Hello Fellow Pagals, Long time reader but a first time poster. Coming from a long year old dream of relaizing to do an MBA from a prestigious college, my journey has seen agonizing heartaches from the numerous attempts of GMAT and finally the…
Hello Fellow Pagals,
Long time reader but a first time poster. Coming from a long year old dream of relaizing to do an MBA from a prestigious college, my journey has seen agonizing heartaches from the numerous attempts of GMAT and finally the ecstasy of getting that offer letter in your mail --- "You have been offerred a place for MBA".
Although I had a couple of offers (namely Strathclyde & Durham), I decided to pusrue Leeds University Business school. I must admit that I am not a big fan of FT rankings. For the simple reason that a college name alone does not gurantee a carrer placement oppurtunity. Sheer hard work, constant networking and proving the hell out that you are the best candidate for that position, will gurantee you that coveted placement. (Trust me ...heard from most...no UK college will have a job offer in a platter)
My Overall Profile.
GMAT - 590
Applications - KickAss(was going to make it my personal best) !! 7 yrs of Telecom Consultant Experince/Hotel Business. 2 yrs of Working ex in UK for Telecom major.
Community work - So so...nothing great..
Recommendation - Got them from the top bosses and one from my UK client.
Applicant essay - Decided to bring every aspect of my personality if a question from college didnt directly address it.
I must share that i have had disappointments with some top tier colleges with my application, while i suspect that GMAT had an important role to play in it. After 3 attempts, I was really fed up but with some constabt encourangement from my MBA friends from UK, I applied to tier 2 colleges.
I know the VISA situation is bad. Fear of getting PSW scrapped is still gutting me. will post updates on this thread on the future.........
Friends....please let me know if anyone gaining admission in this school for 2011-2012. I would have very much wanted to meet (if possible) before joining school. BTW i am from mumbai. Cheers!
hi......................................
Not much to cheer about from the visa front yet !!! Some stringent rules in place for those applying for degree courses less that 12 months. Atleast the master's degree scene can be much more clearer by the end of this month...hopefully :lookround:
New UK Tier 4 Student Visa Rules in detail
Have been following some threads on the UK colleges in this forum and surprisingly, I was bit skeptical about how one can expect a decent ROI going in to a expensive Business school when the external conditions (Tier 1 and Tier 4 VISA rules ) are not really condusive to continue studying (or for that matter working as well....i.e. massive Tier 1 (working VISA) rule changes can be expected in UK by 6th April)
I am not trying to generalize but speaking about the UK environment only. Also my intention is not to put down anyone about thier aspiration to study in this country but merely understand the motivation to continue in a place that looks to implement stringent rules against immigrants.
I would understand the need for "quality education"...but a healthy discussion on what can be good back up options to pursue after MBA is much needed.
Friends, please note that i have chosen Leeds for the scholarships and inexpensive (compared to other UK colleges !) course which can offer me the best of international experience. Would like to know what others feel about it.
Hi Raj ,
Nice to see a thread on 2011 LUBS intake....I got a admit from Strathclyde,Exeter and Leeds for 2011.
Joining Leeds only !! I guess in this day and age ... brand name rules and Leeds has got a very big one !!
My Profile - 4 Yrs of IT Exp ( 1.5 yrs in US and 6 months in Australia included)...
Hi,
I have also accepted the offer from Leeds. I did quite a bit of research and spoke to a lot of industry people and they have a pretty good opinion of the school, more so on the practical orientation of the course. So hope to see you guys in Leeds in Sep...
hey sandy !!!! Leeds it is in Sep..... we shud catch up on facebook or sumthin...and i hope more people join this thread soon !!!
Hello Folks...I've not got my official mail yet, but was confirmed that I've been offered a place in Leeds. I've also got admits in Edinburgh and Durham. In a bit of fix to choose. Probably will make my decision in the next few days. What do you guys reckon??
I would like to get opinion on my decision.
crudor,
I would suggest Edinburgh---Leeds---Bradford
Unfortunately, I could not accept the offer from Leeds due to financial constraints. I feel sorry for missing an opportunity to study in such a reputed instituation. However, my situation made me not to opt for it just for the reason of risking to pay huge amount.
Though I got a very low score in GMAT below 550(4th attempt), I got the offer from Leeds . Even my profile is not so great, but the confidence on doing an MBA fetched me a place.
I got offer from other institution with scholarship of 3000pounds and the total tution fees comes around 7.5 laksh rupees. So I just felt good to do an MBA here. Though it is not a ranking university, it is has AMBA accrediation. So for 7.5 lakhs with the quality education looks better choice without running into risk of paying huge loan after graduation. Even in India itself we need to pay around 4lacs minimum if we do it in tier2 colleges.
Even 7.5 lahks + living cost is huge amout for me because I will be spending whatever I earned for last 6 years for my education meaning I will be investing the money to gain the knowledge and a degree. I cannot expect any financial support from my parents or anyone else as they do not have money. So I will be paying from my pocket. I feel tad sorry for spending the whole amout that I earned so far for the education, but good that I am spending for education. After finishing MBA, it is very important on how soon I get back the returns because I need to start from begining to earn money. Based on the job market situation in UK and India ( for MBA freshers), it is difficult to get better returns.
Spending money without taking huge loan is wise because even if I do not get the MBA jobs anywhere after studies, I can get the job in current field as it is quite easier to find the job with 6 years of technical exp in India. so I will be spending little amount for earning an MBA degree that will be feather in my cap even if i continue to do similar IT job for a while after MBA.
Moreoever, wherever we do MBA it is important that how good are we in utilizing the knowledge gained doing MBA. University reputation and ranking helps to get a job, and of course they also have quality education,however, we can afford such things if we have no problem in paying huge tuition fee and do not bother about the returns.
I did not do my engineering in a reputed instituation but I worked for 5 Top IT companies. Once we get the job, any degrees including MBA will not help you much but the interest in learning even after MBA, knowledge, hardworking and self motivation will make you shine well anywhere
I would like to get opinion on my decision
Agree with the previous post - Edinburgh > Leeds or Bradford.
However u might do a little bit of research on the job prospects in Edinburgh....
Hello MBA Aspirant,
I think it depends on what you want to do post ur UK MBA...If you are looking to work in UK , then an MBA from Leeds would serve better for its reputation and image...But if you are looking to come back to India and work ... then it will not make much of a difference,,,So I think if you can finalize your end goal it will be easier to decide...
Also just a note...while studying in Leeds you might get paid internships which will lessen your finacial burden...
Visa changes for Tier-4 announced...here's the summary http://ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/news/summary-student-policy.pdf
Looks like PSW will be closed from April 2012..not sure if it is for visa given after April 2012..the first line seems to indicate so. If that is the case we might get a relief on that front !!
Anyone have other interpretations/more news...pls share...
Thanks Som and Sandy...I was also lingering about a bit...for the visa rules to come out...looks like it is cleared out now...anyways had prepared myself to go for it even if the rules are enforced now.
So crudor...which one are you deciding opon to go ?
Just waiting to hear back from alumni I've contacted....as you said..wanted to check for job prospects. Leeds is quite a metropolitan city...but people say they've not had problems at Edinburgh...also there are job fairs. So still in a fix 
Guys,
I spoke to a couple of people on the PSW visa. What they say is that esentially when we graduate out in 2012, we will not be entitled toPSW. However, if we can get a job there in UK and get the employer to sponsor our work permit and if we get a minimum of 20000 pounds in salary, we can stay back. This is what I found out, any other information will be helpful and I honestly wish that what I say is wrong interpretation as well 😃