SDA Bocconi, Italy - 2008-09 MBA Student taking questions

MBA
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Hi, I’m a current MBA student at SDA (School of Management) Bocconi, Italy. I would be happy to answer queries related to Admissions, my study experience @ Bocconi / Italy, etc. A few guidelines: Please don’t ask very generic quest…

2

Hi,

I'm a current MBA student at SDA (School of Management) Bocconi, Italy.

I would be happy to answer queries related to Admissions, my study experience @ Bocconi / Italy, etc.

A few guidelines: Please don't ask very generic questions (refer to school website for these details). Be elaborative & specific while asking questions.

Looking forward to your queries.


Thanks

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Hi sdabocconi_09,
I live in the USA working for a big IT company. I have been thinking for a while to do an MBA and Europe MBAs are very interesting to me since they only take one year to complete and it's a very international environment.

I'm currently thinking about applying for the SDA Bocconi MBA program 2009-2010 but would like your input on how the program has met your expectations so far and how good are the job prospects.

Any advice would be appreciated to help me decide on what program to choose.

Thanks!
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how the program has met your expectations so far and how good are the job prospects ?

1. Schedule - It is a one year program & the schedule is quite hectic. In general, we have 4 classes daily from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Post classes, we could have a seminar, guest lecture, company presentaion, networking event, etc so there is very little time to get involved in multiple options (though some people do) so one year program is suited only for people who are clear what they want out of their MBA program. The school is meeting my expectations in terms of schedule & quality of classes in such a way that I gain maximum out of the program.

2. Faculty - Faculty for courses on marketting, strategy, economics & finance is one of the best. We have professors who have contributed in shaping the EU policies, are board members at major european banks & institutions and share their experiences/challenges with the class. I'm learning something new about europe everyday and at the same time it's a great cultural experience. I believe this would be true for all the top business schools in Europe.
On the con side, I feel the school needs better faculty in quants or organisation behavior courses.

3. Job Prospects -
Pro Side - The school has great contacts in Consulting & Finance sectors. Almost all top Consulting firms & Banks recruit from Bocconi. ATK recently had a B School Case competition & SDA was one of the 7 business schools in Europe (& 13 across globe) where ATK ran the competition. This clearly shows the confidence ATK has in SDA Bocconi graduates.

Con Side - If you want to work in Italy, then you MUST be good in Italian. This is especially true for consulting industry. Banks & Industry firms prefer international human capital.


Hope this helps. Feel free to ask more questions
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sdabocconi_09,
Thanks for your response! I really appreciate it :)

How's living in Milan? How are the people? the culture?

In your current MBA group for 2008-2009, are there many students from the U.S. or is it mostly Italian and European?

How's the team environment? Do people work mostly together or individually?

and lastly ... how are the job prospects for work within the U.S. ? I'm sure that the job prospect for work within Italy and Europe are great but I would also like to know the job prospects for students that want to work in the U.S. after graduating.

Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions!

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I am applying to the MCF program at Bocconi for Fall 2009 entry. I have not been able to find any information (other than school website) on this program. Anybody with information to share would be greatly appreciated:

1) How competitive are admissions for Non-Italians?
2) What kind of GMAT scores are awarded the couple of scholarships offered?
3) what are the job prospects in London after the program?
4) How is the quality of the program and the students?

Thanks to all.

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I am applying to the MCF program at Bocconi for Fall 2009 entry. I have not been able to find any information (other than school website) on this program. Anybody with information to share would be greatly appreciated:

1) How competitive are admissions for Non-Italians?
2) What kind of GMAT scores are awarded the couple of scholarships offered?
3) what are the job prospects in London after the program?
4) How is the quality of the program and the students?

Thanks to all.


Bocconi is a special kind of university with focus on finance & economics research/studies. The profs are one of the best in their fields and MCF@Bocconi is really one of the best programs.

I know an Indian in the MCF class so i'll ask him to answer your queries in detail. Alternatively, I suggest you to contact admissions department. They are very helpful in this regards & can also help in putting you in contact with current students.

All the best
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Hi sdabocconi_09,

How many Indians were there in the MBA batch at Bocconi that just graduated?
How many of them got jobs in Italy and how many elsewhere in Europe?
How many of them had to come back to India?
If you have information on this, it will be useful if you can share it.
Thanks.


My genuine apologies for a late reply.

1. The MBA33 batch (the batch that just graduated on 12th Dec 0 had 4 Indians. From last year, SDA has been increasing its intake from emerging countries like Russia, India, etc. This year we have 14 Indians in the batch & the group is really very competitive.

2. Out of the 4 Indians in the last batch, 2 decided to go on an exchange program so I don't know if they have found a job. The 2 that decided not to go for exchange have not accepted an offer yet.

3. None of them had to go back to India. They are still in Italy & post-graduation are looking for the right job offers. This is the way it happens in most EU schools. While analyzing EU schools, one should look at 3M after graduation data as the recruitment style is very different in EU schools compared to non-EU schools.

Please feel free to ask if you have more queries.
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sdabocconi_09,
Thanks for your response! I really appreciate it :)

How's living in Milan? How are the people? the culture?

In your current MBA group for 2008-2009, are there many students from the U.S. or is it mostly Italian and European?

How's the team environment? Do people work mostly together or individually?

and lastly ... how are the job prospects for work within the U.S. ? I'm sure that the job prospect for work within Italy and Europe are great but I would also like to know the job prospects for students that want to work in the U.S. after graduating.

Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions!


Apologies for being late.

1. We have 6 students from USA out of 108 this year. Overall the class has people 40% Italians & 60% non-Italians (representing 29 countries). However, this ratio is just for our batch. Next year class composition could be completely different.

2. Hmm... I can only talk about the 1st semester as the first semester just got over yesterday. The program is a mix of group assignments (20% - 30%), individual performance in exams (generally 60%-70%) and contribution during regular classes (10% - 20%). In summary, its a nice mix of group & individual evaluation.

3. Again a subjective Q without a definitive answer... subject to many ifs & buts... If you have a US work permit than it is quite easy to get a job in US. Bocconi has an exchange tie up with few of the best US college. So, a good strategy would be to opt for an exchange in UCLA, NYU et al and then use career services of the host institution to get a job in US (not all colleges offer career services to exchange students so do inquire)

Please feel free to ask more questions. I would be happy to answer them.
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Hi...

Thanks for taking the initiative to generate awareness regarding SDA. I have sent my application to SDA last week. I am interested to work in the luxury goods sector. Italy being the fashion capital was one of my first choices.

But the website does not boast of many high-end luxury brands coming to recruit to the school. Is it because there are few people with this 'niche' interest? Can the career services help you get a job of your choice?

Moreover, how easy it is to find a job, say in UK post your MBA from SDA? Please elaborate.

Lastly, how well does an Indian fit into the Italian education and work culture? If you could speak about your experiences, it would be great!!

Thanks,
ASV.

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Hi...

Thanks for taking the initiative to generate awareness regarding SDA. I have sent my application to SDA last week. I am interested to work in the luxury goods sector. Italy being the fashion capital was one of my first choices.

But the website does not boast of many high-end luxury brands coming to recruit to the school. Is it because there are few people with this 'niche' interest? Can the career services help you get a job of your choice?

Moreover, how easy it is to find a job, say in UK post your MBA from SDA? Please elaborate.

Lastly, how well does an Indian fit into the Italian education and work culture? If you could speak about your experiences, it would be great!!

Thanks,
ASV.



Dear ASV,

Happy New Year and All the best for your application.

Milan/Italy is one of the best places if you want to enhance your skills in fashion/style/brand. Its home to almost all known fashion brands in the world. However, the issue why SDA is not so upbeat about Luxury industry is that the industry pays much lower than average starting salary to graduates. Haing said that, if you are willing to put in a little extra efforts, getting an entry into companies such as Luxxotica/Gucci is not difficult.

As far as career prospects in UK are concerned, a lot of companies hire for their UK offices. At this point I do not have statistics to share with you. In general, it is definitely easier to approach UK based openings from Italy compared to from India, however, it may not be as simple as it may seem.

I did not find much difficulty in adjusting to the Italian education and culture. It is very similar to India with a little extra focus on soft skills and networking . Presentation, networking and creative abilities are valued more than analytical abilities. Italians prefer to have a work-life balance. In the last 3 months, I have the opportunity to attend almost 2-3 social parties every week, which is a great way of relaxing and catching up with friends.

On the con side, Italy is not as tech savvy as US/UK and the public administration is not very efficient. Most of the processes are complex and manual. For e.g., I had to visit the bank almost 6 times before I could not get my bank account opened (& this is more or less the same case with most of my friends). However, this does not affect your day to day life @ SDA much.

Hope that answers your queries to an extent.
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Hi,
Thanks so much for the info. That was much like the information I was looking for :)

Is it possible to connect with you via chat / phone? There are quite a few questions that I have regarding the school and job prospects.

I have applied to quite a few good schools internationally, but since luxury happens to be my interest area... I am definitely looking at Bocconi with keen interest.

Thanks,
ASV.

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Dear ASV,

I'm happy that you found the reply informative.

If the questions are of general interest, I would appreciate if you can post them here for the benefit of everyone. If specific to you, please send me a PM along with a brief about you.

The classes are starting from tomorrow so I may be a little slow in my replies.

Thanks

15

Sorry,

Could you share your profile??
Could you report something about the admission process?

Thanks

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Sorry,

Could you share your profile??
Could you report something about the admission process?

Thanks


Sure... Indian IT-Consultant with 6 Yr work ex, amongst top 2% in GMAT. International workex across 3 countries ... winner of Govt Scholarship (one of the 2 winners at all India level)...


blah blah blah...

If that's what u wanted to know... but honestly does those statistics really matter ?? esp after we know where a Slumdog can reach ... Just be yourself and show the adcom that "I'm Unique".. Not an easy task but if you can spend some time than u will be able to 'connect the dots' and don't give up...

SDA's website has a detailed section on admission process. I would suggest you to browse through it and I'm sure most of your queries would be answered. Is their something specific u want to know ? One of the most important aspects that adcom wants to understand is whether the applicant has the right expectations from the MBA program and has a clear vision of his/her post MBA goals. If you can communicate these 2 aspects convincingly both in application and in interview than most likely you will be selected.


ATB
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@sdabocconi09
Hey!..
Really wanna thank you for taking out the time to answer so many questions!..
I had applied in the second week of Dec for the Sept 09 intake and I got a mail today telling me my interview is on the 3rd of Feb on the phone with Prof Mikkel Draebye. Just wanted to know if you could shoot me some pointers.

Cheers,
Indrani

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Hi sdabocconi_09,
well i have a very basic question. Is there any difference in degree (apart from the course specialization part) provided be Bocconi University and SDA Bocconi.

Since i am 2008 passout so by sep 2009 i ll have 1+ year of work-ex only, due to it i think i wont be eligible to apply for MBA Course. so now i am looking at Masters course.

Now option that i am having from Bocconi are:


  1. MCF @ SDA Bocconi @ 1 yr course
  2. MSF @ Bocconi University @ 2 Year Course
  3. MS International Management @ Bocconi University @ 2 Year Course

now I am basically interested in top 2 choices. but if i apply to both, could it be possible that both of my application may be checked by same adcom staff, (in case if they have common staff for both courses.) then i think it would leave bad impression.

also except for sub specialization what the difference in MSF from Bocconi University and MCF from SDA Bocconi from point of Brand Value or is it same.

Yes My GMAT score is 710 and my Toefl score is 101.

thanks and regards
Priyesh Khunteta
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@sdabocconi09
Hey!..
Really wanna thank you for taking out the time to answer so many questions!..
I had applied in the second week of Dec for the Sept 09 intake and I got a mail today telling me my interview is on the 3rd of Feb on the phone with Prof Mikkel Draebye. Just wanted to know if you could shoot me some pointers.

Cheers,
Indrani



Congratulations !!!

1. Practice Prctice Practice (do this for 1 hr every day till 3rd feb)
  1. A 1 - 2 min brief introduction (depending on the number of yrs and quality of experience)
  2. Why MBA ? Why SDA ? Why now ? Why You ?
  3. Ensure that you have atleast 2-3 examples on teamskills, leadership, achievements, strengths, weaknesses, etc ready
  4. Phone Interview would mean that you have to express your passion, commitment, sincerity through your voice. So if possible have 3-4 mock phone interviews with your close friends and seek feedback
2. Do have atleast 3 insightful questions (and 1 sub questions if possible) for the professor.

3. Do go through the profile of the professor SDA Bocconi : Professors.
He would prefer to have a logical structure in your answers. Personally speaking, he is very nice and supportive

4. Please be very clear of why you want to attend SDA ? What are the post MBA career options you can have. One of the challenges current indian students are facing is 'inability to access italian labour market due to lack of fluency in italian language and work permit issues' especially in consulting


These are some of the generic points that come to my mind right now.

All the best :snipersm:

Thanks
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Hi sdabocconi_09,
well i have a very basic question. Is there any difference in degree (apart from the course specialization part) provided be Bocconi University and SDA Bocconi.

Since i am 2008 passout so by sep 2009 i ll have 1+ year of work-ex only, due to it i think i wont be eligible to apply for MBA Course. so now i am looking at Masters course.

Now option that i am having from Bocconi are:


  1. MCF @ SDA Bocconi @ 1 yr course
  2. MSF @ Bocconi University @ 2 Year Course
  3. MS International Management @ Bocconi University @ 2 Year Course
now I am basically interested in top 2 choices. but if i apply to both, could it be possible that both of my application may be checked by same adcom staff, (in case if they have common staff for both courses.) then i think it would leave bad impression.

also except for sub specialization what the difference in MSF from Bocconi University and MCF from SDA Bocconi from point of Brand Value or is it same.

Yes My GMAT score is 710 and my Toefl score is 101.

thanks and regards
Priyesh Khunteta



The adcom staff @ SDA Bocconi is different from Bocconi University so their is low probability. Having said that, i do not have any official insights into how adcom works so the best thing is to send a mail to admissions and seek clarifications.

Brand value of SDA Bocconi is very high. Moreover, MCF, MAFED and MBA courses are run in the same building, which offers students a great opportunities to network with professors/students/staff of other programs. In many of the MBA events, we do invite MCF students. So if your long term goal is to do an MBA, an MCF is definitely better than MSF.

HTH
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FT ranked SDA's Full time MBA program @ 38th (& in Top 15 in Europe) - up 10 positions from 48

If the school can resolve placement issues for non-EU candidates, I'm sure it would be in Top 5 in EU and top 25 in the world