Hello,

I'm holding admits for HEC Paris and the IE International MBA starting in January 2020.

I also have an application in for IESE but for September 2020 start.

I'm having a hard time deciding on HEC vs IE or waiting for IESE.

About me:

- From India with a technology background, currently working in south east Asia
- Speaking English and Spanish fluently and I am working on my French
- Want to transition to Europe working in technology or management consulting

Please help, your considerations would be valued.

IESE, HEC and Esade are substantially better for international mobility, and for employment, than IE. IESE is worth the wait, but go to Esade is they don't admit you. Or take a semester full-time to perfect your French before starting at HEC.

[Edited by Duncan on Oct 29, 2019]

Thanks, I didn't apply to ESADE but I will consider it.

But it sounds like in any case waiting until fall is probably a good option. I will see if I can defer my HEC admit.

I think a lot of this comes down to where you are motivated to work. If it's Paris, go to France now and take an intensive language course before starting the MBA at HEC.

Personally, in terms of the quality of the MBA experience, IESE is way better than HEC.

However, HEC is ranked better in terms of international mobility, at least by the FT.

Thanks. It's a tough choice but I think I will delay until next fall and see what my options are then.

If you can, visit the schools to sit in class and, in the case of HEC, understand how different the campus setting is.

For at least of few of the HEC students I've known, they have looked for housing in Paris after the first semester.

Personally, in terms of the quality of the MBA experience, IESE is way better than HEC.

There's a not a massive gap in the quality of the students of the outcomes. IESE is generally ranked slightly above HEC but, for example, this year HEC is higher. However, IESE is way harder and heavier than HEC. Generally, it's very hard to get into the grandes ecoles, and when you are there it's taken for granted that you are smart. Your role there is to accelerate, acclimatize, contextualise, specialize and network. IESE is harder work, and the students can't avoid their weaknesses, be that quant work or group work. In different ways, that different is also one of managerial cultures between their countries. However, it also reflects the division of labour between IESE and ESADE which is reflective of the difference between those schools owners, Opus Dei and the Society of Jesus.
Indeed, the long programme at IESE is the traditional format and is the better one for changers, those who are shifting country, role, industry. The track without an internship is better for those who are accelerating on the same path. That's true everywhere, of course. The longer the format, the more chances you have to make a transition. 
In a nutshell - Generally, IESE is a better school for finance. http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/top-mbas-for-finance-2018 

[Edited by Duncan on May 02, 2020]

There's a not a massive gap in the quality of the students of the outcomes. IESE is generally ranked slightly above HEC but, for example, this year HEC is higher. However, IESE is way harder and heavier than HEC. Generally, it's very hard to get into the grandes ecoles, and when you are there it's taken for granted that you are smart. Your role there is to accelerate, acclimatize, contextualise, specialize and network. IESE is harder work, and the students can't avoid their weaknesses, be that quant work or group work. In different ways, that different is also one of managerial cultures between their countries. However, it also reflects the division of labour between IESE and ESADE which is reflective of the difference between those schools owners, Opus Dei and the Society of Jesus.
Indeed, the long programme at IESE is the traditional format and is the better one for changers, those who are shifting country, role, industry. The track without an internship is better for those who are accelerating on the same path. That's true everywhere, of course. The longer the format, the more chances you have to make a transition. 
In a nutshell - Generally, IESE is a better school for finance. http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/top-mbas-for-finance-2018 

Opus Dei won't care if you have another faith. 
The data show that Iese students have better outcomes in finance than those in HEC. Spain is a smaller country, but there is also less competition and no Grandes Ecoles. I am not sure how you would assess robustness. 
I assume very few Indians apply to IESE and Esade compared to the Grandes Ecoles. There is no Spanish speaking enclave of India. I don't think there are comparable groups of people and I don't know how you could compare them. 
Manchester is ranked similarly to HEC at https://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/top-mbas-for-finance-2018 however, average outcomes at different schools have to take into account the language skills of the students. 

Opus Dei won't care if you have another faith. 
The data show that Iese students have better outcomes in finance than those in HEC. Spain is a smaller country, but there is also less competition and no Grandes Ecoles. I am not sure how you would assess robustness. 
I assume very few Indians apply to IESE and Esade compared to the Grandes Ecoles. There is no Spanish speaking enclave of India. I don't think there are comparable groups of people and I don't know how you could compare them. 
Manchester is ranked similarly to HEC at https://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/top-mbas-for-finance-2018 however, average outcomes at different schools have to take into account the language skills of the students. 

HEC is not really the best grande école overall, that's the École Polytechnique, but it certainly is the best grande école for business. As you say, IESE is a graduate school while Esade has had both pre- and post-experience degrees. 
I have some ideas about why IESE has improved, but I think that also reflects the higher growth of the Spanish speaking world generally. HEC and AMBS are generally trending down as most European schools are because of rising competition in the developing world and most obviously in greater China. But they also increasingly have the market perception of being high profile options for career switchers, and those graduates are generally much slower to get into the workplace and might not get the higher salaries of more experienced candidates. So perhaps that is a factor about individuals which effects the averages. 

But, certainly AMBS is not on the same level as IESE in my opinion. IESE is the best business school in the Latin world, and has played a key role is generating leaders to help the private sector take the generations-long journey from autarky to globalization. It's a central thread in the business culture, with a mission. Manchester almost had that role until 20 years ago, but since then Oxford,  Cambridge and Imperial have created serious MBAs,  while Cass, Warwick, Durham and Edinburgh have stepped up massively. Manchester is now in the middle of this pack, while 20 years ago it was (like RSM) one of the handful of outstanding European schools. All the schools are moving ahead, but some are moving faster. The UK schools are especially hampered by restrictions on work permits.

But, certainly AMBS is not on the same level as IESE in my opinion. IESE is the best business school in the Latin world, and has played a key role is generating leaders to help the private sector take the generations-long journey from autarky to globalization. It's a central thread in the business culture, with a mission. Manchester almost had that role until 20 years ago, but since then Oxford,  Cambridge and Imperial have created serious MBAs,  while Cass, Warwick, Durham and Edinburgh have stepped up massively. Manchester is now in the middle of this pack, while 20 years ago it was (like RSM) one of the handful of outstanding European schools. All the schools are moving ahead, but some are moving faster. The UK schools are especially hampered by restrictions on work permits.

I think MBAs are tools for purposes. The longer format available at ESADE, HHL, IESE, LBS, and Manchester are so different: those long degrees have advantages for people making big career transitions, and there's not much point comparing them with intensive one-year degrees that are aimed at accellerators rather than switchers. 
The two-year visa is simply an extra year. I don't think it's big turn-around because it's still much more unfavourable than the previous system. It's much harder than it was to persuade an employer to take the effort to comply with the regulations, since the effort and costs grown, and the government's 'hostile environment' creates friction. 
As a result, I think the top UK schools fall into four clusters: the first two for accelerators and the final two for switchers. (I can't get the line breaks to show clearly, sadly)) - LBS & Oxford. Highest mobility, biggest reputations and quickest employment.  - Warwick, Cass, Imperial: fairly high mobility and quick employment
 - Cambridge and AMBS: fairly high mobility and slower into employment
 - Edinburgh and Durham: lowest mobility, most female students, weakest reputations and lowest for aims achieved (within the top UK schools. Of course, they are still better than the mid-tier schools, with the possible exceptions of Batyh, Cranfield and Strathclyde). 

[Edited by Duncan on May 03, 2020]

The UK schools are especially hampered by restrictions on work permits.

The UK schools are especially hampered by restrictions on work permits.

But didn't they lift most of the restrictions that were put in place a few years ago? Seems to me the UK has a relatively civilized visa policy in place now.