alexpiers wrote:
marc000 wrote:
Thank you for your replies, they were already helpful. In order to clarify: I am European (Swiss) and I am absolutely open to where I want to work after graduation. I could imagine to work in the U.S. just as I could imagine to start in London, Paris, or even go back to Zurich. This is why I asked to leave this factor out. But I get your point, that I have to give this aspect a better thought.
Maybe I can rephrase my question in order to get more insight: Imagine you are European and wanted to study primarily in the U.S. However, you are also open to study (and work afterwards) in Europe, so you apply correspondingly. Let's say you choose to apply to Sloan, GSB, INSEAD, and IE. Now you get rejected from all but IE. Would you take the spot or would you give some other US Schools (Tepper, McDonough, etc.) another try for the second application round?
I think you should better clear up your plans for yourself: industry->country and according to these plans choose the program. The only important thing (IMO) in MBA how it will help you in your future. MBA for MBA is nothing! E.g. U want to find job in Wall Street -> US schools and maybe LBS. Nothing else in Europe could be useful. Even 2 tier US Progam like Tepper will be more beneficial for you than INSEAD.
If you want my opinion in general I would say that 2nd tier MBA programs in US are much better than all MBA programs in Europe (except INSEAD, LBS and maybe IMD). Hence US Top programs are the best in the world and cannot be compared with European MBA programs. But it is general view, if U have some specific idea about post MBA job -in this even IE in Spain could be better than HBS. And one more advice - do not trust rankings, they are very tricky...
I don't agree at all. First of all HBS is HBS in US and in Spain...it is the world best BS and university, everybody know about Harvard and specialised employers know that HBS is the best in the world. Secondly rankings are the only instruments most employers have to understand how good/prestigious your education is, so yes, it counts until you don't prefere to study to a n. 40 in the FT ranking instead of a n. 15, for field and location reasons. But it can't work choosing the best programs in a country instead of the best program in the world. Finally, don't agree with european top programs being worst than 2nd tier US ones. US MBA's cohort is much less experienced, students are 3 to 5 years younger, and they have a very poor diversity so you will never acquire a global view and experience in a 2 tier US schools, while this can be different if you speak about US 1st tier schools. I am in IE, and can't change this program for any 2nd tiers US schools, for diversity ( a mini united nations) ranking (3rd european BS, 12th MBA program in the world, 1st online MBA in the world) and focus (global, not US centric). I could change IE for Harvard, Standford, Sloan, Booth, Wharton, Kellog.. not for a Kelley. It is simple, check the rankings, they are not a bad guide on how to choose a top program and how much they can be conditioned form parameters which not always respect the reality, we should accept that as it is. We are in business, and marketing is what counts in sales, so a top school is a top school, no matter where it is, will stay a top school. There are people who prefere to study in LBS instead of HBS. Are they idiot? Maybe I couldn't do it in their place, but I don't believe they are idiots.