Finally got admitted....:-))
Any idea about the scholarship decisions??

I'm in same boat as you are. I have already paid the deposit, and most likely be joining iese. If you wanna have a chat, PM me.

I will put my thoughts on this topic based on discussions with current students.

- Jobs/internship scenario has been not so good for Indians. I was advised that if you are willing to be bit flexible then you have more options. As for internship around 80% of desis have got offers, but few are doing it for free. Jobs statistics for graduating class will be out by Aug.

- Also If you are thinking of working in continental europe, then you must have some sort of language skills. IESE provides free spanish courses, but again if you are not planning to work in Spain/Latin America its not going to be a big help. UK, Singapore, and MiddleEast seems to be most likely place you will land up if you don't have language skills. Though very few people have found roles in continental europe without language skills.

- Feedback about career services has been mixed.. Many actually praised them for helping them in jobs/internships, though there were very few who were not so happy. And I was told one has to work really hard to get what I wantand also to look beyond career services for jobs/internships..

Overall the picture isn't rosy, but again 2014 is far away. The point is even you go to a top US MBA, you never know what would be the situation when you graduate.

And in europe, IESE is definitely one of the top choice.

That is the final takeaway....Situation is not rosy it is going to be difficult anywhere..even in India with its growth story ISB placements have not been 100% and avg sal has reduced to 17lacs....Even some Harvard ,LBS and Insead graduates have not been placed ( My edu loan rep told me this.. ).. so the bottom line is do you think with all the turmoil you would still be in a better place than you already are after 2 years.. I personally think I will . So lets make best of it. and we'll rock in Barca

Hi dude.. that was pretty detailed research and will scare the sh*t out of any European MBA candidate. I had also mailed the IESE career team with similar concerns and got responses from them on similar lines.When I first read your whole post ,, trust me I had goosebumps thinking the amount of debt I am taking and the doomsday suggested above. But later once I relaxed and started corroborating facts mentioned above and those i got from Career services I realised I already know most of it. So here it goes :
1. I had asked Career Services , where Non EU students with language constaints land and they said UK, Singapore , Dubai and Switzerland. Now its a very clear fact that no one will get a job in Spain of France/Germany too. But matter of fact i would not want to go to these places , they are high on taxes and will not help my loan repayment. So ya a Singapore (flat 20% tax) and Dubai (flat 0% tax) will look good as first job options.
2. I asked them will UK visa norms pose challenge . They said yes , but not for Banks and consultancies, moreover the new norms make it equally difficult for a UK grad and a Euro grad to work in UK. Kinda helps if you are from a good B school.
3. Most important fact.. will i make enough money to pay off my loan and actually make a difference to my career. Now here i have no source , Iese 2012 figures are not yet out , as per seniors aalready 70-80% class has an offer in hand and rest are going thru the process. Going strictly by Iese placement report of 2011 average salary stands at 80-90K Euros. For 2011 when Spain was already down under and Eurozone was in crisis Iese had 97% placements and average sal above 80k euros. Now this number can come down or go up but not by a huge amount.
I have already paid 3.5lacs to Iese and its almost no turning back for me but still 65-70 lac gamble is much bigger and potentially career threatening. But i personally have no qualms about working only in europe or US , what matters most is what I am working and of course how much i earn.
if anyone else has any inputs, feedbacks plz feel free to express the same. i still have 1 month's time before I submit next installment and its never too late.

I'm in same boat as you are. I have already paid the deposit, and most likely be joining iese. If you wanna have a chat, PM me.

I will put my thoughts on this topic based on discussions with current students.

- Jobs/internship scenario has been not so good for Indians. I was advised that if you are willing to be bit flexible then you have more options. As for internship around 80% of desis have got offers, but few are doing it for free. Jobs statistics for graduating class will be out by Aug.

- Also If you are thinking of working in continental europe, then you must have some sort of language skills. IESE provides free spanish courses, but again if you are not planning to work in Spain/Latin America its not going to be a big help. UK, Singapore, and MiddleEast seems to be most likely place you will land up if you don't have language skills. Though very few people have found roles in continental europe without language skills.

- Feedback about career services has been mixed.. Many actually praised them for helping them in jobs/internships, though there were very few who were not so happy. And I was told one has to work really hard to get what I wantand also to look beyond career services for jobs/internships..

Overall the picture isn't rosy, but again 2014 is far away. The point is even you go to a top US MBA, you never know what would be the situation when you graduate.

And in europe, IESE is definitely one of the top choice.

I can attest to the finding. I have an Admit from from IESE and ESADE. I chose ESADE because it gives me the flexibility to complete my MBA in 12,15 or 18 months. I have already paid the first installment of 8700 Euros.

Esade did not give me much time to wait and see. I did my own reasearch and I think that Krishnaak is correct.

I did some research and found the following

- I talked to a current student at ESADE and he said that it is next to impossible to find a job in SPAIN or other european countries becuase you need to know the language. If you are betting on working in UK then you are probably not aware that UK has implemented new rule in Dec 2011 which has made it impossible to work in UK for people who graduated from universities outside UK. Earlier if your school was in top 20 list of Europe then you get 12 months of working visa and permission to look for a job. The new rule says that even for students who graduated from UK universties like Oxford, London Buisness school will have only 4 months to look for job and an employer who would file for work visa. I verified this news from Wall street journal and several other news source.

- I called up one for seniors from school days who is a pass out from IESE MBA 2008 batch. He said that he would trade places with me in US anytime. He confirmed that working in Europe for Non european is very difficult. Most of the people end up taking jobs in Dubai(which is hiring MBAs from europe like crazy) or singapore.

- I called up two more friends from my engineering days in India who are working in Switzerland. One of them is working in German speaking part of the country and other is working in french speaking part of Switzerland. They both confirmed that language barrier will stop you from getting an offer unless you are exceptional. They gave their example that although they both work in Switzerland but they cannot switch places because one works in french speaking country and other is in German speaking part of the country.

- I called up another friend of mine from Engineering days and he is studying MBA in SDA Bocconi Italy in the current batch. I wanted to make sure that this was not the case in other part of Europe. He confirmed that for Non Europeans you will end up in Dubai, Singapore or India or any other English peaking part of the world. He confirmed that so far only guy who was from India found a job in Italy.


The Esade site mentions that something 80% found job outside Europe so if anyone who is not from European country, please acknowledge the fact that you "might" have to end up going to your home country. If your plans are that you will get a job after graduating from ESADE / IESE / IE etc. in EUROPE, then please be aware of the huge risk. If you are open to working in Dubai/ Brazil/Singapore then you are good to go.

- Additionally I looked up people from India who did their MBA from IESE and ESADE and so far have not found anyone who passed out from IESE or ESADE from batch 2007 (2 exceptions they had PR from UK) onwards who is working in Europe or USA. "Almost" everyone is working in India in Bangalore/Noida Mumbai etc. I called up another 2009 passout in India and talked to him. He confirmed that possibility of working in Europe is extremely slim. He did mention that Middle East hires heavily from from IESE and ESADE and visa is not a problem if you are open to working in Dubai/ Muscat/AbuDhabi etc.


So if any critics on this forums says that be optimistic, then please use your own judgement. I read that someone said that when it comes to job and prospects that no one holding a crystal ball will be bale to tell you your future. It is true for both sunny day scenario and dooms day.

It is so tough for me to give up a chance to get an MBA from world renowned University, but I also need to think wisely.

Lastly, both school and admission counselor at IESE and ESADE say that 75-90% (plus/minus) work outside Spain, it is true but they will not tell you exactly how many non-European got a chance to work in Europe.
So do your own research, don't be afraid to reach out the alumni... Use LinkedIn, Facebook or twitter. Alums are people like us and they like to help.

I had also asked this question to one of the alum that since I am working in US for last 6 yrs, do companies from US hire from these schools - He said Yes they do visit but prefer to hire some one who is already eligible to work or is already a citizen or visa is easy to get .. ex - Canadians, Singaporeans..


In all I talked 11 people - 2 from Adcom committe, 2 from Current students, 3 Alumni(2 from 2009 and one from 200, 1 from 2006 IESE alumni who was also my senior in school and now works in UK, 3 College friends who are wroking in Germany and Switzerland(They do not have MBA but have been working there for last 4-5 years).

So think before you take a leap. :-)

Hi dude.. that was pretty detailed research and will scare the sh*t out of any European MBA candidate. I had also mailed the IESE career team with similar concerns and got responses from them on similar lines.When I first read your whole post ,, trust me I had goosebumps thinking the amount of debt I am taking and the doomsday suggested above. But later once I relaxed and started corroborating facts mentioned above and those i got from Career services I realised I already know most of it. So here it goes :
1. I had asked Career Services , where Non EU students with language constaints land and they said UK, Singapore , Dubai and Switzerland. Now its a very clear fact that no one will get a job in Spain of France/Germany too. But matter of fact i would not want to go to these places , they are high on taxes and will not help my loan repayment. So ya a Singapore (flat 20% tax) and Dubai (flat 0% tax) will look good as first job options.
2. I asked them will UK visa norms pose challenge . They said yes , but not for Banks and consultancies, moreover the new norms make it equally difficult for a UK grad and a Euro grad to work in UK. Kinda helps if you are from a good B school.
3. Most important fact.. will i make enough money to pay off my loan and actually make a difference to my career. Now here i have no source , Iese 2012 figures are not yet out , as per seniors aalready 70-80% class has an offer in hand and rest are going thru the process. Going strictly by Iese placement report of 2011 average salary stands at 80-90K Euros. For 2011 when Spain was already down under and Eurozone was in crisis Iese had 97% placements and average sal above 80k euros. Now this number can come down or go up but not by a huge amount.
I have already paid 3.5lacs to Iese and its almost no turning back for me but still 65-70 lac gamble is much bigger and potentially career threatening. But i personally have no qualms about working only in europe or US , what matters most is what I am working and of course how much i earn.
if anyone else has any inputs, feedbacks plz feel free to express the same. i still have 1 month's time before I submit next installment and its never too late.

Got accepted at IESE. Will probably take it. Any idea when we hear back on scholarships? Has anyone heard already?

Excellent research that helped a lot.

Are the post-MBA salaries in Dubai/Singapore enough to repay the loans comfortably? .

Dear Pagalguys,
You can be realistically optimistic. But for your information, some IESE MBAs from the batch of 2011, who were employed in Europe in leading Banks or Companies have already been retrenched. Dont ask me how i got the information. They are already asking the Banco Sabadal for rescheduling the loan instalment. MBA is a hype. But paying Rs 35 lacs in tution fees, Rs 25 lacs in living expenses and another at least Rs 20 lacs in Salary foregone is a very high price to pay for MBA. At any rate MBA in Hongkong, or Singapore or Australia or canada or USA or India is better. If you do MBA in Canada or Australia you are sure to get resident status. If you do MBA in Singapore or Hongkong you will get a job definitely. Even otherwise cost Rs 20 lacs is manageable. if you do in USA, if you can manage to stay in USA for one year. But MBas in Europe or UK does not give this option. so please avoid this costly mistake.

I can attest to the finding. I have an Admit from from IESE and ESADE. I chose ESADE because it gives me the flexibility to complete my MBA in 12,15 or 18 months. I have already paid the first installment of 8700 Euros.

Esade did not give me much time to wait and see. I did my own reasearch and I think that Krishnaak is correct.

I did some research and found the following

- I talked to a current student at ESADE and he said that it is next to impossible to find a job in SPAIN or other european countries becuase you need to know the language. If you are betting on working in UK then you are probably not aware that UK has implemented new rule in Dec 2011 which has made it impossible to work in UK for people who graduated from universities outside UK. Earlier if your school was in top 20 list of Europe then you get 12 months of working visa and permission to look for a job. The new rule says that even for students who graduated from UK universties like Oxford, London Buisness school will have only 4 months to look for job and an employer who would file for work visa. I verified this news from Wall street journal and several other news source.

- I called up one for seniors from school days who is a pass out from IESE MBA 2008 batch. He said that he would trade places with me in US anytime. He confirmed that working in Europe for Non european is very difficult. Most of the people end up taking jobs in Dubai(which is hiring MBAs from europe like crazy) or singapore.

- I called up two more friends from my engineering days in India who are working in Switzerland. One of them is working in German speaking part of the country and other is working in french speaking part of Switzerland. They both confirmed that language barrier will stop you from getting an offer unless you are exceptional. They gave their example that although they both work in Switzerland but they cannot switch places because one works in french speaking country and other is in German speaking part of the country.

- I called up another friend of mine from Engineering days and he is studying MBA in SDA Bocconi Italy in the current batch. I wanted to make sure that this was not the case in other part of Europe. He confirmed that for Non Europeans you will end up in Dubai, Singapore or India or any other English peaking part of the world. He confirmed that so far only guy who was from India found a job in Italy.


The Esade site mentions that something 80% found job outside Europe so if anyone who is not from European country, please acknowledge the fact that you "might" have to end up going to your home country. If your plans are that you will get a job after graduating from ESADE / IESE / IE etc. in EUROPE, then please be aware of the huge risk. If you are open to working in Dubai/ Brazil/Singapore then you are good to go.

- Additionally I looked up people from India who did their MBA from IESE and ESADE and so far have not found anyone who passed out from IESE or ESADE from batch 2007 (2 exceptions they had PR from UK) onwards who is working in Europe or USA. "Almost" everyone is working in India in Bangalore/Noida Mumbai etc. I called up another 2009 passout in India and talked to him. He confirmed that possibility of working in Europe is extremely slim. He did mention that Middle East hires heavily from from IESE and ESADE and visa is not a problem if you are open to working in Dubai/ Muscat/AbuDhabi etc.


So if any critics on this forums says that be optimistic, then please use your own judgement. I read that someone said that when it comes to job and prospects that no one holding a crystal ball will be bale to tell you your future. It is true for both sunny day scenario and dooms day.

It is so tough for me to give up a chance to get an MBA from world renowned University, but I also need to think wisely.

Lastly, both school and admission counselor at IESE and ESADE say that 75-90% (plus/minus) work outside Spain, it is true but they will not tell you exactly how many non-European got a chance to work in Europe.
So do your own research, don't be afraid to reach out the alumni... Use LinkedIn, Facebook or twitter. Alums are people like us and they like to help.

I had also asked this question to one of the alum that since I am working in US for last 6 yrs, do companies from US hire from these schools - He said Yes they do visit but prefer to hire some one who is already eligible to work or is already a citizen or visa is easy to get .. ex - Canadians, Singaporeans..


In all I talked 11 people - 2 from Adcom committe, 2 from Current students, 3 Alumni(2 from 2009 and one from 200, 1 from 2006 IESE alumni who was also my senior in school and now works in UK, 3 College friends who are wroking in Germany and Switzerland(They do not have MBA but have been working there for last 4-5 years).

So think before you take a leap.

Thanks a ton longbyte75! I guess VC it is

I do not think that AD would impact your chances. I didn't attend AD in India nor Barcelona. I had my interview on VC, and still got an admit.

As per some of the previous posts in this thread, some people have mentioned that the final decisions were made before AD, and AD was more of a chance to experience IESE culture.

Good luck with your application!

VS786 Says

Hi everyone! I got an email from the AdCom last night inviting me for an interview. I'm in India and so she gave me the option of going to Barcelona or interviewing via video-conference. I'd prefer the latter. Would it impact my application either way? Also, she said the AD is not required but 'highly recommended'. So slightly confused :s

Hi everyone! I got an email from the AdCom last night inviting me for an interview. I'm in India and so she gave me the option of going to Barcelona or interviewing via video-conference. I'd prefer the latter. Would it impact my application either way? Also, she said the AD is not required but 'highly recommended'. So slightly confused :s

Personally I think it's a bit late...But if I were you, I would reach out to Adcom for this info...You can always connect with new admits/current students/adcom in the facebook group...

About top college, how do you define a top college??? decide where you want to be post-MBA...If you want to be in India, I guess ISB/IIMs are better than IESE...IESE is definitely among top 5 in Europe but may not suit everyone...

I've got an admit from IESE along with from some other schools...Yet to make a final call...I've a smilar profile as yours, so I guess yours is competitive...

Good luck! :)

My Gmat score - 700, wrk ex 5.5 years in IT. good acads.

How is IESE Bschool's reputation?
I want to apply now as got rejected frm IIM a, b, c.
should I consider this Bschool as I am aiming for top college only.

Is my profile good enough for this Bschool.
Is there any use of applying now as I am pretty late now.(Considering most of the people have already been selected.)

My Gmat score - 700, wrk ex 5.5 years in IT. good acads.

How is IESE Bschool's reputation?
I want to apply now as got rejected frm IIM a, b, c.
should I consider this Bschool as I am aiming for top college only.

Is my profile good enough for this Bschool.
Is there any use of applying now as I am pretty late now.(Considering most of the people have already been selected.)

Hey puys...a quick question to the ones who interviewed in mumbai through videoconferencing - which venues have those facilities (with ISDN / IP address) available? i stay in andheri and any spot in the western suburbs would be extremely useful

congrats to all those admitted so far.. n wish the ones on the waitlist the best of luck for getting into IESE and for the rest of their schools

Thanks Pixaar, that was insightful.

Now I do not consider a B-school a placement shop,but we do have to weight the placement options because of the huge education loan we incur. So, given the economic tumultuous times in Europe (particularly Spain) and relatively more strict visa rules of UK (compared to US), would it be riskier to pursue an mba from Spain? Don't get me wrong, I understand the brand value of IESE and its clout over London markets. But how difficult or easy it would be to get work permit in UK after IESE?

As far as my ambitions are concerned, I am open to work anywhere in the world in the initial years but would like to return to India once the loan is paid off. Also i am more inclined towards consultancy than mba (mostly due to grueling hours and mind numbing work in i-banks) So would IESE be a right fit for me given its brand name is still not well recognized in large quarters of Indian corporation?

First thing first, I won't need visa for UK. I am eligible to work there. Even if I did, my philosophy is that if a company wants you, they are going to put the efforts in getting you there.

Consulting in europe is difficult unless you speak the language of the country where you want to work. Near impossible. Unless you score a gig with a consulting firm in London or any other english speaking office, your chances are very slim. Please do not come to IESE hoping you would work for McKinsey in Berlin or Paris or Ansterdam. It ain't happening.

I don't know what sort of reputation IESE has in India. I have never thought of that angle as I have never worked in India nor do I want to. I think what matters in such a case is your track record AFTER the MBA rather than your MBA school. I'd say 5 years after your MBA, it's almost exclusively about your track record.

chronicfailure Says

Another very interesting fact.. going by Facebook posts and posts here... IESE has either admitted candidates or waitlisted them .. no one is been outright rejected.. ..there admission process seems to be straight out of some mystery novel..

I'd be the first to admit this and it is indeed very strange. They have either accepted or waitlisted people - no outright rejections. I am forced to think they they have country specific waitlists and they want a bigger pool of applicants to select from should yield falls below their historical level of 70%.

Interview was more of a friendly conversation.. You can find the questions on clear admit wiki...

Assessment day was like a group discussion of a case study.. you study and present it. Just get involved into the event and be yourself. My experience got me wait listed. So take it with a pinch of salt..

Thanks for the input and sorry about waitlist. I hope that you get through...

chronicfailure Says

bro the confusing part is almost every one who came to AD seems to have been waitlisted.. its like not rejecting you and keep hooked and interested... another observation was at least 50-60% candidates in AD were family business ppl... and most of the admits also are family business ppl..... wonder if IESE is worried abt placements and is taking safer pastures in admitting ppl who will go back to own businesses.

Hmmm! not sure if almost everyone who attended AD were wait listed. I see quite a few accepted on FB and few aren't on that group too..

I'm from a family business and still didn't get in. So, I don't think IESE looked at us that way.. Nonetheless, their selection is mysterious.

Sure. I wanted to be in Europe, especially in London. My top choice was LBS but I am waitlisted there and there is very little chance of getting off that waitlist. .............................................................................................................................................. For someone who is aspiring for a global career, it's very important. If you want to be in the US, Tuck beats IESE any day of the week. I will give you that.

Hope that helps.

Thanks Pixaar, that was insightful.

Now I do not consider a B-school a placement shop,but we do have to weight the placement options because of the huge education loan we incur. So, given the economic tumultuous times in Europe (particularly Spain) and relatively more strict visa rules of UK (compared to US), would it be riskier to pursue an mba from Spain? Don't get me wrong, I understand the brand value of IESE and its clout over London markets. But how difficult or easy it would be to get work permit in UK after IESE?

As far as my ambitions are concerned, I am open to work anywhere in the world in the initial years but would like to return to India once the loan is paid off. Also i am more inclined towards consultancy than mba (mostly due to grueling hours and mind numbing work in i-banks) So would IESE be a right fit for me given its brand name is still not well recognized in large quarters of Indian corporation?

macbook86 Says

They do wait list almost 6-7% of the applicants. They give offers to almost 20-21% of the applicants. I don't think it's a mystery since they keep the wait listed as backup if the yield rate ends up being low. I see no other reason to wait list so many candidates. And they accept only 6-7% of the wait listed candidates. So our chances are minute to nothing.

bro the confusing part is almost every one who came to AD seems to have been waitlisted.. its like not rejecting you and keep hooked and interested... another observation was at least 50-60% candidates in AD were family business ppl... and most of the admits also are family business ppl..... wonder if IESE is worried abt placements and is taking safer pastures in admitting ppl who will go back to own businesses.

And ya ..personally no issues with not making it or low conversion rate in AD and all.. its just that all of us who attended ADs know that ADs didn't matter.. .. because :
1. Ppl who hardly spoke got through .. (there was a gentleman who spoke only when he gave his intro.. and was the first one to post abt his admit on fb )
2. Ppl who were really good .. did not get through ( again source fb)
3. Adcoms were definitely not taking any notes or noticing how candidates were performing and more interested in marketing the forces-you-to-think-out-of-box-case study method...
so this was more like an info session than a candidate gauging exercise... so the whole problem is with having a whole day long exercise .. getting ppl to fly in.. give false hopes ... and then not even considering it...

PS : cheer up pixaar.. there will be some indian ladies who will be joining you in barca.. (at least 4 admits from FB posts.. )

chronicfailure Says

Another very interesting fact.. going by Facebook posts and posts here... IESE has either admitted candidates or waitlisted them .. no one is been outright rejected.. ..there admission process seems to be straight out of some mystery novel..

They do wait list almost 6-7% of the applicants. They give offers to almost 20-21% of the applicants. I don't think it's a mystery since they keep the wait listed as backup if the yield rate ends up being low. I see no other reason to wait list so many candidates. And they accept only 6-7% of the wait listed candidates. So our chances are minute to nothing.

Another very interesting fact.. going by Facebook posts and posts here... IESE has either admitted candidates or waitlisted them .. no one is been outright rejected.. ..there admission process seems to be straight out of some mystery novel..

Pixaar the bottom line is that they shouldn't waste an applicant's time, money and energy just to fill up seats at AD. Especially since the experience showed that the decisions were probably firmed up before hand. High acceptance rate is around 50% from AD which is reported in a couple of forums.

On a side note you do come across as an ass.

Buddy! I do understand your anguish. But let's keep the conversation civil and respectful. We have an issue with the authority and not Pixaar. Hope you understand that.

I don't want to sound like an a** but come on. Did anyone from IESE confirm that the acceptance rate from AD is high? What is high according to you? And regarding not applying to other schools because you thought you were IN, all I can say is that if you don't know how to spread your risk, you can't blame the schools.

I sympathise with those of you who recieved negative responses but let's keep the thread more civil, shall we?

The alumnus who conducted the AD said clearly that if you get to AD, you are 'almost' through and your chances are pretty high (much higher than scoring an interview). He also said in the info session in Mumbai that most make it. I asked the question clearly and that was his response. My input here can be confirmed by others who attended the info session in Mumabi. I don't believe what is said in the forums but I trusted this alumnus inputs regarding the relevance of AD. I wasted a month speculating what I should do in case I get an admit, which I was pretty sure of. I had other offers to decide in this one month that I wasted in speculation and anticipation. I had to get in touch with lot of past and present students while doing extensive research on the program. I could have rather used that time to research other offers more extensively.

Anyways, it's over and I'm hurt more than disappointed. That should never happen to candidates who show so much seriousness and interest in attending IESE in comparison to others who hardly spoke during the AD. I have troubled few present students of IESE with questions that are now irrelevant since I was so damn sure I can get through. That was the extent of hope raised by alumnus and management in general.

We have certainly assessed the risks much more analytically than what you can understand here but the problem is the relevance of the event and the hope generated by it. Why can't they just mention that our chances in clearing AD are same as scoring an interview? or that AD is very relevant and we measure each student's participation. They can just publish a small note on why someone is wait listed or left out after attending AD. After all it's just around 40 students. And now I actually wonder why AD is needed for few and not for all applicants through out the world.

According to me, high is somewhere around 85%. Moreover, I was in a group that hardly got a chance to talk during Q&A; of other team's cases. The reason for that is because the alumnus couldn't notice us among the 40 present. I don't blame him but one can never handle 40 students on his own. We felt as if our group was hardly present/visible. And the way alumnus handled the cases was not professional enough to gather a student's ability if that's what is measured during the 'assessment' day. Finally, he interrupts the student's response at every count leaving the student more in an irrelevant argument than in a constructive one. I seriously suggest AD to be done, if needed and relevant, by more than one and one who is more recent graduate/professional/present student.

As a person who started this thread, I suggest keeping it civil but I hope you as a present student can just pass our anguish over the irregularities to the authorities and keep the process uniform. This forum is a public one and the info is for the benefit of future students. I think what we discussed here is much more relevant than AD itself.

Pixaar the bottom line is that they shouldn't waste an applicant's time, money and energy just to fill up seats at AD. Especially since the experience showed that the decisions were probably firmed up before hand. High acceptance rate is around 50% from AD which is reported in a couple of forums.

On a side note you do come across as an ass.

I am glad then that we won't be classmates. I don't want to go to Business School with emotional cry babies who don't know the difference between a 50% acceptance rate and a done deal. Are bhai, 50% hai to aadhe log to reject hi ho jayenge na. Aap ko kyon yeh baat samajh mein nahi aa rahi? Aur yeh bhi to ho sakta hai ki aap ko jaisa lagta hai ki aape acchhi performance di hai, unko na pasand aayi ho.

Hi Pixaar,

Could you let us know your thought process for choosing IESE over Tuck? Would be quite helpful for many aspirants like me.

Thanks

Sure. I wanted to be in Europe, especially in London. My top choice was LBS but I am waitlisted there and there is very little chance of getting off that waitlist. Just to add a point for those who are complaining about travelling to attend the AD, I went to London just to attend the interview and still got waitlisted.

I think IESE has much better connections to the London business community than Tuck. I've spoken with both IESE and Tuck alumni and that is the consensus.

I visited both the schools in Barcelona and Hanover, NH, and I must say I'd rather spend two years of my youth in Barcelona than Hanover.

Last but not the least, US schools are extremely US centric. For example, the cases used are primarily based on americam companies. IESE is much more global with wide ranging cases. For someone who is aspiring for a global career, it's very important. If you want to be in the US, Tuck beats IESE any day of the week. I will give you that.

Hope that helps.

I don't want to sound like an a** but come on. Did anyone from IESE confirm that the acceptance rate from AD is high? What is high according to you? And regarding not applying to other schools because you thought you were IN, all I can say is that if you don't know how to spread your risk, you can't blame the schools.

I sympathise with those of you who recieved negative responses but let's keep the thread more civil, shall we?

Pixaar the bottom line is that they shouldn't waste an applicant's time, money and energy just to fill up seats at AD. Especially since the experience showed that the decisions were probably firmed up before hand. High acceptance rate is around 50% from AD which is reported in a couple of forums.

On a side note you do come across as an ass.

Pixaar Says

I was accepted by such schools as IESE, Tuck and Cornell -but rejected by my safety school - Tepper...Good luck at ESADE. We will be neighbours in Barcelona :)

Hi Pixaar,

Could you let us know your thought process for choosing IESE over Tuck? Would be quite helpful for many aspirants like me.

Thanks

spitfire2008 Says

An Indian alum and a adcom member organized the event, he should at least understand the local sensibilities and the kind of investment it is for Indian students to go for international MBA.

Not only that. There are people from other states attending the AD. If it does not mean much then why even bother conducting it and making people waste the airfare.

Well, water under the bridge man. If anyone from IESE is reading this then it would be best not to pull such stunts in the future, simply because people come with a lot of hope to an AD and may not apply to other schools because they consider conversion rate at AD to be high. If you want to reject people after the interview, please do so and don't try to fill up seats for your AD.

An Indian alum and a adcom member organized the event, he should at least understand the local sensibilities and the kind of investment it is for Indian students to go for international MBA.

I don't want to sound like an a** but come on. Did anyone from IESE confirm that the acceptance rate from AD is high? What is high according to you? And regarding not applying to other schools because you thought you were IN, all I can say is that if you don't know how to spread your risk, you can't blame the schools.

I sympathise with those of you who recieved negative responses but let's keep the thread more civil, shall we?

Hey guys , I was one of the candidates who was invited to the assessment day and I have been waitlisted.

@Macbook86
I dont think you should read too much into people having their interviews prior or after the assessment day.The logic being that it is simply convenient to finish off both the AD and the interview in one shot for people who have an interesting enough application for them to get an interview shortlist.

Again I feel disappointed as well that I have been wait listed after going through so much trouble, but life has to go on

Please ignore duplicate post.

Well, water under the bridge man. If anyone from IESE is reading this then it would be best not to pull such stunts in the future, simply because people come with a lot of hope to an AD and may not apply to other schools because they consider conversion rate at AD to be high. If you want to reject people after the interview, please do so and don't try to fill up seats for your AD.

An Indian alum and a adcom member organized the event, he should at least understand the local sensibilities and the kind of investment it is for Indian students to go for international MBA.

Pixaar Says

If the AD went as well as you are saying it did, then the only reason I can think of waitlisting you is that they probably went back to re-review application files. Anyway I also see a lof of Indian women being admitted on FB group. How many women attended the AD in Delhi? Male candidates are at a distinct disadvantage these days.

They literally took just a day or two to make the decisions. I doubt if they re-reviewed the applications. There were cases where they accepted people who were interviewed a day before/after the AD. How can one explain that? We had people in AD that didn't have a interview too. All this doesn't make sense. I wish the process was more streamlined. I don't mind a rejection since I have been rejected by better universities before but it was outright unlike a mysterious hold-up. They were at least 10-15 women among the roughly 40 who attended the AD.

Pixaar Says

These kind of mails seldom get any replies. A decision has been made and you just have to learn to accept it. By sending a mail like this you are basically questioning the integrity of people involved in the decision making. That will never result in anything positive for you. If you must send an email like this for your personal closure, I suggest you ask them their opinion on your profile and the ways to improve it.

Well! I got a reply and I asked them in such a way that I was inquiring on which basis they made the decision rather than questioning them. They just replied we are sorry. My issue was the same as others with respect to relevancy of the assessment day. We had lot of hope and anticipation in it and felt good about the whole exercise considering how our personal interviews were. There seems to be lot of disconnection though with respect to its purpose in screening an application. I hope it's not a PR/marketing stunt since people like us wouldn't support it both qualitatively and quantitatively.

I have been a silent spectator on this forum and wanted to put in my 2 cents on this as I too was intrigued with the AD decisions by IESE.

I agree with you there. Many of the admits didn't speak at all. My money is that they had already decided who they want to admit and who they want to reject. There would have been a couple of swing profiles on which they would have decided during the AD. It's a waste of time for people who got rejects and felt that the AD went well for them, I expected better that this from IESE.

chronicfailure Says

I personally have no issues with either IESE or them waitkisting me... its all part and parcle of the game... only issue is with the whole assessment day thing...personaaly i throughly enjoyed the whole experiance.. but as I said earlier .. people who got through hardly spoke anything... none of the adcoms were taking any notes .. it was more on the lines of giving applicants a taste of IESE class...so if u have already made the decision why give false hopes..whats the point of whole exercise .. I for one did not apply to IE 'coz i thought assessment days have good conversion rate and I did pretty well in AD (wat I was told by lot of other participants..)...t would really help if big B schools like IESE can refrain from such stunts...moreover we were told waitlists are cleared as early as possible and now hey mail saying not before 1st July... thats like 5 months from now.

If the AD went as well as you are saying it did, then the only reason I can think of waitlisting you is that they probably went back to re-review application files. Anyway I also see a lof of Indian women being admitted on FB group. How many women attended the AD in Delhi? Male candidates are at a distinct disadvantage these days.

Pixaar Says

ESADE is not a bad school at all. I am sure you'll get used to it. Dealing with rejection is difficult. But the entire process is so subjective that you shouldn't take it personally. I was accepted by such schools as IESE, Tuck and Cornell -but rejected by my safety school - Tepper. There is really no explaination. I guess it's not just how good you are but how well you fit the class. Maybe there was someone with a profile similar to you with better record. That's always a possibility. Good luck at ESADE. We will be neighbours in Barcelona :)

I personally have no issues with either IESE or them waitkisting me... its all part and parcle of the game... only issue is with the whole assessment day thing...personaaly i throughly enjoyed the whole experiance.. but as I said earlier .. people who got through hardly spoke anything... none of the adcoms were taking any notes .. it was more on the lines of giving applicants a taste of IESE class...so if u have already made the decision why give false hopes..whats the point of whole exercise .. I for one did not apply to IE 'coz i thought assessment days have good conversion rate and I did pretty well in AD (wat I was told by lot of other participants..)...t would really help if big B schools like IESE can refrain from such stunts...moreover we were told waitlists are cleared as early as possible and now hey mail saying not before 1st July... thats like 5 months from now.

macbook86 Says

True to what you say.. I feel hurt and disappointed after applying so early and getting calls very quickly.. I shot an email asking on what basis they made the decision. Yet to hear.

These kind of mails seldom get any replies. A decision has been made and you just have to learn to accept it. By sending a mail like this you are basically questioning the integrity of people involved in the decision making. That will never result in anything positive for you. If you must send an email like this for your personal closure, I suggest you ask them their opinion on your profile and the ways to improve it.