INSEAD vs Wharton

Question

Hi everyone,

I am currently debating between these 2 schools.
My background - 28, Indian origin, 5 years financial analytics consulting experience across US , Singapore and India.
Post MBA goal-strategy consulting. 
Countries - Long term- Australia (my family is settled there); Short term- I am open to any place - US/Singapore (Europe - but doesn't offer that many job opportunities)
Visa - I would need visa sponsorship in both Europe and US, so that's not really a deciding factor.

I do like the shorter course idea given its a smaller burden financially (and getting to live in Europe briefly) but does INSEAD have that much name recognition globally compared to US schools? It was ranked one globally this year but the rankings keep moving every year and might not be as reliable.

My thoughts-

INSEAD-

Pros- 
10 months-shorter time away from work, much greater ROI
Gives me access to Singapore campus and Wharton/Kellogg exchange
Rank 1 in FT rankings for 2016
One of the Top schools for MBB recruiters

Cons- 
Shorter course - no time for internship-maybe imp given I want to change my field.
Name recognition -rankings keep changing. US schools are better world renowned and especially good for US jobs. Given the state of European economy - US is still the place for better job opportunities.
Is Campus Exchange really that valuable given the short time spent there.

Wharton -

Pros- 
Well renowned , better job opportunities in US
Longer course - internship option to get a feel of strategy consulting

Cons- 
Higher cost-almost twice as much - higher loan
Not much access to Asia - Singapore/Australia markets - my long term goal
Much younger student population - might be much older than my classmates

Any thoughts? (Have posted it on the schools forums as well)

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

Some questions for you to think about. Where is your work authorization? Where do you want your immediate post-mba position to be?

Are you currently trilingual?

Are you open to doing the January start, so you can do an internship at INSEAD?

MBB recruitment at INSEAD is good, is it good for people with your ethnicity and your particular background?

Are you looking to have deep bonds with your classmates? if so, two years might be better. Many say that doing a full-time MBA is really about getting a good network. That's not to say you can't do that at INSEAD of course but 2 years is just not the same as one.

I know it sounds like I'm promoting Wharton here but just want to make sure you're aware of the trade-offs.

One consideration might be the Lauder program if you want an international MBA at Wharton.

Farrell Dyan Hehn, MBA
Admissions Consultant & Verbal Strategist MBAPrepCoach.com

qinqiuk · Answer

From your pros and cons, you seem to care about job opportunities in Asia. INSEAD has campus in Singapore and Fontainebleau. It also has electives cover running business in China.

If you want to do consulting post MBA, INSEAD is a must. It is known for placing students in consulting firms, while Wharton is known for Finance.

I am 32 and going to start in INSEAD in January 2017. There will be two month in the summer for internship.

For me rational is simple, I don't want to looking for jobs at 35 and one year self funded career break is about right. If you have read Snapshots from Hell, you will know the author only cared to write about the first year. That to me says something about two year programmes.

prvarm24 · Answer

Hi,

Can you please help with your rationale for finally taking INSEAD; Is it because of Australia; as even I am conidering Australia as the country for finally settling in.

Thanks

bb · Answer

Something to be aware of, and something that has been discussed a bit in the AGSM and other threads - Australia is a tough job market for MBA's. The combination of PR/Residence requirements and lack of large employers willing to pay a premium for an MBA grad are the two main factors.

1. Unless you have a PR or work permit, few employers will be willing to hire you as an expat and mess with visa/work permit paperwork (it happens but not often)
2. Companies in Australia give more preference/weight to work experience. Thus it is a better location for those 30+ with good brand names on their resumes and good accomplishments, but still, the salary premium one would get is not as high as in the US or London for example.

Granted, if you are heading to INSEAD, Wharton, HBS, or MIT - you may find #1 to be less of an issue with companies willing to bet on someone with strong track record/etc but in general, Australian job market is not super friendly to outsiders and takes more effort to break into than EU, UK, or US, or even Canada for that matter.

Good Luck!

billionaire · Answer

Hi DI119 First congrats on admission to both great and top schools.

Let start with your long terms/short term goals, long:Australia (family); short term: US/Singapore (Europe - but doesn't offer that many job opportunities). Do you really think that you will have problem to find job anywhere after graduation from INSEAD/Wharton ??? You will not ! Any big company is going to do your papers/visa. I will not delve into details now about rankings, I assume you are aware of that and we are talking about nuances anyways. However you can find all necessary research about that and more regarding consulting, in my previous post here : https://gmatclub.com/forum/profile-eval ... l#p2102447 We have here strategic, life/cultural experience and cost effective decision to make. From that aspect is rather easy to decide, since you want European living experience, Asian/Australian working/living experience, you should clearly go to INSEAD, especially since that pleasure will cost you twice as less . If you go to Wharton you know you will work in US afterwards.

How's that fit in your long term plan ?

INSEAD worldwide recognition is just fine, sometimes considered as "numero uno" for consulting, and that brand recognition will not change anytime soon. In terms of sheer numbers, no school sends more students into consulting jobs than INSEAD . According to the school’s latest 2016 MBA employment report, 46 percent of INSEAD MBAs took a job in the consulting sector and 48 percent assumed a consulting function. That’s a whopping 479 students accepting a position as a consultant—almost half of the 999 students who filled out the employment report. INSEAD’s MBA graduates took jobs with such companies as McKinsey (which hired 125 INSEAD grads in 2016), BCG (67), Bain (48), Strategy& (24), and Accenture (16). And it’s no wonder the major players like INSEAD. Many alumni hold prominent positions such as chairmen, CEO, or senior leader at these same top consulting firms. As for where these consulting grads work, they’re spread out around the world. More than 100 consulting graduates took jobs in Western Europe, 41 of those in the United Kingdom. Another 83 graduates headed off to consulting offices in Asia Pacific, including 23 each in Singapore and Australia . But the single most attractive country for INSEAD consulting grads was the United Arab Emirates, which drew 42. INSEAD also features an alliance with the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, allowing INSEAD students to spend one of their five periods studying at the U.S. school. INSEAD has a similar campus exchange with Kellogg as well . These exchanges afford INSEAD students access to those schools’ career management centers as well, which can be especially valuable in terms of making connections to U.S. recruiters for students who are interested in working in consulting in the United States after graduation. https://www.clearadmit.com/2017/09/choo ... sulting-2/ Seems like you can get also Wharton/Kellogg experience with INSEAD for the price on discount.

Think no more. In your case, I vote for INSEAD, it's even ideal for you.

deepsanku · Answer

DI119  You got scholarships from any B school?if yes then which and how much?

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using  GMAT Club Forum mobile app

ak139 · Answer

Hey there - congrats on your offers!

Context: I'm from SE Asia; got offers from Wharton $$$, Chicago Booth and LBS $; chose Wharton; transitioned to McKinsey afterwards for 4 years and now live in the SF Bay Area working in tech. (NB - I switched geographies, function and industry when I moved into mgmt consulting in the US. FWIW, I did spend 6 months in McKinsey SEA, as well, so have some insight there). So I have some empathy for the decision that you're making. : )

The biggest piece of advice I have is not to over-state the school's role in preparing you for a future job - any school can only do so much to prep you, 60-70% is really down to you. If you're interested in transitioning to management consulting, there's no meaningful difference in how either school preps you to be successful.

If I were you, some thoughts I had and questions I would ask when evaluating the different offers:

(1) How strong are the two programs in Asia / Australasia? INSEAD is strong in SE Asia but so is Wharton. (When I was a Wharton student, Wharton alums were the heads of the central banks in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand lol.) Honestly, I think it would be a wash for how either program sets you up in SE Asia. No clue about Australia - but I'd investigate if I were you, for example by asking to speak to alums in Australia. (NB - If you were recruiting for Europe, no doubt that INSEAD would win. If you were recruiting for US, Wharton would win.)

FWIW, in recruiting at McKinsey SEA, no one really cares whether you're from HBS, Wharton, or INSEAD. (There's a set of core schools that they recruit from - which includes both Wharton and INSEAD - and they care about whether you're in that core set or not. Now, if you were coming from Michigan, that would be a bigger issue - no disrespect intended to Michigan.) Bear in mind, though, that it's your PERSONAL attributes that mean more for recruiting - not what school you come from. Both schools will land and prep you for an interview equally well at McKinsey SEA, but you really need to pass the interview on your own.

(2) 1- vs 2-year program: I think your points about ROI and having the opportunity to explore opportunities in a less risk-free manner via a summer internship are valid. FWIW, my personal opinion in choosing a 2-year program was that ROI alone is a limited metric -- there's more to life than maximizing ROI after a certain point - and I figured the long-term ROI would sort itself out. I was also conscious about making a transition into a new industry, so wanted to manage the risk through the summer internship.

If I were you, I'd explore with INSEAD about how many students successfully transition INTO consulting from elsewhere (vs. existing consultants who are sponsored by their firms to get an MBA), and how the school prepares students who are trying to make the switch. (I imagine they do a good job, but maybe good to probe this more deeply.)

(3) Qualitative factors: Looking back at my time at Wharton, if I were thinking about what I wish I knew when I was making a decision between my offers - I realize I under-estimated the "qualitative" factors (no surprise given Wharton's focus on analysis lol). Specifically, I didn't realize how much my perspectives and horizons would be broadened by my classmates who were brilliant and ambitious and many of them interested in completely different areas such as tech and entrepreneurship. Many of my closest friends are from bschool and I continue to learn from them as we move into different paths. (I just came back from Singapore, where I officiated a bschool friend's wedding.) The challenge of course is that this is a hard thing to evaluate - esp when you live in Asia - but now that you have the offers, I'd ask the admissions offices to speak to current students and recent alums. See who you like better, who you can imagine sitting in a class with, and who you can most learn from and teach. It's a bit touchy-feely, but it's a real thing.

Good luck!

INSEAD vs Wharton

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