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Safety school vs Retry

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Safety school vs Retry [#permalink] New post   30 Jun 2023, 23:56
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Hello,

I am 34 F planning to pursue an MBA to work in the retail / FMCG industry in the EU/UK. I wanted to join a program in '23.
My school choices were HEC, Judge and my safety school was ESCP (because of two country option). I was rejected at HEC but I was interviewed at Judge. Sadly, I received a rejection from Judge after the interview (my interview wasn't great) but now I am not sure if I should take the safety school or wait and retry for better schools (Jan intake) given ESCP MBA is fairly new.

Any suggestions/feedback?
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Safety school vs Retry [#permalink] New post   01 Jul 2023, 00:12
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Congrats on your admit.

The choice and preferences always depend on your goals so for someone with wanna go to school may be a bad choice but with someone else it may be a great choice. I would also add that any program with a full scholarship is a great value… if you have a full scholarship 😇

I don’t have a strong knowledge of the ESCP program but if it is a fairly new program and the most senior graduates are your age or younger than you, it may be a bit of a tricky value proposition when it comes to alum network and recruiting.

Also I don’t know how it is in Europe but I know in the US CPG is a pretty small and narrow recruiting area for MBA’s. There’s just not many jobs in CPG and a lot of the times it’s only available to local residents. Obviously if that is your industry and your experience, you stick with it but my point is that it may be hard to find the proper level job and it may take some time and advanced planning. Whatever you think will help you with your decision and also in general with your career is reaching out to a couple CPG professionals perhaps from the HEC or ESCP by just finding them on LinkedIn to see if they have some advice for you or any recommendations. It’s helpful to get a sense from industry insider.

Also, I think he wants to target one year program and graduate as soon as possible since I don’t think you need multiple years of business school and internship unless you are switching industries.

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Re: Safety school vs Retry [#permalink] New post   01 Jul 2023, 00:20
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34 is already a stretch for MBA.
ESCP’s MBA in International Management is good; you should go for it. #27 in FT Rankings

Alternately, you could also try for INSEAD Jan intake. Three factors that would help Clinch admits at better schools -
1) GMAT score
2) Work-ex - Leadership roles, Growth/Promotions, International exposure
3) Essays - Coherent essays that can articulate your work-ex and career vision.
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Safety school vs Retry [#permalink] New post   01 Jul 2023, 00:27
Thanks. ESCP is one of the oldest schools in the EU. Their MBA program is fairly new as it was revamped in 2017 (not sure of the year) earlier it catered to only locals. As per FT rankings 22 &23, they rank in the top 50. Certainly in France HEC is the bigger brand, hence my first choice was HEC Paris. Also, I did receive a scholarship but only 20%.

Yes, I wish to pursue a 1 year MBA as I don't wish to be in a school at 36 :(. Sadly age and my rejections in my preferred schools have put me in a dilemma.
HEC (reapply) and IMD have Jan intakes. My GRE score was less hence I did not push for Insead. Also, I am fluent in English and I can speak French business level. That's why I prefer only FR/CH and UK schools.

Also bb, does the umbrella of the university really matter like "Cambridge -Judge"? vs the standalone Bschools.
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Re: Safety school vs Retry [#permalink] New post   01 Jul 2023, 01:55
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Got ya.

Usually the umbrella school is pretty weak. Or rather as strong as an umbrella, sorry for the bad pun.

The reason is that Cambridge may attract some of the best literature and physics students and maybe well-known among your friends and neighbors but that rarely translates into strong business network. By the time you reach any of the alums, it’s been decades since they graduated. Your best networking support to actually be your peer students. And I would recommend looking for a program that has more of seasoned professionals like yourself. That will be more useful from the standpoint of recruiting and networking and supporting each other.

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Re: Safety school vs Retry [#permalink]
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