Hey,

I am a 26-year-old candidate from India with almost 5 years of work experience. I have worked in the education sector and founded my own startup that worked with schools. Though I feel capable of running a startup of the current size, there have been times we were limited by the lack of exposure to diverse methodologies and best case practices.

I looked forward to Germany for long term reasons of living there post my MBA.

When it comes to goals - I have, over the years, been consulted by organizations/individuals across different domains for product development and market placement. I have enjoyed the most when I have brainstormed for other people’s products and found solutions to problems through research and innovation. I find it fulfilling when a fix is found, parts are moved and people are positively impacted. For these reasons the idea of consulting for strategy excites me.

Why MBA?
In furthering my goal to be a successful consultant I find the following two problems that can be solved by an MBA. Firstly, even though I have enjoyed consulting in a semi-professional capacity, I have found my managerial experience limited to the lack of formal education. Second, I am inexperienced when it comes to ample exposure in the field be it of people, ideas, processes, and challenges. I now find myself in a comfortable position where I am no longer pushing myself.

Although realistically, I should pursue a career in the booming startups of Germany. But before I progress there, I was hoping to get a taste of the best consulting firms to understand what the hype is all about. Many successful startups are by alumni of MBB + others.

My dilemma - I have gotten into HHL (with a 25% scholarship) and WHU (no scholarship).
I did not apply to Mannheim because of unavoidable circumstances with my recommenders. I applied to HHL/WHU first because I was more confident with my GMAT score of 660 with these schools.
Now I have to inform HHL or WHU in a week and pay the commitment fees.

HHL provides a strong entrepreneurial future but WHU has closer ties to the consulting sector and I can be wrong with this because this is all based on my interpretation of employment reports.
What should I do?
1) Accept HHL
2) Accept WHU
3) Deny both and bet on getting into Mannheim.

Thank you in advance.

Your immediate goal is consulting. WHU is better for consulting. Ignore the scholarship, since the higher salary from WHU justifies the cost of WHU.

You also might want to consider ESMT, considering your interest in startups and the school's proximity to the Berlin startup scene.

I'd be hesitant to recommend either of your current choices without knowing your level of German language skills. Without business fluency, I'd say that you'd have a better chance of landing a job with a startup in Berlin than a job with a consulting firm.

Both WHU and HHL are top schools in Germany. Your chances of launching a consulting career after the MBA will depend a lot more on your individual profile than on which school you choose. The skills you gain in both schools will equip you equally well, and the network of both schools can open doors for you. As mba hipster said, the key to a consulting career in Germany are German skills – regardless of which school you choose. Both HHL and ESMT have strong links to startups, which in turn can be a great gateway to a career in consulting later on.

At the end of the day, all three schools will give you good chances, choose based on which community you think you will feel most comfortable in, as this is a network that you will belong to for the rest of your life.

My personal advice would be to take the scholarship, as well as the saved money from lower living expenses in Leipzig, and invest this into strengthening your profile, e.g. German courses before the program start.

That advice seems like a false economy.

take the scholarship, as well as the saved money from lower living expenses in Leipzig, and invest this into strengthening your profile, e.g. German courses before the program start.

At the end of the day, all three schools will give you good chances, choose based on which community you think you will feel most comfortable in, as this is a network that you will belong to for the rest of your life.