SIM / MBF St. Gallen 2016. Who will apply?

Question

Yes I know it is still early but you can't plan too early. I definitely want to apply, just hope bachelor certification will be in on time. Who else is planning to apply.

mtcalvarenga · Answer

Hi, I will apply! Does anyone know if it is possible to apply as a senior year student?

mookymooky · Answer

Hey Guys,

I am applying (also, this is my first message ever on any forum and I am 27).

A couple of questions to you guys:

When they say that the letter of motivation is three pages does that mean that we must fill all three pages because this is quite a lot. I have no idea what to say after a page and a half.

Also, St. Gallen also asks for our school certificate but mine's in Hebrew, and it seems like such a chore to translate it, plus why do they care about my high school grades so much. any thoughts?

Third, they ask for the GRE and TOEFL score, must we submit it through ETS services, or can I just scan my the score I received by mail?

Thank you, and hope to see you next year.

mtcalvarenga · Answer

Hi! I'm not sure about the first two question, but you definitely do have to send the official score reports through ETS!

mookymooky · Answer

there goes 50$

INemo · Answer

Hey everybody,

Current SIMmie here. You can apply while being a senior in undergrad, no problem. You'll just have to send them an official transcript once the semester begins (or maybe you can do it before, it did not apply to me).

Regarding your diplomas (high school and bachelor), they have to be translated into German or English (or possibly French). If you need them translated, go through an official translator that can certify the translation.

ping1 · Answer

Ruhm, could you share some insights into the SIM program? How do you like it so far, how are the people, etc.?

I just applied for the intake of 2016, so it would be great to get some 'first hand' information.

mookymooky · Answer

Hey guys,
I second that. I really think we can all benefit from hearing from someone who's currently in the program. Also, I have a question for anyone who think he or she can help with. I am a 27 year old Israeli, with zero language skill in German. In the past few months I came across some threads in this forum and others, talking about St. Gallen's prospects for international students, and they are not positive at all. Look at this one for example: university-of-st-gallen-hsg-mbf-2014-intake-162926.html
In it there is a lengthy answer from an international student who is very disappointed from his working opportunities once the program finishes. I myself know that should I come to St. Gallen I will start learning German, but still can't help not to worry about my work placeman after the program, as even in the program's brochure itself it specify that about 90% of graduates end up working in Switzerland, and most of the rest end up finding employment in the Germanic world.
Would love to hear your thoughts in this matter, as I was accepted and need to produce an answer in the next few weeks.

Thank you

INemo · Answer

No problem. I'm really happy with my choice so far. I was accepted at all the other schools I applied to (pretty much the FT ranking top 8) and would not have made things differently so far. What stands out after one semester is that the student body is really great. Not only are the individuals smart, driven, sociable, and all that, but also the fact that we're a small group (55) creates a nice, close-knit community that you probably wouldn't get elsewhere.

The program (and arguably university) guarantees you great connections in the DACH region, although German can be a requirement depending on where and what you want to do. For example, most students interested in consulting have interviews with MBB in Zürich/Germany, and companies will be very eager to get you to intern for them. For example, some companies (within strategy consulting, manufacturing, energy and insurance so far, if I recall correctly) offer specifically tailored internships for students who need to complete their "International Project" (mandatory work/internship experience outside Switzerland and your home country). On top of that there are tons of events hosted by companies/clubs on campus, and they are usually eager to have you attend.

A brutal thing, however, is the workload during the first semester. You can forget doing anything from late October to early December as you will have 5 projects and presentations due (to which you can add elective work that can include exams, papers and presentations). In addition to this you'll have to start working on the SIMagination Challenge social project abroad, which will add additional work here and there. From conversations I had with alumni, the following semesters are less work-heavy and gives you more time to work on your thesis or even take some time off to do an internship.

Regarding life in St. Gallen, the prices are high for everyone outside Switzerland, NYC, London, and some similarly rich and expensive places. The weather can get pretty nasty, but the city remains fairly livable. The university has 7500 students out of the 75000 people living in the city, so there will always be some student stuff happening somewhere. There's also tons of sport you can partake in be it at the university or elsewhere. You can get to a ski resort in less than an hour (or so I've heard), and if you feel like moving you can get to Zürich/Konstanz/the Alps/Austria in less than an hour.

I really feel like procrastinating, so feel free to ask if you have any additional question.

INemo · Answer

A lot of people end up working in Switzerland due to the salaries (and quality of life). Entry-level consulting/finance in Zürich is around 100'000 CHF, and most German students want to do just that since salaries across the border are much lower. As far as I know, most work in Germany will require a solid command of German. Certain firms in Zürich do not require German. I hear some consultants at McKinsey and Deloitte deal with international clients and do not speak German beyond survival-level, but they are clearly the exception rather than the norm. If you were to go to St. Gallen, I would recommend starting with German as quickly as possible and even more importantly to be in a shared apartment with German-speakers. Beyond that, the university provides classes and resources to learn German, so there is always a way to improve during your stay.

mookymooky · Answer

Sounds great. I applied to the MBF and my hope is to work in the financial services industry. Do you think that St. Gallen has strong international ties with the industry? For example, in career fairs or things like that. As much as I love Switzerland, I hope to live and work in Asia after the Masters. Do you think that going to St. Gallen would be wise in this situation?

thank you.

INemo · Answer

I'm not so sure about what to answer to this. St. Gallen is widely recognized in Europe, but I would assume it still loses to LSE/HEC/Bocconi (maybe even IE and Esade) outside Europe and North America. If you know you want to work in Asia, the university has partnerships with other universities over there. Doing a semester or a year abroad could be a good way to improve your odds in Asia. From my experience, the MBF also tends to have more students from the East than the SIM, so you might be able to leverage some connections within your class.

ping1 · Answer

Thank you!

I have another question regarding the language proficiency requirements: As it appears to me, one is required to speak two different foreign languages. Is it possible to learn a second foreign language from scratch at the university, i.e. do they offer beginner's courses to SIM students? Is it even possible to attend additional courses regarding the already dense curriculum?

Moreover, do you have any information on the exchange opportunities during the program? Of course, I have seen the impressive list of partner universities. However, in my experience it frequently happens that there are only very few, if any exchange slots that are really offered to the students. Do you have any insights into this issue?

lmk · Answer

Hi, I would like to apply for the 2016 intake and I'd like to ask you a profile valuation.

Italian, 23 years old this year.
700 GMAT (49q/36r)
Bachelor's in BA in a quite good Italian university (not really considered abroad), 106/110. Should give me a 5.24 Swiss GPA
7.5 IELTS
One 3-months internship (medium enterprise, worked in strategy)
Currently in a 1-year mandate in the executive committe of my uni's finance club, working on 3 different projects (should be a good EC)

Sadly, even though my GMAT is not bad, it's not enough to make a huge difference.
I should earn something like 40+22+?+?? points.

It's mandatory to get 80 points in order to be ammitted, am I right?

Thanks!

INemo · Answer

You need to speak one foreign language at level one and another one at level two. English will not count, and I am still confused as to how your mother tongue is counted. This level one/two depends on the language. For example: level two German and French (and maybe even Italian) is C2, which is the closest you can get to fluency. Level two Chinese, however, is A2, which is quite basic. The website for the language center is rather poorly designed, so what you could do is ask what classes are given by shooting them an e-mail at "sprachenzentrum@unisg.ch". They should answer in a day or two. I think classes are given in about 12 languages at beginner level, and maybe 6-7 up to fairly advanced level. The only SIM-only language classes available now are three intensive German classes covering A1-A2, A2-B1, B2-C1 levels. They're not that intensive, but you're like 4-6 with one professor so you get a fairly decent amount of face time. A lot of SIM students continue learning a language, either by using university resources or by combining them with their own program and whatnot. It is definitely possible. The core classes (1st semester) are not usually just two/four hours every week on the same day; they tend to be bigger blocks spread out (somewhat randomly, in my opinion) over the semester. You might have a clash once or twice in the semester between a core class and a language class, but I would not worry about that. In addition to classes, there is a "self-service" system where (I think) you can just pop-up and do a language module at the language center. If you miss a class or have to do something else for some time, you can always come there later and catch up. From what I gather, most of the partner universities allocate slots for HSG students. Some "exceptions" are certain schools only offering exchange opportunities in the spring semester, while fall is usually the semester of choice for most students. There sure is competition for certain universities (the better US schools and Hong Kong from what I hear) but most people seem to be happy with the options. One thing to note is that a majority of US and Canadian schools offer exchanges through their MBA program and ask for a minimum of two years of work experience. Although these regular exchanges are open to practically everybody, the competitive nature favors SIM and MBF students as your bachelor grade is the most important criterion, and having a decent GMAT and cool ECs make you a better sell (officially "ambassador"). In addition to these, the SIM offers double degrees with certain schools such as HEC, ESADE, INCAE (MBA, Costa Rica), and NBS (MBA, Singapore), but I am not really that knowledgeable regarding these options. Hope that helped

menken · Answer

I am a bit confused about your discussion of language requirements. I do speak German (mother tongue) and English and thought that is enough for admission and only during the SIM program I am supposed to learn another language. Is that right?

INemo · Answer

As English is not your mother tongue, doing the SIM should validate the level 2 requirement, so you would only have to learn or show some level of proficiency in another language in order to meet that requirement. Sorry for not making it clearer.

EDIT: I'm not sure about the language requirement for admission (other than the TOEFL, I belive). I wonder if somebody who speaks only English could be admitted...

ping1 · Answer

Thanks for all the information, highly appreciated!

Antal · Answer

Anyone knows when we can receive decisions?

menken · Answer

If you applied in early round you will be notified end of February at the latest, otherwise it will take around 4-6 weeks (rolling admission)

SIM / MBF St. Gallen 2016. Who will apply?

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