration Policies and UK changes: https://gmatclub.com/forum/wsj-internat ... 39548.html).

Getting a new job may not be helpful enough at this point in time - you will likely not be able to provide sufficient change/progression/improvement in the short amount of time you have to reapply....

Take a look at the SAID reviews: https://gmatclub.com/reviews/business_school/oxford-25 and potentially reach out to other Indians/similar profile applicants to see about their experience.

Good Luck!