Grand Ecole 2012 Intake

Question

Hi guys,

who all are applying for the Grand Ecole 2012 intake via SAI selection procedure for these schools?

AUDENCIA Nantes
EMLYON Business School
ESCP Europe
HEC Paris
SKEMA Business School

And please share more information about AUDENCIA and SKEMA, are they good reputed schools for the Msc Management course in Europe?

taralcarin · Answer

Hi guys,

The last date of application for Round 1 is : 28th Oct 2011.

Any one applying for round 1 intake?

abhc22 · Answer

hi taraclarin
i am from india and i am applying to R1 for SAI schools. i am applying to 4 schools(except SKEMA).

My gmat score is 690,AWA5. GPA - 8.3/10(til 6th sem).....extracurricular average...no internships...2 in-plant trainings...few other activities like Microsoft Certified Professional, texas instrument DSP developer and some activities in Digital Image and Signal Processing....

I know that my profile is not a perfect one for the grande ecoles... but research says that good essays can take me till interview atleast...after that it will be my interpersonal skills that will make or break my case.

Please comment.

taralcarin · Answer

Hi, Why do you think your profile is not perfect for the grand ecoles? It is my bvelief that they admit a lot of engineering graduates. I know of a person who had got admitted to ESCP with a simmilar profile of yours including a lot of DSP workshops but with a GMAT of around 740. I think EMLyon should be realistically possible for you if you have killer SOP/Essays 8-)

What do you think of applying to other schools, possibly as a safety option?

abhc22 · Answer

Thanx for ur insight. I am also applying to DUKE MMS. But m a bit apprehensive about their program. After all, MIM concept is very new in the US. And i dont know hiw the employers over there might be thinking about it just yet... But the fact that DUKE is a tier 1 institution, I will anyway apply.

For others,what do you think about Audencia? I am also considering Stockholm School Of Economics (General Management), Erasmus(General Management) ,EDHEC(Business Management)...

Your further insights will be appreciated.

taralcarin · Answer

Yes, Duke is a Tier 1 school and i remember reading somewhere that Duke MMS students have a common recruitment along with the Duke MBA programme, although the complexity of the job may be much less.

Audencia is an old and well established school from what i hear, and as with most other schools in France is geared towards the local industries. What do you think of ESC Toulouse? Is the Erasmus course open only to students with a background in Finance/Management?

And do you know of any simillar courses or even Marketing courses in Asia?

abhc22 · Answer

Erasmus has a masters for non business graduates-Masters in General Management wherein students follow a 16 month course in General Management and then go on to specialise in 1 discipline(finance,strategic management,etc ..etc.. and even CEMS can be applied to in the second year.) check it out.
SSE also has a similar 2 year program (no specialisations here!) for non business graduates.
i am still researching about ESC tolouse.. it seems to have good rapport with the aerospace industries located in the region...

taralcarin · Answer

Thnaks for the info, did a bit of research on Erasmus and SSE. Do you have any idea of the average GMAT score of these classes? And are you applying for SAI r1/r2/r3?

abhc22 · Answer

Ya. I mailed SSE. Their admission team replied that the average GMAT score for last intake was 657. SSE has got a steller placement record...and a very good name... we should seriously consider it...
about Erasmus, i will mail them today mayb...but i think it will be higher .
i will take a gamble and apply to sai r1. What do u think about it? Should i go ahead or wait for r2 ?

taralcarin · Answer

I think ill apply for SSE, but a bit apprehensive about Sweden. i mean, who isnt? lol.

Have you heard about this school TiasNimbaas in Holland?

And if you have the GMAT then totally mate r1 is when you should apply. They usually reject only a very few from the r1 applicants, since all the seats have to be filled, so you have a better chance of getting accepted. Atleast thats what i presume.

lemkli · Answer

Hey,

I am also planning to apply in Round 1 (HEC and EMLYON only). I have got a question concerning the "essays". The limit is 500 characters incl. spaces, so basically 3 - 4 sentences only. Am I missing anything, since this seems really short?

abhc22 · Answer

hey lemkli,
 Even i am having trouble with the essays.... they are just too short... but thats the way it is. exactly 500 characters...
its difficult to get our points across in such short essays....
Anyways, would you please share your profile...

abhc22 · Answer

hey taraclarin,

granted we are a bit apprehensive about sweden.... ya. thats true.
But i know a guy who has lived in sweden for a few years. He says its a good place to live and there is lots to do..kind of peaceful life out there.. but thats all info i have right now. we will need to research a bit more.

And no. i do not know the university that you mentioned. Is it good?
BTW, are you applying to r1 of sai?

taralcarin · Answer

Not r1, maybe r2 as i do not have my GMAT yet. You're planning on r1 or r2/r3? I have a mojer problem in applying to tier 1 schools though, my undergrad GPA is a shocking 6.01 on a scale of 10.

So, im also having tier 2 and even tier 3 schools in my mind. Tias Nimbass i guess is tier 2, with good record of placements etc in The Netherlands. You can apply for brochures from their website, and they'll deliver it to your address in a week. The low GPA is also the reason im researching quite a bit on simillar courses in Asia Pacific regios and even Australia. So far, i havent found any good courses. Have you given your gmat?scores and prep tips

abhc22 · Answer

Hi taraclarin,
Your GPA maybe a problem for some schools. But with a good GMAT score, even that can be overshadowed. DJust go all out for GMAT. Dont think your GPA as a problem right now.

My GMAT score is 690,AWA 5. Now i prepared for 4 weeks. I came to know about MIM programs and within 4 days i booked the GMAT and on the 28th day i gave the test.

What i feel about the GMAT is that this test is all about your patience and your resilience. please try to sit for 4 hrs in a place and solve a combination of verbal and quans problem. I studied only Princeton Reveiw and the official GMAT guide. But Princeton Book is very basic. I touched Manhattan SC book just 2 days before the test. And take my word for it, Manhattan is great ! Just get the Manhattan Books and study the strategies really well. Chew them. Dont just read them. And practice problems from OG only. Nothing else. If possible complete the OG 2 Times (I did 2 times).

SC is a great asset in the exam. Prepare this well. CR and RC will be difficult in the exam. And you will need time to solve these. So it be better if you can speed up your SC and get many of these correct.

Hope this helps you.

taralcarin · Answer

Hey i just found out that FT Rankings 2011 for Msc Management have been published : https://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolra ... ement-2011 Hey, i have another question, hoping anyone can answer. How do you demostrate your leadership to the AdCom? I have been a hugely active member of various forums(such as science/music/quizzing) etc right from my first semester in my Undergrad, and also have beeb in a band during this time. But these activities do not come with any certificates to show for. And when going through the documents needed for applying, is it required to send them certificates etc? And how is are all your essays coming up?

lemkli · Answer

Hey,

@ taralcarin: I think that you will need to add those issues in the essays. Those can be helpful in supporting the points you make, e.g. " By being part of a band for x years, I developed strong team working skills" (really roughly said). As for the certificates: So far I have not seen that the schools wanted to see any certificates. But this is a question you can put forward to admission offices just to be on the safe side.

I have also not shared my profile before: German, 23 years old f, Studied International Business Administration in Amsterdam with some extra courses. We dont really get an offical GPA, but it is roughly 7.8 / 10, which is pretty decent for dutch standards. GMAT of 700. Lots of international experiences. Sinca nearly a year I am working at an airline in Germany till around May next year and then I am planning to do my Master.

Do you all only hand in academic letters of recommendation?

taralcarin · Answer

Thanks for the info lemki!

How do universities generally go ahead with the verification all the internships/ co-curriculars/ extra-curriculars that each applicant would mention in his/her profile? I'm sure there would be a way they go forward with it, and im completely unaware of all the documents one has to submit since this is the first time i'll be applying to a university outisde my country. At my home university, admissions for the undergrad course were solely based on my higher secondary marks, so i didnt have to produce any certificates etc.

How is the procedure in regard with foriegn universities?

And all r1 applicants, what are the topics for the essays? I'm planning on either r2 or r3.

ghettosquad · Answer

Hi everyone!

I am applying in the first round to HEC and ESCP. The essays are pretty weird. They are very short. Maybe it is because they are not so important or maybe because they want us to be creative? I don't know. 
I'm struggling with them right now. Anyone has finished them? Any tips?

Here are the topics and limits:

1.Have you carried out any in-company training periods or worked part or full-time? If so, please give details of the jobs and positions held (name of firms or organisations, dates of employment, etc.) in chronological order (2000 characters maximum) *

2. Which personal achievements are you most proud of? * (500 characters maximum)

3. Describe a situation where you failed. What lessons did you learn from it ? * (500 characters maximum)

4. Why is your application an added-value for the SAI member schools? * (500 characters maximum)

5. Describe your extra-curricular activities over the last few years (leisure time, social life, clubs, volunteer work, etc.)? * (500 characters maximum)

terror452 · Answer

Hi all,

I am also applying for all 3 grande ecoles 2012. Here is my profile-
UG- BITS-Pilani - Msc Economics, BE- Electronics and Instrumentation
GPA- 8.1/10
GMAT- 670
Work- 6 months internship + 2 yrs full time- Market research analyst
Other credentials - CFA- Level-2 cleared.

Hope to make it into atleast one out of the 3.

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