IESE, HEC or ESADE?

[kofte]

Hi guys!
I have been accepted by IESE and ESADE MBA programs and will have an interview for HEC Master in Management at the end of this month. Because of my age (24) and short work experience (2 years), I applied to both MBA and management programs and now I had to decide which one to go to.
I am interested in areas such as marketing and design management and plan to work in a consulting firm specializing in textile branding afterwards.I have been hearing a lot of good things about the HEC management lately (especially about the academics in marketing department) and I know that IESE is one of the best MBAs in Spain. Since I have to decide in two weeks time, I want to learn what your opinions are about the programs?
P.S. I have been offered a scholarship IESE and waiting to hear from ESADE financial aid committee. I heard that HEC is very tight on offering scholarships, which is very important for my decision of course. I talked to the school, but they are not giving a lot of info about the scholarships. Do any of you have any info about the scholarships offered at HEC, are they merit or academic based?
I really need some quick opinions!!!Thanks!

[Peruvianguru]

Originally Posted by kofte

Hi guys!
I have been accepted by IESE and ESADE MBA programs and will have an interview for HEC Master in Management at the end of this month. Because of my age (24) and short work experience (2 years), I applied to both MBA and management programs and now I had to decide which one to go to.
I am interested in areas such as marketing and design management and plan to work in a consulting firm specializing in textile branding afterwards.I have been hearing a lot of good things about the HEC management lately (especially about the academics in marketing department) and I know that IESE is one of the best MBAs in Spain. Since I have to decide in two weeks time, I want to learn what your opinions are about the programs?
P.S. I have been offered a scholarship IESE and waiting to hear from ESADE financial aid committee. I heard that HEC is very tight on offering scholarships, which is very important for my decision of course. I talked to the school, but they are not giving a lot of info about the scholarships. Do any of you have any info about the scholarships offered at HEC, are they merit or academic based?
I really need some quick opinions!!!Thanks!

Dear Kofte:

Congrats for your admits! In my opinion IESE is the better choice for the following reasons:

1. Being 24, a 2Y MBA program fits better as it provides substantial academic training and adequate time to focus. Not to mention the internship opportunities that will allow you to further explore your career goals within a practical setting.

2. IESE is one of the very few 90%+ case study method schools. This training format is especially strong for management consulting jobs.

3. The school is consistently ranked among the top 20 programs worldwide. Taking rankings with a pinch of salt, this indicates consistency in quality and global brand awareness by the entire business community.

4. You would have the chance to learn Spanish, one of the top 5 business languages of the world, thus providing you access to 450 million native speakers!

5. IESE has a very strong international student population and alumni community. There will be no shortage of "internationality" both in academic and professional terms throughout the entire program.

6. You already have financial aid!

7. Spain - Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, etc - is an amazing, fun, relaxed environment. Trust me... "irse de marcha" - "going to party" with stunning Spanish girls adds plenty of value to your quality of life.

8. Good luck whatever you decide to do.

Best regards

Peruvian Guru

[shwetha.sun]

Hey..

That was quite an encouraging quote from Peruvian Guru. I completely agree on his stand point. Another factor could be the average age group in HEC which is relatively higher, however I heard that this year they have relaxed their age criteria a little. Among IESE and ESADE, i think IESE wins clearly as it is numero uno in Spain, so I guess you can rule out ESADE.
You can take a call between HEC and IESE. You need to also talk to the alumni of both schools, as you can learn more about the placements too.
There is one thing regarding HEC, it's gaining an amazing international repute, so I assume going forward an HEC brand can pay off well when it comes to the International scenario (outside Europe)

[kofte]

Just as I thought I made up my mind and chose IESE, I heard from ESADE about the scholarship: they are offering me 50% of the tuition fees...which is great of course except i have to think and decide again
I asked IESE about the total coverage of the scholarship they offered and it was less than I thought it would be. So, at the end this is the amount I have to pay if I choose either school:
IESE - They are giving 12,500 USD which is like 8000 euros, as a scholarship. So, I have to pay about 56,900 euros if I choose them.
ESADE- With the scholarship, I only have to pay 28,500 euros (which is half of IESE's payment)
Now, I have to decide if IESE is worth giving 28,500 euros more?
What do you guys think? Is anyone in a similar situation??
p.s. and of course I have 1.5 weeks to decide, which is never going to be enough

For HEC, I didn't apply to the MBA program, I applied to Msc in Management which is ranked as the best msc in management course by financial times. As it is not an MBA, most of the students who have applied are my age or even slightly younger.

But you are right, HEC is very well-known international brand, which makes the choice even more harder

Forgot to add:

Thank you Peruvianguru and shwetha.sun for the help, I really appreciate it

[ankurmaheshwary]

Originally Posted by kofte

Just as I thought I made up my mind and chose IESE, I heard from ESADE about the scholarship: they are offering me 50% of the tuition fees...which is great of course except i have to think and decide again

Thank you Peruvianguru and shwetha.sun for the help, I really appreciate it

Dude!!!!!
Are you sure you were offered 50% schol at ESADE?

As per the best of my knowledge ESADE offers a max of 25% schol and that too to a v few students (may be 3-4).
Also, ESADE declares its schols on 1st June of every year.
What say?

Also, can you please tell us in brief about ur profile?