INSEAD ($) vs Yale SOM

Question

Hi everyone, I have got admits from Yale SOM MBA and INSEAD MBA program. I am an Indian and deciding between the two. As an intl. student I am not sure about H1B situation in US and employment options. Would like to keep options in Europe/Asia and Middle East open. INSEAD seems to provide these options. But Yale's brand is stronger in general (esp. outside the business world). I am not a career-switcher and come from a consulting background and will probably go back into the same. Pls advice which one should I choose.

bb · Answer

Congratulations on your admit and scholarship from INSEAD!

I feel it would be a good fit due to your background and goals, as well as the shorter program... unless you do want a 2-year program experience. Obviously Yale name is a huge thing globally but I don't know that it will do you much better than INSEAD per se in Asia or Europe. Their MBA program is youngish compared to others and their MBA network is not quite as big and while there are a lot of Yale alums from undergrad and may not quite connect (though if you go to Asia, the communities are smaller and tighter). Anyway, I feel the main advantage you would gain with INSEAD is the consulting placement track record, faster program/degree (cheaper too), and a very fast paced experience.

I would see going to Yale if you wanted to be in the US or if you needed a summer internship and jumping into recruiting a month after admission was not something you wanted.

Congratulations!

bombaycanteen · Answer

Thanks bb for the great analysis. I think it is really helpful and I am thinking on the same lines.

Though my INSEAD scholarship is not much (~$20k) but my cost of attendance will be $100k at INSEAD vs $200k at Yale. I am open to working in US but it may be difficult for me to pay back the 200k loan if I don't get to stay in US for a few years with visa uncertainty. So cost is another factor for me. Also, I'm not sure about current state of consulting recruiting for internationals in US - would you also be able to throw more light on this? Thanks a lot.

bb · Answer

The job market is very very good at the moment in the US. Consulting hiring is strong, though the best positions remain as competitive as ever perhaps. People have higher expectations to get hired, paid, and promoted faster so more are emboldened to apply for the positions. MBB hires at Yale and having your consulting background will help with getting a foot in the door for internships and jobs. The feedback I am getting is that MBB internships seem a lot harder to come by than actual jobs. H1B and being international is a different thing - not all companies hire H1B applicants and sometimes, it makes some of the on-campus recruiting much slimmer but also more focused. Also H1B being a lottery, it is a lottery, and you are letting a coin decide your fate. I doubt you will have issues finding a job with a Yale MBA but it may be a rude awakening to have to leave on a month's notice when your H1B is denied. It's not something one should dread over if you are heading to the US and that's the place you want to be (no way around it), but if you are not set on the US and 2-year MBA, it helps to have less uncertainty.

One thing to say about Yale and New Haven - i almost cried when I stepped on the Yale campus - it is gorgeous and amazingly tranquil - it is an Ivy League school with a 400 years of history and the whole Lux and Veritas rivalry with Harvard is quite inspiring and entertaining at the same time. Yale is the definition of classic education (at least for undergrad) and the resources the school has are amazing. However, New Haven, is a different story and it is not an especially pleasant town or a place that many people want to hang out at, surprisingly. Flying in and out is a pain and many students take trains and car trips to New York for recruiting treks. (I have not set foo on INSEAD's campus in France or Asia, however, so I can't comment per se).

While it pains me to point someone away from Yale and its history and all of that, I think the benefits/value of Yale is more of intangible (like solar panels that are cool, modern, but not necessarily profitable to install in some places) and are hard to quantify. INSEAD has the numbers on its side, and as a human, I tend to latch on to those. I feel especially the consulting side of recruiting is what i see INSEAD's contribution in.

Again, congratulations!
Best Regards
BB

bombaycanteen · Answer

Thanks again, this is really helpful. I feel really sad to leave behind all the prestige, brand and glamour that comes with Yale and ivy-league. Even in US b-schools, I have observed this recent trend of MBB recruiting internationals directly for international offices. Also, since I'm not very inclined towards tech, would it limit my US job options to only consulting as an international if I go to Yale?

INSEAD ($) vs Yale SOM

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