Hi ,

Im Vini from india and would like to know about the post MBA job scenario for International Students once they graduate from ESADE Spain.

Thank

Vini

Hi,

Sorry to jump in but I was wondering why IESE is not included in the debate between IE and ESADE?

I am also contemplating on which schools to apply to and at first impression (forums, rankings) I thought IE and IESE are a step ahead of ESADE.

Am I wrong?

Thanks,

O

Your cnsidetrations is ok to comment.


From the school´s prestige, IESE and ESADE are the two bests. From the "product" prestige, IESE full time MBA (19 months), ESADE full time MBA (18 month & 1 year) and IE International MBA (13 months) have more or less similar prestige.

Beyond this "simplification" there are lots of pros and cons. , but at the end, if you are a "smart" guy, your experience and postmba works, will be very similar in any of the three programs.

But, I am curious, why did you thought that IE/IESE are that?

You can get this impression, when you take into consideration the position of the three schools in the different rankings. IE does not appear in the BW and Economis ranking of the international top 10, wheras the other 2 do.
But on the other hand in FT rankings and others, IE is ahead of the other two...
Rankings take many different factors into account and don't give them the same importance, as you can see here.

Single Spain, Jona,

Thanks for your comments. It's hard to say where my impression that IESE and IE are more acclaimed than ESADE came from. Probably from the rankings, but I will now add ESADE to my consideration (instead of shortening the list it is getting longer...).

Can anyone give me their impression of the pros and cons between the programs (for someone who is not interested in Banking)?
I am especially interested in practical experience the program provides and 'soft skills'. Which one provides a better network of support for partners?

O

Too funny. I spent the final six months of my MBA at ESADE on exchange from a US program five years ago and can confirm the experience of Jay's alumni contact: religious affiliation is a non-issue. It simply did not enter into the experience at all.

Full Disclosure: I am participating in the FIND MBA board as an excercise to provide an illustration for a segment I am teaching of the course "What the CEO wants you to know" at BMI www.barcelonami.org One of the readings for the segment is www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.04/wired40_ceo.html? Click on Post MBA for more biographical info.

... don't mind seeing jesus everywhere you go, then by all means...

Ouch ... I'm hurting myself laughing!

I was starting to regret that I'd opened the "religious affiliation" can of worms, but that post makes it all worthwhile.

Funny thing is that religious affiliation wasn't part of my selection process, nor would it ever be. I attended 2 religious schools where the quality of the education was outstanding.

However, when I told people that I was considering Spanish business schools, I got 4 separate unsolicited warnings to be aware of religious affiliation. So I figured there was something important that I was missing ... maybe it was the omnipresent Jesuses ;o)

Thanks for the post, Jay. And a good laugh!

Cheers,

Julian

Hi I've got an admit from ESADE and IE. Any opinions on which one has a better reputation outside Spain and outside Europe (specifically in the US or Asia)? Also what companies recruit at either of these schools?

Need to know by tomorrow. Thanks a bunch.

Congrats, Jon. You've gotten into two of Europe's premier business schools. These schools have slightly different strengths, I think. What sector are you looking of going into when you're done?

yes, i agree with Alan, these are really good B-schools! they do have some differences - take a look at these two web pages which hold lots of info about thous 2 schools:

http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/rankings/full_time_mba_profiles/empresa.html

http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/rankings/full_time_mba_profiles/esade.html

this should really help you compare between the two, and hopefully will help you meet the right decision.

Hi Alan, and Andy

Thanks for your posts. I have seen the info from BW. For the future, I'm looking at either Marketing (Healthcare, Biotech, Consumer Goods) or Consulting in the short term and Entrepreneurship in the longer term. I want a good backgrounder on Finance as well from the MBA.

Hey guys, I hope I can get this discussion back running and hope to get some additional feedback :)

So here's my situation:
I am working in our family business and I'm planning to take over the management in a few years. Therefore I believe doing an MBA will be very useful in order to gain all the skills needed to grow our business etc. In addition I would like to have a degree allowing me to get into senior management positions (international general management) if I should decide to sell our company one day. I'd like to start as soon as possible and I'm looking at a 12 - 15 month programm and not a 2 year version. Plus I think I would like to spent my MBA time in a city rather than in a small town.

Given that background I applied to ESADE and got accepted, I like the program length (15 months including 3 months exchange), the fact that several languages are offered during the programm, the location and the relatively small class size.

Only problem is right now I'm thinking that if I accepted to life on campus schools like Oxford, Cambridge or INSEAD (especially INSEAD) would be an option again. Could someone please confirm me that chosing ESADE and not trying to get into INSEAD, IE, etc. (which would mean not accepting the offer from ESADE) would be a good choice? I am still trying to figure out if there really is a difference in reputation and personal development between INSEAD and ESADE.

Sorry guys if I am a little off topic by bringing INSEAD into the discussion but so far the post was really helpful and I figured I might get some good opinion here.

-Cheers

Why do you have to reject ESADE's offer in order to apply to INSEAD? You can just tell ESADE you need more time to make a decision. Their final deadline should be about the same as INSEAD or any other, I would think!

As for the difference... I couldn't speak intelligently. I haven't researched any programs outside of Spain. But it really comes down to what is best for you. These are obviously all really good programs!

JPB,

ESADE will probably deny your request for extending the deadline. i tried the same last month and it didn't work. It won't hurt to try anyways though. I would certainly recommend you don't forgoe ESADE's offer without having an acceptance from another top choice of yours. If you feel Insead is a better choice for you, then you can try contacting them right after you submit your application to expedite admissions process.

That worked for me with IE. I applied to IE after i got accepted by ESADE and I explained my tight deadline. In less than 2 weeks they evaluated my application, conducted the interview and i'm to hear from them the final decision this week. I'm not sure how long Insead's evaluation takes, but you can always discuss your case openly with them.

Business Schools are also in a competitive situation just like us and will sometimes go out of their way to select the best candidates for their programs.

Good Luck!

Kay

On the issue of languages, uconnjay13 mentioned how ESADE has a good Spanish language program. (They also offer free Spanish lessons for your family members, which is pretty cool.)

I was wondering how IE compared in that department, as becoming fluent in Spanish is something I hope to get out of studying in Spain. Here is what I found on their Web site:

"You may personalize your MBA experience through the language options presented by the program. You may choose from a variety of Spanish language electives, as well as English language electives, turning your MBA into a fully bilingual program. Should you prefer, you may continue your studies entirely in English.
It will be a requirement that students be fluent in two languages upon completion of the program, allowing them to work with either in the labor market.IE provides both English and Spanish classes to all those who require them."

so, it sounds like this is a priority at both schools.

Hi,
I have been admitted to IE and ESADE for Master in International Management for september this 2009.I am from India.My family has shifted to Spain.

I intend to settle in Spain (or maybe Europe). I am having the toughest time deciding which school to choose as this is a really really important decision for me.

I need to keep the following things in mind before making the decision:

-Which is a better school IE or Esade?? Which has a better curriculum?

-Which school would offer a better job and at a better managerial position?

-Which is a better place to live in...in terms of the people,the weather,the fun quotient of the place.

-Which place has better people and is there a difference in the dialect in the language between madrid and barcelona?

-Which school has better INTERNATIONAL standing and a better international mobility.

-which city would it be easier to settle in and live in?where are people more friendly?

IT WOULD BE REALLY GREAT IF SOMEONE WHO HAS STUDIED AT EITHER OF THE SCHOOLS WOULD GET IN TOUCH WITH ME.

Others also,please help....as i have absolutely no time to decide....and its a really important decision.

help would be very very much appreciated.especially someone who lives in Spain.

Thanx

I don't live in Spain but can answer some of your questions because I've read a lot about all of these topics. (I am researching both of the schools, and cities, but am not applying for my MBA until 2010.)

This is what people will say: Both are good schools, both have good curriculums. Both have good recruitment networks.

There seems to be a lot of people biased toward Barcelona when it comes to which city. But, from what I can tell Barcelona is more beautiful city, a better holiday destination. You can be at work one minute, and at the beach the next! There are beaches adjacent to downtown. It's like Miami, Florida or something.

Madrid is a huge, buzzing metropolis. I've heard some complain that it is a "concrete city", not as beautiful as Barcelona. It's more like being in NYC versus Maimi. (Sorry for the US comparisons, but that's where I live!)

Barcelona would win in terms of the "fun quotient", and probably the weather. The people are supposed to be very friendly in both places. Madrid is supposed to be dry and hot in the summer, while Barcelona is wet and hot, but at least it has the ocean! Madrid could arguably be better for business purposes because it is the industrial center of Spain. However, Barcelona is also a big economic center, just not as big.

Yes there's a different dialect -- in fact there's an entirely different language in Barcelona. There, nearly half of people use Catalan more than they use Spanish. Catalan is the original language of the region; but Spanish took over during the Franco period when he tried to ban the use of Catalan. The language never died, though, and now people are trying hard to keep it alive. The government even offers free Catalan classes in Barcelona to the general public. I've heard that Spanish (also known as "Castillian") is spoken in a different dialect by native Catalonians. However, Barcelona is such a diverse city that you're bound to interact with people from all over Spain. Madrid, on the other hand, is in the middle of Castille, so the language there might be more "pure."

IE technically has the higher rankings. I know for sure they are #6 in Financial times (you can check these yourself.) However, many on these forums have argued that ESADE is better in some respects. Both are very highly ranked programs internationally.

AS for easier to settle and live in... I think either place is lovely! One thing that is worth a little thought if your'e interested in living in the city center, is that rentals in Madrid can be more expensive because the population is more dense. However, once you get outside the city center, the prices are similar in both cities.

In short, either school would be a good choice, you should just decide which is more desirable for you!

hi sally,thanx a lot for your reply.....it was very helpful.I was wondering if you could help me with one more thing.

You mentioned that barcelona has a different language from the rest of the spain.

How different in catalan from castellion?? is it easy to adapt to catala???

i know a little spanish as i visit Spain often and i have also studied spanish (castellion).i find it quite easy, but are there vast differences between the normal spanish and the one spoken in barcelona??

Is it easy to learn? does it form some kind of hindrance when you move from barcelona to some other city in terms of language?

Thanx
sam

hola!

there is no problem with that.i also learned spanish this year and many different people,all hispanos, told me that people there will talk to you castellano,you dont have to learn catala,not even if you plan to live and work there.So, no hindrance at all....From what i know Barcelona is a multicultural city,thus most of non-catalan people communicate in castellano....

best of luck!

thanx mimis!

i have finally made my decision and am really happy about it :)

is anyone else going to esade barcelona for their master/mba for 2009/10??

Hey samrath,

I visited the ESADE campus last friday on an open day and I can confirm that Barcelona is a superb city. Also what I found quite impressing is the fact that everyone at esade is really friendly and everybody seems to know each other.

Therefore there is quite a good chance we might meet this year since I might go to ESADE for my MBA.


Why did you decide to pick ESADE over IE?

greetz