Hello, although this is a website for MBA, I would still like to gain some insight about the European business schools. I have been accepted into EBS in Germany and emlyon in France. I suppose I will also get into ESSEC and Frankfurt School of finance and management. I plan on staying in Europe for work after graduation. below are my plans and questions:

1. study at EBS or Frankfurt school and work in Germany


I understand the importance of language proficiency. Assumed I become fluent in German, is it possible for me to land a job at MBB or tier 1 consulting firms? It seems schools like Mannheim have much more alumni in consulting.

2. get an MIM in tier 1 school (LBS, Insead, Mannheim...)



I'm afraid that school such as Frankfurt and EBS will hurt my chance of getting into those schools since they're less renowned. Is this the case? (assumed I get 650+ on GMAT and decent GPA)




3. get an MBA after a few years of work




I am not sure if the MBA program is worth its price. Also, will school like ESSEC and emlyon be more helpful in the admission process?




Thank you for your time.

[Edited by Andy Su on Jun 07, 2021]

1. Imagine someone who has fluently learned your language arrives there from Germany. Would they be hired by MBB? Probably not: they would lack the acculturation, the local knowledge, the local network etc. Language is more fundamental than a language degree, but you need highly developed skills and a lot of contextual knowledge. Use LinkedIn to see the background of foreigners in Germany working at MBB. I have no idea what you consider to be the Tier 1 consulting firms in Germany, but they tend to hire MSc's from top state universities (TUM, Mannheim, LMU, RWTH and from WHU). Their MBA-holders tend to have studied at world-class schools abroad (Insead, Harvard, IESE, Kellogg). In terms of full-time MBAs in Germany, Mannheim and WHU are the top choices for MBB, but Harvard, Insead, LBS, IESE etc will be better. 

2. MiM is a better choice but, in practice, you are either eligible for a school's MBA or for its MiM. A MiM from a top school is more likely to enter a top firm than an MBA from a good but not excellent school. A MiM from an average school won't hurt your chases of entering a European MBA. Remember, most business leaders here attend state universities for their pre-experience education, not elite schools. 

3. If your goals are concerned with business broadly, an MBA is almost always worth its price and, in fact, the lifetime value of a very good European MBA will be ten times the tuition cost.

4. When you ask "will school like ESSEC and emlyon be more helpful in the admission process" I think you mean: will (a MiM from a) school like ESSEC and emlyon be more helpful in the admission process (to an MBA). If so, yes, although a MiM might replicate the academic core of an MBA, those students are typically several years older by the time they take an MBA or EMBA. They can flourish in schools that wrap a lot around the core: schools with a case emphasis, a leadership or social approach, a small more and a big elective and project portfolio, a highly experiential and transformative course, etc. I think a MiM would fit less well in a general management MBA with a large core and few electives that closely model's the school's MiM (Strathclyde is a good example).

[Edited by Duncan on Jun 07, 2021]

Like Duncan has said, there's a lot to unpack here. The importance of language fluency can not be understated, and I'd caution not to discount the time and energy it takes to achieve business fluency. It typically takes a couple years of dedicated focus.

Even so, I'm honestly not sure an MBB firm's office in Germany has a lot of need for much non-domestic talent, even given language fluency. Unless of course you have great business connections in a country or region where the firm is operating and / or wants to expand. 

Focus your goals and think about the reality of the situation. Maybe taking a couple of years to work and improve your language skills is a good choice; or perhaps an MSc from a top UK school (LBS or the like) would be a good first step.