Esade vs Iese

Question

Hello everyone!
I have been admitted to Esade (with scholarship) and to Iese (no scholarship).
As a musician, I like the creative vibe that Esade has, not to mention the difference in cost if the program. 
Iese is higher in rankings (ft currently places Iese 4th in the world and Esade 20ths) and salary after graduation seems to be higher for Iese alumni. 
I keep my doors open but I would like to work for a music company and after/or start my own business. Also I have an interest in Industry/manufacturing.

I don't know if consulting is for me, I know that Iese is superior in this.

It is a difficult decision and I would like some advice if possible!

Thank you very much.

Emaz87 · Answer

First of all congrats on the admissions!
I was in a similar situation last year and I had to decide between IESE and LBS.

IESE and ESADE belong to different tiers of MBA programs — IESE is tier 1 in Europe with LBS and INSEAD, competing with top US business schools globally. This is probably reflected in the quality of education (in IESE you have the case method like Harvard) and strength of career development services.

Since you are a prospect entrepreneur also note that IESE has one of the biggest network of angel investors in europe, and a strong focus on entrepreneurship (there is a dedicated concentration).

On the other hand, no scholarship vs scholarship does make a difference... but if I were in you I would make this important decision only based on cost.

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shameekv1989 · Answer

It's so hard to be in your shoes to be very honest. Congratulations on the admits.

One thing you can do is chalk down the ROI to analyze the financial prospects. Secondly, you can try to guestimate which one is more inclined or is more likely to drag you towards your goals earlier.

Entrepreneurship in my opinion is very well known in ESADE, but you can always talk to the alumni to help you give more clarity. Most of them will also know the value of each school or rather the gap in their brand values in Spain, EU and globally.

All the best and congratulations once again. A great feat!!

ayushkumar22941 · Answer

brand name matters, if you do not have money problem go with IESE.

garf1988 · Answer

Thank you both for the reply, I will contact the alumni and the career services of both to know better what can be achieved and the fit with my career goals.

rtbs15 · Answer

IESE has more brand equity outside Spain, ESADE would have an edge inside.

I think that if you are thinking of a career outside Spain, go to IESE. If you're not, ESADE is a well recognized, great option to pursue any career.

garf1988 · Answer

I would work in Europe, and being an EU citizen I was thinking that maybe both Esade and Iese are on the same level of recruiting contacts in that area. I would also consider Switzerland as a target country.

rtbs15 · Answer

Speak to alumni and do some LinkedIn searches, etc. I don't think they are on level playing field, for your specific interests. At least try to disprove these statements (if you find them helpful):

- ESADE or any ADE are top schools, alumni from there are recognized in Spain, but their circle of influence is mostly local. Also, MBA is not the same as undergrad.

- IESE caters to international applicants, and it is a good MBA program in its own right. You will find more IESE grads working in CH, because they actually aim to work in CH and other countries.

Good luck!

FlyingFish · Answer

For what it's worth, my research indicates otherwise. These programs seem to be in a different tier. I'm sure both options would be great for your career, but there is a reason there is both a significant cost difference and an outcome difference. Look at weighted avg. salary reported in the financial times 2021 ranking for these schools. Also check the official employment reports of each school.

I don't think you mentioned this yet, but an important point for you would be to understand if you would have to take on debt and how comfortable you are with that given the non-traditional career path you are seeking.

I would guess only a minority of graduates of either of these programs stay in Spain. The country doesn't seem to have a lot of companies sponsoring MBA students. Most students from these schools that stay in Spain were probably Spaniards to begin with.

garf1988 · Answer

Those programs are in different tiers, I agree. What I do not understand is how it is possible to have such a salary difference in the same area (EU) and same role (Consulting) and if this applies also for non-traditional paths and not just consulting or finance. If I was comparing Insead and Esade, Then I would probably have chosen Insead because it is quicker and tier 1 program. With IESE, I don't know how much in my case the ranking wins over the difference of lenght and cost. Only a minority of both graduates stays in Spain.

StudyingTree · Answer

While reputation is important, it will not get you a job. Only you can secure you a job based on the effort you put into your search and how well you present yourself to employers. All of the schools you mention have good name recognition and reputations, so I think it comes down to which schools have the curriculum that will best prepare you for your desired career post-MBA. Likewise, which schools have the relationships in your desired post-MBA industry, both in terms of alumni and recruiting connections.

FlyingFish · Answer

I could be wrong since I have never seen either of their employment reports or really looked into that, but I doubt these programs release such specific information as the salary for consultants in Europe. Usually when programs offer a breakdown it's either by region or by function - not both at the same time.

Anyway, the difference probably has to do with placements - IESE places consultants in Europe but also in North America, South America, the Middle East, etc. Each of these regions have different salary levels. And then there is also which firms students are placing in - MBB and other top consulting companies vs. others, even if you were considering the same region. I think you might be making the assumption that the placement of this program is very Europe centric when in fact it is much more pulverized across the world. I don't know if the same is true for ESADE.

Keep in mind a lot of people that go into these programs actually change their mind about career path and end up trying different things (or at least thinking of trying different things). You just might find yourself recruiting for more traditional roles in the near future even if that's not your plan right now. Regarding the cost aspect, that's a very personal decision and no one here knows your financial situation, but from the info you mentioned the total gap doesn't seem to be that big. Especially if you do end up going to a more traditional role and take into account the avg. difference in salary between schools. I don't think you mentioned just how large the scholarship is, but I'm assuming its not anywhere near a full ride.

Esade vs Iese

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