Ask My Anything about European MBA Programs!

I am not sure how the portal works in terms of posting a reply. I hope this works.
Sure! I can give you a complete overview of the program. What do you want to know.

That is all hypothetical...and yes...you cant rely on colleges to provide you with job opportunities unlike that in countries like India.
If you have something specific in mind or have questions, feel free to revert. I can certainly give you a holistic approach of the B schools here.

Also if typing is not your thing and you want to discuss your questions over call.
Here is my e-mail and number:

bishesh.naik@gmail.com

+49 15753874245
Whatspp preferred

Here is my take on the matter. See if you agree.

1-2 Best (but expensive) schools are most "prestigious" are INSEAD and LBS. good rankings and great ROI depending on what industry you want to do. If you are going into a lower paying industry and financing at these schools, still could be better of going to one of "the rest" with any type of scholarship.

The rest - top 10 - (IMD, IESE, HEC, ESADE, IE, SAID, JUDGE, SDA Bocconi)
- Really depends on where you want to work and what you want to do. For example IESE or SAID may rank higher than SDA on most rankings, but if you want to work in luxury fashion or in Milan SDA is the better choice. Other examples are IMD for industry reputation, IESE/HEC strength in consulting possibly banking in Spain/France in particular, ESADE in entrepreneurship and lower cost for 2 yr, SAID/JUDGE for London although only 1 years, IE for more exp. demographic and only 1 year.

the rest of the rest (rotterdam, Warwick, Cass, Imperial, st gallen, mannheim, rest of top german programs, etc etc)
- some great schools and often great parent universities. even more regionally based and favoring industries

I guess my point is, barring INSEAD and LBS, the top 10 rankings in Europe are not weighted as importantly or differences as drastic as the M7/m15 break down of schools in the states, at least not according to my research. Profile, desired location and industry, and program type and cost, are more important than absolute ranking.

I mean...ya to some extent but again..one has to understand that ...unlike US... the education or the degree is not that important when looking for career opportunities. The basis of getting a job is totally different here and I believe all my European peers will agree. Obviously a degree from a good b school will definitely have its advantages but language and work exp along with specific skillsets are more sought after. The places where your degree could be valued more have very stringent requirements on language. At the end of the day....one has to understand that education is free in Europe, so going for MBA which is very expensive according to Europeans and is considered as an "unwanted luxury" because that is not a deciding factor when it comes to getting a high pay or a job. Almost all the executives in big firms dont have MBA or business degree in Europe..so the story is a bit different. At the end of the day depends on individuals how and what they want.

i understand what you are getting at and i think its important for applicants to grasp. At a top 20 US MBA program, there are endless companies that are looking to hire, even in roles that you have no experience with. It is truly a wide net. Whereas, Investment Banking in Europe rarely hire MBA graduates who do not have prior banking experience. In the US, it is common place. On top of that, most large and medium US companies recruit and want to hire MBAs. A lot of the large companies hiring from European programs are American companies or heavily American influenced.

So maybe i am wrong, but would you agree that a top European MBA is certainly worth it as long as you have an career focus that matches your prior experience, values MBAs, and with no language barrier?
For example, if you are a consultant or a banker and want to move to the next level post MBA, or you want to work at a US company that hires in Europe (Amazon, Microsoft, Nike, AMEX), or one of the few European companies that have large MBA footprints (AB InBEV, ADIDAS, HSBC, etc).

this article is great and related (wish it was more updated tho as data comes during time of big recession) https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2015 ... ls-europe/

Yes... to some extent it can boost your career opportunities but again...yes depends on the hiring manager and the company... I mean...language will always be an issue here...but again... a lot of factors are to be considered. However I agree with you statement to some extent. Or lets put it this way. An European already in a good position plans to do an MBA to help catalyst his/her career opportunities. Then the answer is yes...that works. But again... quality of education is good and it for sure sets you apart and especially as you said...the american firms do generally recognize MBA... but post other criteria being fulfilled.

Great discussion, thanks. so did most of your non-European classmates end up pretty disappointed with career outcomes? Or i guess any nationality who overestimated the ability of job opportunities from an EU MBA ended up disappointed?

Well...some of them had to go back to their home countries or to some other places in search of job opportunities. But some of them are happy considering they were able to land a job at the end of the day. As it generally is a very tough market out their for non-tech resources without language skills. All's well that ends well. Compared to the price you pay these days for MBA programs, it would be a ok-ok calculated risk but if you are too optimistic about the prediction that only an MBA will catapult you to the top hierarchy of the corporate world, then you are in for a surprise.

Is it difficult to switch my career through Europe MBA?

Thanks much for starting this initiative. Appreciate your help and efforts. I've designated your topic as Announcement so as to increase its visibility.

Narenn Thank you so much....I hope it helps some people.....

mangamma I think there's a great chance that you may switch careers in Europe post MBA and you are highly likely to do so. It is because in some roles and responsibilities people cant get a job in Europe in order to find a job people tend to change their domain of work. e.g. Sales and Marketing in Europe requires extensive knowledge of their local language, so people from similar background either burn the midnight oil learning languages on top of their curriculum or they try to find jobs more suitable in the current scenario. Sometimes it plays to your advantage as well.
Coming on to another factor. A lot of mid and small enterprises are looking towards for Asia and Africa as potential markets and are looking for international people with diverse background to increase their operations. So they hire people across different domains and LoB's.
Last but not the least. An internship is a great way to propel you to change your line of work. e.g. If you want to pursue a career in CSR or Change management etc. then doing an internship in a company with similar work makes a lot of sense . or probably in similar departments. It can help you land a permamanet job in that sector-.

Hi,
My friend has 15 years of job experience. He is planning to apply for MBA(Full time) in University of Edinburgh. Is it worth to apply? How would be the post MBA jobs? It is in FT ranking for the last four years Your suggestion will help to take decision.
Thanks in advance

Hi Bishesh.
I have a specific query of German MBA and visas ie as many MBA schools there have a different start date ie more spread out than the US ones . Does the german student visa have a last date for entry in country(like US has 4th September ) or one can enter anytime before the MBA program?