Dear All;

I need your urgent help, since I have to make a decission in at most two weeks time.

I got offers from, Bocconi, RSM and I think I will get an offer from St Gallen also.

RSM begins in January 2014 and the other two in September 2014.

I do not speak any dutch, italian or german for now. But when I decide about the MBA program then I will begin to take language courses.

As far as I researched these three schools are very similar.

I want to learn your opinions, which would be better for me.

I have worked in one of the big four audit companies for five years and now I am working as budget & internal controls manager of a global company in Turkey.

I think Bocconi will be a better choice since Italian culture is much more similar to Turkish and Bocconi is the most reputable one of these three in Turkey.

I think St Gallen will be better since there is significant number of German companies in Turkey and knowing German would be a great asset. But Turkish people does not know St. Gallen name.

I think RSM will be better, since the Dutch economy is doing well in the crisis and I would have more opportinities in Netherlands

anybody have and idea?

I think you are on the right track. Just for kicks, I did a LinkedIn search for MBAs who are working in Turkey (across industries) - and the vast majority did their studies at Turk schools. Bocconi is, as you suggested, more represented than the other two, but not by much.

It's not clear to me whether you want to try to use your MBA as leverage to break into a new country, or just as international experience, after which you'd go back to Turkey. If it's the former, I probably would focus on which language you think you could pick up more quickly, because that's going to be a deciding factor in terms of working in any of these three countries after graduation. Also look at the economies - Italy's is obviously not doing that well, while the other two countries might hold more opportunity over the course of the next few years.

If you want to go back to Turkey immediately after graduation - I would (right now) network with the firms that you might be interested in, to see where current employees did their MBAs. Awareness of the specific programs, as your rightly pointed out, is going to be valuable.

Dear Ralph;

First off all I want to thank you for your detailed response.

To clarify, my goal in about 3-5 years time is, staying in the country that I get my mba in, and then return to my country with a senior role.

For now I am so confused because I can't make a selection.

Considering the languages, German is the best for finding jobs in Turkey, since there are lots of German-Swiss companies in Turkey.

But St. Gallen's reputation in Turkey is the worst of three. If I can not find a job after graduation in Switzerland, I have to return my country with and MBA diploma that nobody knows and 50.000 Euro loans. What make me curiosu about St Gallen is, "if I can not find a job after graduation". But if I could find a job after graduation, surely St Gallen is the best opportunity. Because Switzerland as a country has a reputation in Turkish business World).

Considering Bocconi, it has the best reputation in Turkey. But in order to find a job in Italy, I have to learn Italian. But the Italian economy is not doing well and also I am not sure how much, speaking Italian will add to me.

And RSM is somewhere in between, considering all the cases. The possibility of finding a job is not so bad in Holland but in the long run I am not sure how much it will help to return my country.

By the way, I have to say that, these schools are the best alternatives for me. Since my gpa is terrible and my gmat score is not very high to cover that gpa. My strongest point is my cv. I think my cv make the schools offer me a spot.

Read: Do you need to speak the local language? www.find-mba.com/board/34713

I think you should have intermediate language skills before you start; you won't get there during an MBA.

Hi Duncan;

I will study the language of my mba country, just after I decide about where to go.

Beside language, do you have any suggestion for me?

No, that's the main thing I think you need to reconsider.

Dear Duncan & Ralph

I need your suggestion.

I also got an offer from Manchester and for the other alternatives, I have eliminated St Gallen (not known in my country) and RSM (do not want to leave my company at December, not right time).

Thus I have two alternatives Manchester & Bocconi.

I am 30 (Turkish male) and have a finance background, and I see my future in finance also.

I do not speak Italian but by the end of program, I think that I will be in upper intermediate level of Italin.

Which of the schools could generate better results for me, I really need your advise.

I don't understand how you can say "I do not speak Italian but by the end of program, I think that I will be in upper intermediate level of Italian." If you were not to take an MBA, but to focus full-time on the language, then you could do that. How can you get to a professional standard of Italian while taking one of the world's most demanding MBAs? Perhaps you already speak Catalan or Romanian?

I took Italian courses at university, but after 8 years I forgot them.

If i decide to go Bocconi, I will take Italian language courses. possibly beginning in november, and I will attend the Italian courses offered by bocconi.

I hope, I will be at conversational level at the end of the program, which is December 2015

Read my post: Do you need to speak the local language? www.find-mba.com/board/34713

Conversational Italian won't be enough for work, so Manchester sounds like a safer option.