Hi all

I am currently studying for my GMAT and am trying to decide which schools to apply to in Europe. My background and information is as follows:

First things first, I am a UK Citizen.

BA in Philosophy from University of Sheffield

4.5 years of professional experience. This was in recruitment (of all things) but with a very high growth start-up company. Promoted 4 times in 4.5 years and I have 18 months of management experience.

I expect my GMAT, based on early practice tests/questions, to be around 700 (give or take).

My work experience to date has been in oil and energy and I am seeking to do an MBA in order to pursue a career initially in strategy consulting to the energy industry, before eventually transitioning back to the industry in an internal strategy function. I guess you could call that my 10 year plan.

Obviously I'd love to think I could get into LBS, but I think it might be a stretch? With the career I want to pursue the other choices I am considering are IESE, IE, Judge and HEC. I don't have working proficiency in another language, which precludes me from INSEAD and IMD.

Do my target schools sound reasonable?

Thanks in advance!

I don't see why you would want to study outside the UK if you don't intend to have another language by the time you graduate. LBS is the obvious choice, so apply ASAP. Also read How to use LinkedIn to find the best school www.find-mba.com/board/33571

If you don't speak the language before you arrive then you will not learn it there and in Barcelona the main language is Catalan ;-)

What makes you say that?? I can't see any reason why I wouldn't be able to fit lessons both post-acceptance before the course starts and on weekends once it has started??

And yes, I am aware of that!

Read Do you need to speak the local language? www.find-mba.com/board/34713

Between now and June you could get to A1 or A2 (on the European scale). IESE offers courses leading to A2, B1 and B2 diplomas (http://www.iese.edu/en/mba/bilingual-experience/). You can't work at an MBA level in Spain with less than C1.

And you will not spend the weekends at a language school. You will be working 24/7.

[Edited by Duncan on Dec 11, 2014]

Thanks for your reply. It's not that I don't intend to study another language, just that I can't already speak one, which precludes me from INSEAD/IMD.