Duncan, let me just say that I am amazed at how knowledgeable you are. I have read your posts and advices on this website and I have always found your answers to be clearly structured and backed by data and logic. Just wanted to appreciate you and what you are doing. :)

Which other business school should I apply to in the UK for an MiM then. I have heard that Warwick is good in rankings but otherwise not so good in real life. What should be my preference order after LBS and Imperial?

[Edited by Aryan Singh on Feb 19, 2023]

Warwick and the other schools are fairly ranked, but they cannot meet the expectations of every student. In particular, a European business school won't have the high, essentialy guaranteed placement of an Indian business school. Many Indian business schools have placed most of their students before the course is half way finished, and with less job seeking effort from the students than would be required in Europe. So, it's hard to meet those expectations. If you take the Warwick MiM you will probably send up in similar roles to other people on that degree with a similar background: Amazon, Cognizant, Deloitte... etc

Among the Uk schools, only Exeter has placement under 88%. The other FT-ranked schools are strong choice. Start with your career goals and use LinkedIn to see which of the remaining schools are most often placing MiM alumni in your target firms or industries. For visa reasons, ESCP should be an option only if you spend a whole year in the UK. 

[Edited by Duncan on Feb 20, 2023]

Duncan, you're quite right about the placement culture here in India. Another dilemma I am facing is regarding this only. Since European b schools do not have the high placement numbers, I am thinking that in the worst case scenario that I am unable to find a job in Europe and have to come back to India, then I should prepare for that and choose French schools over uk schools since almost every mim in uk is of 1 year duration and the Indian govt, doesn't recognise 1 year masters degrees.

88% doesn't sound low to me, and most ranked MiMs will average well over 90%. But, yes, its not 100%

ESCP London could be a good option, since it had a two year MiM. 

@Aryan- The one year degree recognition shouldn’t be much of concern as thousands of students each year come to UK / Europe for education and some of them do head back and find excellent jobs. Even IIMs have stated one year MBA so would be surprised if one year masters is not recognised at least in the industry.

[Edited by Digant2022 on Feb 21, 2023]

@Aryan the number of Indians studying in the UK has exploded since Brexit. The EEA students have went for other options in Europe (as they are cheaper) so I would be surprised if all these pay several tens of thousands of pounds for an unrecognised degree. Don't worry about that :)

[Edited by Andy776 on Feb 21, 2023]

I wonder if the OP intends to apply for a civil service job if unable to find a role in the UK? 

I don't plan to pursue civil services as of now. 

I am really leaning towards ESCP because:

1. Consistently ranked in the top 5 programs.
2. 2 year program allows me to have more internship and work ex. Another plus is the optional gap year which I can use to gain professional experience.
3. International exposure like no other. I am planning to take the first year in Paris and Berlin, And the second year in London exclusively, so that I am eligible for the work visa.
4. Avg. salary data on the websites show that ESCP grads earn higher than imperial grads.
5. The program is 75% customisable and I will graduate with 3 masters from Germany, UK and France.

The only thing stopping me from finalising my decision Is that I am still unsure about what the reputation of ESCP London is with UK management consulting firms. I am unable to analyse which school out of ESCP and imperial will be better with respect to job opportunities in UK after graduating. 

I want to work and settle in the UK since I will have better networking opportunities because there won't be a language barrier. But the primary reason(and I am not sure about this, just my opinion. Feel free to correct me) is that I don't think the top Management consulting firms will even glance at me if I am not fluent in the local language (Which will be the case in the EU).

Duncan, I also wanted your advice on how I can evaluate the alumni network?

[Edited by Aryan Singh on Mar 01, 2023]

Aryan I think you have the answer staring at you right there. You’ve received very good advice already and they are most credible in my books. 

If you want to work in Europe, especially France or Germany where ESCP’s brand is not in doubt with employers, then please by all means, head over to ESCP. It is indeed a very good business school. However, you must know that Management Consulting is primarily a client-facing endeavor and you’ll be doing a lot of work with local companies in the country of domicile. And take it from me, clients will not speak English with you except indeed it’s their first language. Management Consultants do work that will invariably demand local language skills. This is a no brainer! 

And if you desire to work in the UK perhaps because you are from an English-speaking country hence ease of settling post-study, then you have to snap out of this self-inflicted conundrum and apply to Imperial with not hesitation. Imperial’s MiM is unarguably one of the best among equals in the whole of Europe, and mostly respected by Management Consulting firms in the UK. Have you researched the organizations that hire Imperial MiMs? If you want to work in the UK, you need to have 12 months of study in the country to be eligible for the 2-year Graduate Visa which is very important for international students. ESCP’s programme structure is such that you may not spend up to 12 months in the UK during your study and this may be a problem for you eventually. And yes, in plain language, without mincing words, ESCP is a little known/regarded school in the UK. Most of their alumni work in Europe especially France and Germany. Use LinkedIn to research the schools and elicit data on graduate destinations, roles filled and typical hiring organizations from both schools. 

You’ve got to make a decision here buddy. 

I agree with all of this. I strongly believe you can spend both of the last semesters at ESCP London and thus get the UK visa. Check with them.

ESCP is a high-risk, high-reward strategy. If the right internships come along, then it's excellent. You need to make sure you get the UK post-study work visa. However, you lose a year in the labour market. And it's not a very well-known brand outside traditional b-school recruiters. Honestly, I would be tempted by it. The fees are affordable. The student quality will be higher and, because it's mostly European, I think it's better socialization and the group work dynamics will create more soft skills development. The social life will be way better. There's a lot more learning.

However, Imperial is the low-risk, high-reward option. One year. Famous school. A business school that is arguably more of a knowledge generator and certainly more impactful in the UK. A world-famous brand. An extensive alumni network. If you think of the efficient frontier in portfolio theory, if you have two options that lead to similar outcomes then you would always pick the one with the least risk. 

On comparing the alumni networks; certainly use my post about LinkedIn. Since the IIMs and IITs include word 'Indian' maybe add that as a filter to see where people with prior degrees from there have ended up. Also compare their MiM alumni in India. The ratio between UK and Indian alumni might give you a datapoint. 

The design of the ESCP programme really is remarkable, The specializations allow you to go so deeply into topics. 
If you would spend *all* of the time at ESCP London, then that would be better even if that means you would only get the UK MSc. I don't see many advantages to getting the French or German degree that would outweigh the value of more time networking in the UK. Paris and Berlin are there for holidays.  

That is what's making the decision harder. The program and international exposure amongst all other things are so enticing, that I'm unable to reach a decision. The first semester preference has been finalised, but I can surely spend the remaining three semesters. 

Adding to your point, maybe I can do my 2nd sem at the London campus, take an optional gap year to work in London, then complete my degree at the London campus.

The international exposure reduces, not increases, the value of the MiM to your goals. Don't be distracted by it. 

Duncan, wouldn't international exposure teach me how to work in a team with people from different ethnicities? Even if it does not, how does it decrease the value of my MiM?

Also why did almost all uk business schools fall so much in rankings this year? Imperial has been top 10 for past 3-4 years in ft ranking, this year it is around 23. Have other programs caught up and have become better?

[Edited by Aryan Singh on Mar 02, 2023]

The cohort is similar on every ESCP campus.

British schools fell for macroeconomic reasons relating to Brexit,  especially the change in USD Forex.

How does Warwick mim compare to imperial Msc international management? In the  Warwick brochure I couldn't find management consulting firms whereas Imperial brochure had a much better group of companies and consulting firms too. I feel the imperial brand name is also stronger overall. But in business school rankings Warwick is ranked above imperial at many places. I feel imperial will be the better choice? what do you think?

The programme comparison option in the FT ranking is very powerful. It shows that Imperial gets a more senior cohort and has better outcomes. For the MiM it is certainly the better choice for most people.