Hi,

I am really confused about which MBA college to chose.
I am an IT consultant in India with 4 yrs and 3 months of experience with big MNC firms. I got a GMAT of 590.
I have managed admission from Vlerick, University of Amsterdam, Grenoble and Maastricht school of Management.
But I am not sure which one to chose.
My primary concern is job opportunity after passing out. I really need to have a job once I graduate as I will be taking a student loan to study.

Can you please let me know which among the above is the best option for getting a job.
Please note I am from India and do not know local language.

Awaiting your replies at the earliest.

Thanks,
Raman.

If you don't know the local language, then none of these are probably going to lead you to an MBA-level job in Europe. At Grenoble and Vlerick it might be 50:50, Amsterdam will be less predictable and MSM is essentially an export brand with no real career services. I suggest you defer MBA entry, take a one-year intensive language course in French or Dutch (if those are your target regions), and aim for a better school.

PS Amsterdam confirmed to me that, on average, just 59% of their non-EU grads have ended up working in the NL (and still are) over the three last years:--
"Class of 2013: 83%
Class of 2012: 37%
Class of 2011: 57%"

Hi Duncan,

Thanks for the reply.

What makes u say 50:50 for Vlerick and Grenoble.
I am interested to hear about the 50% positive factor.

And why no chances at Maastricht and University of Amsterdam.
I always heard from alumni of European colleges that there are always chances of working in global MNCs even if u dont know the local language as their client base is much larger and spread worldwide.

Thanks.

I say 50:50 because I guess that around half of the non-EU graduates there find work in the EU. These are well-funded private schools with long-term and substantial connections into the local labour market. Amsterdam and MSM are not like that. Amsterdam is a highly academic public university with an emphasis on research. It does not have notable careers services (PS I mean: not in the business school); neither does MSM, which is centred on providing part-time courses in the developing world.

None of these schools can be said to have a very wide base: they are national schools, rather than ones attracting large numbers of recruiters from several countries.

Different MBA programmes have different outcomes. There are general issues about language: Do you need to speak the local language? www.find-mba.com/board/34713 - what work can you do without the business language in that country?

Interestingly, Vlerick is rated highly by the FT in terms of international mobility. That's probably the one I would go with, given your limited options.

HOWEVER, a school like IMD or Insead would obviously be much better for your career and your chances of getting a job after graduation - maybe take some time to get your GMAT score higher and target schools in this range?

Hi Razor,

Thanks for your reply.
Its not just about the GMAT score, all the top colleges like IMD and INSEAD charge anything they feel like and I cannot afford that much.
Can you tell me some percentage of number of International students able to get a job after Vlerick despite of not knowing local language.
Thanks.

Looking at http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-ranking-2014 I'd say it's 47/81, assuming than none of the international students speak Dutch. Much better to ask the school.

Hi all,

I've been doing research about business schools too at this moment.

I don't get the: University of Amsterdam (or Amsterdam Business School) does not have a notable careers services?
They actually have careers officers at the business school working very closely with students & alumni and the university has an entire careers department organizing a whole bunch of workshops and career events. (the admissions officers introduced me to them when I was asking for more info). Cause I also don't speak Dutch and am worried about a job after the MBA. I have not made up my mind yet but I think the Amsterdam Business School currently has my preference. They are really trying to step it up. Slowly but effective.

best,
Celeste

I tried to find a reference to Amsterdam Business School having careers services dedicated to MBAs. All I can find is this junior person https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindyyim1 I am sure she is helpful, but this is not someone with any training or prior experience in careers guidance. That is not comparable with the careers services departments of larger schools. Nor can the pre-experience university-wide team be expected to have any serious support for MBAs: that is why every leading schools has a careers services department.

If you want more than a 50:50 chance, try a better school.

Thank you for your answer! So would you suggest me to look for another business school? RSM, Nyenrode, TiasNimbas?

Schools with better placement percentages, and with mostly international students, in the FT 100 are (in declining order of salary): London, IE, IESE, ESADE, Rochester, Smurfit; Mannheim; Strathclyde; Bath; Singapore. To minimise risk, why not focus on those?

Because I'm looking for a school in the Netherlands because I have relatives there. I will make a decision soon.
thank you

In your position, I would prioritise a Dutch course rather than an MBA (assuming that you are not already fluent in Dutch).

Dear Duncan,

I am the Careers Officer for the MBA program at the Amsterdam Business School. I am mailing you because I saw you mentioned me in your previous postings and viewed my LinkedIn profile yesterday.

I wanted to thank you for blogging and posting so much information about (our) business school(s). Considering your professional background, I can imagine that potential MBA candidates are trusting your advice and knowledge.

However, some information you are providing about our business school is not completely accurate. I don?t believe we have ever met before so I guess the comments you made with regards to our careers department (and me) are based on your reading of my LinkedIn profile. In my past professional experience, I have worked as a corporate Recruiter, guided young professionals and have an extensive network of (international) companies. Our careers office is working with these international companies in different ways to increase the visibility of our students and their chances of finding a job (in the Netherlands) after the MBA. See also http://abs.uva.nl/programmes/executive-programmes/ep/ep/content/folder/the-amsterdam-mba/career-services/career-perspectives.html

Should you have time, I like the opportunity to schedule a virtual meeting and inform you more about our business school (what you cannot find on websites) and give you insightful information about our careers department on how I assist students in their careers. Please feel free to message me ([email protected]).

@Ramandeep: nice to see you here! We still find it a pity you didn?t accept our offer but we hope you will re-apply next year.

Best regards,
Cindy Steijaert-Yim

Thanks for the offer Cindy. That's greatly appreciated.

Just to be clear: is there anyone in the business school's careers department with a formal background in careers guidance? Your recruitment work is very useful, but this is certainly very different from careers guidance. Does the website give the correct impression, that you are the careers department of the business school (of course I am sure there are resources outside the school itself)? I think those were the two points I was making and, despite your comment about accuracy, your reply does not suggest to me that my comments were inaccurate.

By the way, what percentage of non-EU students on the MBA end up working in The Netherlands?

In a direct message today, Amsterdam confirmed to me that, on average, 59% of their non-EU grads have ended up working in the NL (and still are) over the three last years

Thanks a lot Duncan.