Hi,I’m a 30 year old Chartered Accountant from India. I have over 7 years of work experience, 3 years in Ernst & Young India, 4 years in a Multinational Oil & Gas Company in Dubai. Now my dilemma, I got admits to three colleges, not sure which o…
Hi,
I'm a 30 year old Chartered Accountant from India. I have over 7 years of work experience, 3 years in Ernst & Young India, 4 years in a Multinational Oil & Gas Company in Dubai. Now my dilemma, I got admits to three colleges, not sure which one to choose-
1) Simon Rochester, USA (1 year program) - Reputed school in USA, strong in finance, but seems to have poor recruitments due to no big recruiter in the region. Some say the location is a let-down, very cold climate.
2) IE, Spain - Highly ranked, but hear lot of online horror stories of most of the alumni being unemployed. Many say the school is overrated. Does the school have the reputation among recruiters or is the ranking just a marketing gimmick.
3) Cranfield, UK - Low profile, but seems to have good alumni and a strong program. But UK is in bad shape.
Post MBA I'm thinking of staying in USA or Europe for a few years before coming back to Middle East for work. I'm also in the process of earning my US CPA certification. Any advise would be helpful in getting me out of this confusion!!
Regards,
Confused mind
Cranfield is a very strong school, well established school and personally I would rate this school along with Warwick just next to LBS in UK.
However, there are economic and visa issues in UK, although Spain probably worse than UK.
If I were you, I would have followed my heart in this case.
Thanks crazy...what do you think about Simon??
@jencilphilip
Qualified CA, E&Y; + Corporate Experience, probably doing quite well in Dubai career-wise. What will a full time MBA (1 to 2 years away from the job market) offer you? What is your career objective / goal, that you feel only a full-time MBA will enable you to reach?
..
Unless you're able to clearly articulate why you want to leave a currently good career behind, I'd suggest you decline all three offers, and consider doing a Part-Time executive / modular MBA delivered in Dubai (London Business School, Cass / City University, Duke / Fuqua) and Abu Dhabi (INSEAD). You'll need to take a few days off work, which you can schedule well in advance, and pay with your savings & earnings, and stay on the job. It'll be a challenging set of commitments (Job, Family and MBA), but less risky.. Several very good schools are within reach.
..
All the best
Baccardisprite
@jencilphilip
US was not in my list and I have not done any kind of research on US schools.
part - time or executive courses may work for some and may not work for others. In many a times, part time courses produce nothing but a certificate!!
US was not in my list and I have not done any kind of research on US schools.
part - time or executive courses may work for some and may not work for others. In many a times, part time courses produce nothing but a certificate!!
@jencilphilip
Hi,
I am a current student at Cranfield. I can give you some insights into the Cranfield MBA program. Just let me know what do you want to know about Cranfield.
Hi Bharat,
Wanted to know about the number of people who got job after graduation in UK. (Specially Indians). What kind of networking opportunities Cranfield provides and what kind of companies visit the campus (if any)
@reviliant said:Hi Bharat, Wanted to know about the number of people who got job after graduation in UK. (Specially Indians). What kind of networking opportunities Cranfield provides and what kind of companies visit the campus (if any)
I too have the same question and yet to get a clear picture. Cranfield is good, absolutely no question on that but what about JOB FOR ASIAN?
I saw the details of another similarly ranked school in UK and horribly 30-35 students are still looking for a job in a class of 70-75. The most disturbing part is, almost all are Asians and further disturbing is, mostly they are Indian IT Male!!
A great Education is excellent but if you do not apply those knowledge (means you do not get the right job) for 6 months, you will forget most of it.
Please share about PLACEMENT. We are already sold that Cranfield is a great school.
I saw the details of another similarly ranked school in UK and horribly 30-35 students are still looking for a job in a class of 70-75. The most disturbing part is, almost all are Asians and further disturbing is, mostly they are Indian IT Male!!
A great Education is excellent but if you do not apply those knowledge (means you do not get the right job) for 6 months, you will forget most of it.
Please share about PLACEMENT. We are already sold that Cranfield is a great school.
Hi,
I can't tell you exactly about the placement statistics for Cranfield. Job situation in UK is grim and for Asians its worse and the case is same for all the b schools in UK including oxford, judge, Cranfield and even LBS.
But I can tell you this that the career services in Cranfield will do their best to bring companies to college for career talks, career fairs. Information related to each and every event happening in UK which will be helpful for your career will be passed on to you. But then it is up to you to decide which ones to filter.
Here is some information related to companies which came to Cranfield in first term.
Till now people have started applying for jobs in companies such as Lloyds, JLR, BP and other future leadership programs. The positions in these companies are open to all and everyone could apply and these companies will sponsor visas as well. Other companies such as Deloitte, PWC, Santander, Barclays and HSBC have come for placement talks and people will start applying for jobs in these companies by start of 3rd semester. Reason for this is that these companies hire for individual positions and they will not wait for six months to finish the program after you apply.
Let me know in case you need more information.
@bharatemail
Bharatbhai, thank you very much and I truly appreciate your candid sharing. I specially liked your direct and honest answer.
Any idea of the last batch, who recently graduated from Cranfield? How is the performance of the Asians in last batch. I believe last batch performance will be a fair indication of the worst case scenario. I believe next year will be much better and our year (next to next year) will be further better.
Wish you and all your batchmates a happy, prosperous and healthy New Year ahead.
Bharatbhai, thank you very much and I truly appreciate your candid sharing. I specially liked your direct and honest answer.
Any idea of the last batch, who recently graduated from Cranfield? How is the performance of the Asians in last batch. I believe last batch performance will be a fair indication of the worst case scenario. I believe next year will be much better and our year (next to next year) will be further better.
Wish you and all your batchmates a happy, prosperous and healthy New Year ahead.
Sorry to cut-in, but Directing my response to the original IE v/s Cranfield v/s Simon (1Y).
Please allow me to pour my 2 cents
I assume you wish to continue in your industry - Finance. I meet IE during a 1-2-1 event, and can safely say that it will be an amazing experience. Diverse classmates and good weather. However I believe it costs nearly 42,000 Euro for tuition.
The Alumni who represented IE, told me that jobs were few in Spain, but their Career Services are active across globe. Even in India, they have an office in Mumbai, and they are bringing Indian companies to make them aware of IE MBA's potential.....Long story short, IE seems proactive, they perhaps know that it's going to be challenging to place students in Spanish economy (Financial services are majorly affected, Banks going kaput! ), hence they are activating career services in other regions of the world.
If I were in your shoes (and I am not) I will not consider IE. IE will be a great educational and transformational experience, but it ends there.
I wont spend 42,000 Euros to get a job in India or Asia. (but that's me)
I presume same line of reasoning with Cranfield.
post MBA few deciding factors (not in any order) for placements are: Economy, Demand for MBA, Language requirements, Visa regulations and brand name.
Personally, I would add opportunity cost, weather, location and diversity.
For IE,
Cons: Cost is high, economy,demand,language and visa will work against you.
Pros: Diverse classmates, good weather, brand name.
For Cranfield
Cons: economy, demand, visa
Pros: diverse classmates, brand name, language.
For Simon
Cons: weather, diversity
Pros: opportunity cost, visa (double check this), language, demand, economy
One of my senior did his MBA (2Y) from Simon but came back to India, he was a career switcher from Tech to Fin. That said, Simon is a school known more for Finance.
Recruitments/ placement stats wont be strong at Simon (or so i am told), but that would be the case at both IE & Cran.
US economy is not going anywhere soon, so demand will be there. from educational point of view, you cannot go wrong with IE or Cranfield or Simon.
But mostly, select Cranfield if you dream of working in UK. select IE if u wish to learn spanish and work in Spain, LATam or India. Select Simon, if you want to minimize opportunity cost and dream of working in US.
Hope it helps.
P.S - you would have created your internal ranking when you were shortlisting schools or applying to them, in the end join a school that excites you!
Ayon
Hi,
The performance was not good for last year batch. I know few have to go back to India after MBA. But there were few who managed to get jobs. One got job in BP, one in Amazon, one went back to SAP. Few wanted to start something of their own. I am not aware of few others.
As I told you earlier, jobs are there and its just that you have try harder and start from the beginning of the course.
@bharatemail said:Hi,The performance was not good for last year batch. I know few have to go back to India after MBA. But there were few who managed to get jobs. One got job in BP, one in Amazon, one went back to SAP. Few wanted to start something of their own. I am not aware of few others.As I told you earlier, jobs are there and its just that you have try harder and start from the beginning of the course.
Thank you so much. I really liked your honesty and direct answer.
As I know, generally batch of Cran range school has on an average 15 Indian students in a class of 70+/-. Some school has 30+ Indian students but generally 15-20 range, excluding NRI/PIO and neighboring countries of India etc.
So around 5 jobs (BP, Amazon, SAP + few more) is not an encouraging number. I do not believe those who could not managed to get a job are too inferior or less hardworking compared to who managed to get job. Many a times, it's just sheer LUCK or click at the right time.
Bharatbhai, my intention is never to single out Cran. I know the picture is the same for all schools, only a few admits that and many try to camouflage that. A 90% placement is very misleading and I never buy that story.
Hmm, it's a tough decision .. but I firmly believe when you will graduate or I will graduate, the outlook will be much better.
As I know, generally batch of Cran range school has on an average 15 Indian students in a class of 70+/-. Some school has 30+ Indian students but generally 15-20 range, excluding NRI/PIO and neighboring countries of India etc.
So around 5 jobs (BP, Amazon, SAP + few more) is not an encouraging number. I do not believe those who could not managed to get a job are too inferior or less hardworking compared to who managed to get job. Many a times, it's just sheer LUCK or click at the right time.
Bharatbhai, my intention is never to single out Cran. I know the picture is the same for all schools, only a few admits that and many try to camouflage that. A 90% placement is very misleading and I never buy that story.
Hmm, it's a tough decision .. but I firmly believe when you will graduate or I will graduate, the outlook will be much better.
You can also include IESE also in this list. From 2010 IESE has increased the batch size. Till the class of 2011, there used to be only about 14 Indian. From 2012 onwards there are more than 25-30 Indians. Of the 2012 class, about 10 are in search of jobs. Some are employed in India. Even for internship many did internship without any salary in Spain. I find there is no thread for IESE in Pagalguy or in GMATCLUB for 2014. If you are not getting a in Europe or UK, after spending almost E 100000, the person will become bankrupt. The outlook is like this from 2008-09.
Guys,
I am feeling lucky to have found this thread! Got to know a lot.
Could you please also help me decide which MBA program I should go for. I was looking for a 1 year program either in US (coz my wife is about to start her assignment there) and
I have got admit into Cranfield (schol decision to come) and
As of now, this is how I compare these 2:
Cranfield:
Pros-Brand name, excellent faculty, proximity to
Proximity to
Cons:
Pittsburgh/Katz:
Pros-my H4 visa will work there,
Cons- Question about brand recognition, disappearance from some rankings, no clear placement stats available on 1 year MBA
The thing which pulls me towards Cranfield is the interview session I had for it last year.
Mr. David Simmons discussed with me on a variety of topics during this 1 hour session and it appeared to me that he was really interested in thoroughly exploring my fit to the course. Great time I had! I have no doubts in believing that at Cranfield, I would have great scope to develop myself personally, academically and professionally.
Now, I have to submit my token money by this month end. Could you please share your thoughts on this before I make my mind.
Apology my test is not appearing properly above. I will just write is once again below:
Guys,
I am feeling lucky to have found this thread! Got to know a lot.
Could you please also help me decide which MBA program I should go for. I was looking for a 1 year program either in US (coz my wife is about to start her assignment there) and UK (coz of some great 1 year MBA programs there).
I have got admit into Cranfield (schol decision to come) and Pittsburgh university Katz business school's 1 year MBA program (40% schol). I am an Indian IT mail and would like to raise myself up the ladder in the same field or probably into technology consulting.
As of now, this is how I compare these 2:
Cranfield:
Pros-Brand name, excellent faculty, proximity to London, flagship 1 year MBA course,
Proximity to India, Prodigy finance, positive feedback from some IIM alumni
Cons: UK economy, EU crises, small market
Pittsburgh/Katz:
Pros-my H4 visa will work there, Pittsburgh city, American economy, my wife's stay in US, scholarship, helpful staff, Katzport program
Cons- Question about brand recognition, disappearance from some rankings, no clear placement stats available on 1 year MBA
The thing which pulls me towards Cranfield is the interview session I had with him last year.
Mr. David Simmons discussed with me on a variety of topics during this 1 hour session and it appeared to me that he was really interested in thoroughly exploring me from inside. Great time I had! I have no doubts in believing that at Cranfield, I would have great scope to develop myself personally, academically and professionally.
Now, I have to submit my token money by this month end. Could you please share your thoughts on this before I make my mind.
Thanks!
Apology my text is not appearing properly above. I will just write is once again below:
Guys,
I am feeling lucky to have found this thread! Got to know a lot.
Could you please also help me decide which MBA program I should go for. I was looking for a 1 year program either in US (coz my wife is about to start her assignment there) and UK (coz of some great 1 year MBA programs there).
I have got admit into Cranfield (schol decision to come) and Pittsburgh university Katz business school's 1 year MBA program (40% schol). I am an Indian IT mail and would like to raise myself up the ladder in the same field or probably into technology consulting.
As of now, this is how I compare these 2:
Cranfield:
Pros-Brand name, excellent faculty, proximity to London, flagship 1 year MBA course,
Proximity to India, Prodigy finance, positive feedback from some IIM alumni
Cons: UK economy, EU crises, small market
Pittsburgh/Katz:
Pros-my H4 visa will work there, Pittsburgh city, American economy, my wife's stay in US, scholarship, helpful staff, Katzport program
Cons- Question about brand recognition, disappearance from some rankings, no clear placement stats available on 1 year MBA
The thing which pulls me towards Cranfield is the interview session I had with him last year.
Mr. David Simmons discussed with me on a variety of topics during this 1 hour session and it appeared to me that he was really interested in thoroughly exploring me from inside. Great time I had! I have no doubts in believing that at Cranfield, I would have great scope to develop myself personally, academically and professionally.
Now, I have to submit my token money by this month end. Could you please share your thoughts on this before I make my mind.
Thanks!
Nothing I can say except sorry for these multiple posts above! My internet connection is not responding properly. Please consider only my last post above while replying.
Thanks and Regards
@WouldbeCrazy
Yes there would be close to 15 Indians in every batch. As I told you earlier these facts are just based on my rusty memory. I am not aware of many others. Things might become more clear once I go to college after my new year break and get some facts from Careers.
I know you are spending a fortune for doing your MBA and you have to be very careful in which school you choose etc etc. One suggestion from my side would be don't make your decision entirely on which school can get you a decent job post mba. You will get a job and a decent one, the only thing is that you might or might not have to wait for few months after MBA.
Also look at the quality of the education and the teaching methodology, lecturers who are teaching, International experience option etc before making a decision. If you can afford it think about these things also.
@shoryasunny
David Simmons is a gem. He is our executive MBA director. If you could read my posts in some of the Cranfield forums in pagalguy you will find that what also pulled me towards joining Cranfield is the interview with David Simmons.
Furthermore I don't think there is any comparison between Cranfield and Pittsburgh. Let me know in case you need any more information.