I want to alert you about choosing GISMA Business School MBA program in Hannover, Germany. I personally applied and regret it.

GISMA misleads potential MBA candidates by doing a clever marketing. It sells its MBA as a joint venture with Purdue University in the United States. However, GISMA has multiple shortcomings. The program is extremely quantitative but scores very poorly when it comes to soft skills and networking which in my opinion are more important in an MBA. Furthermore, GISMA lacks a true MBA ambience. The school is very small and networking is non existent. On top of that Hanover is an extremely boring city.

However, the most serious thing about GISMA is the way it recruits MBA candidates. It has a deliberate policy of recruiting students who lack leadership, ideas, and entrepreneurial desire; who will be contented with low level positions in German multinational companies. Most of the students (myself included) come from underdeveloped countries / regions such as India, Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe......, and it is no coincidence. GISMA selects students from these parts of the world because it is consistent with its strategy of finding low cost labor for German companies. It never chooses candidates from developed countries such as France, Italy, Spain, Japan, etc. because people from these countries expect higher salaries. The exceptions are German and American students. These serve the function of being the link between the foreign students and the multinationals, since they know Germany well, and at Purdue, American students promote GISMA as well. German and American students are oftentimes in the "Dean's List" and secretely enjoy special privileges.

On a lighter note, the academic director is the best example of what a manager shouldn't be. She is not involved and doesn't show interest in student concerns or disposition to help. Ironically, she is a GISMA MBA graduate.

In conclusion, GISMA is not a good MBA. It is misleading in its advertising and the program has many shortcomings. But the worst thing about GISMA are its students. They lack leadership, entrepreneurship, soft skills, and even social skills. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I criticize GISMA for choosing candidates from underdeveloped countries, I personally come from an underdeveloped country. It's GISMA's policy of choosing students lacking leadership, vision, and all of the above qualities which is pathetic. In short, GISMA is not a business shool for leaders. It is a school for low level employees.

Wait, you only applied to this school? Man, that experience must have been pretty unpleasant. It sure left a bitter aftertaste.

How did you come to learn so much about the school? I guess you would have to had visited the school to learn juicy details like this "dean's list," meet the academic director, experience the nightlife in Hanover and so forth. I'm curious because I'm looking at MBA programs in Germany, too. Evan

yes, I should have visited the school beforehand, however I started my MBA search late and GISMA was my last option. I also applied to HEC Paris and Harvard.

I am now in the last week of the MBA program in Hannover, looking forward to graduation. However, the program was not enjoyable at all.

Good luck in your search.

Hi Sirio

I am sorry to hear your experience.

I wish you good luck and well in your future.

Kind regards,
Thomas
thomas.wai.blogspot.com

Hello,

I have been admitted to GISMA Berlin MBA which is delivered by the Grenoble Ecole de Management. My question is: is it worth attending? Are classes taught by Grenoble Professors?

I read the OP comments and although they might be true, they hold zero credibility because he/she has copied and pasted his comments with different names and nationalities in many forums without providing a single proof about what he/she claims.

Thanks for the inputs,

Cheers

I just cannot imagine how this can be the best option for you. Please read the board about GISMA and its new owners' other school LSBF. I don't know what your goals are, but I quite understand why the OP would not want to give their name.

Thank you Duncan for your reply. My goal is to stay in Berlin so my other choice will be ESMT however, I do not have a GMAT score. It seems I have to take the GMAT anyway.

Best -- Respirau

How good is your German? Surely you'd be better off getting a German MSc from ESCP, HU, FU or TU, even if you studied in English? I think a foreign MBA from GGSB, which is a no-name school in Berlin, and from GISMA, which has a terrible press in Germany, is just too risky.

I get your point here about GISMA and GGSB. As for my German, I recently passed the B2 Goethe exam with good scores, and given that I work in a German company, I will not have a big problem taking the C1 exam as well.

I will check out the schools you mentioned here to see which is the best fit for me. Thank you for your time. Really appreciate it!

Best -- Respirau

Hello Respirau,
GGSB or now called GEM (Grenoble Ecole de Management) has a really high reputation all over the world. The MBA programme is ranked 27th in Europe and 4th in France. And as far as I know, more than 75 % of the Professor are flying in from Grenoble itself. Maybe you should talk to a student advisor from GISMA/GEM if you have doubts or if you need more information. GISMA started completely new and it definitely counts that they have now Grenoble as a new partner. I am already in touch with a student advisor and so far, everything sounds good.
Best,
Frau_Lindt

I don't think that someone working for GISMA is a neutral source.

Even if 75% of the professors come from GGSB, at GISMA it will not provide anything more. The better choice will be a selective school with a stronger alumni network and placement record.

I am also talking to student advisors from Grenoble, not only GISMA. And in the end the official degree will be from GEM anyway. I will do more research and lets see. But thank you Duncan!

Best, Frau_Lindt

I am also talking to student advisors from Grenoble, not only GISMA. And in the end the official degree will be from GEM anyway. I will do more research and lets see. But thank you Duncan!

Best, Frau_Lindt

I think that Grenoble's falling out of the FT ranking this year is one more argument against GISMA: http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-ranking-2018

I am also talking to student advisors from Grenoble, not only GISMA. And in the end the official degree will be from GEM anyway. I will do more research and lets see. But thank you Duncan!

Best, Frau_Lindt

Why would you want to do that? For less than 20% of the cost, and half the time, you could get the same APM curriculum: https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificate/applied-project-management. With the money you save, you could spend a year learning German.

ESCP has some project management offerings, with some being offered from their Berlin campus.

Hello all - I currently work for GISMA Business School and can honestly say that the MBA delivered by Grenoble Ecole de Management and GISMA are of a very high standard. Naturally you may think I will provide a biased view, so I will just provide factual information and signpost you to look at useful information.

The Grenoble MBA was ranked among the top 100 Global MBA’s worldwide, 27th in Europe and 5th in France according to the Financial Times 2017 Global MBA ranking. GEM was ranked 21st in the Financial Times European Business Schools 2017 ranking.

Successful applicants will study this MBA from the triple-accredited institution, Grenoble Ecole de Management. Triple accreditation is an honour shared by less than 1% of the world's elite business schools.

Berlin is a perfect location for any budding entrepreneurs, it is a city well known for its start-up technology scene. Socially and culturally, Berlin is rich with over 200 museums and has a great student and nightlife if you want to experience the student lifestyle along with the promising business environment.

Graduates can apply for an 18-month post-study work permit in Germany and GISMA has a dedicated Careers Centre to support you during your studies and after to find a job along with business visits, placements and internships.

Let me know if you have any further questions and I can help answer them for you.

Why would you want to do that? For less than 20% of the cost, and half the time, you could get the same APM curriculum: https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificate/applied-project-management. With the money you save, you could spend a year learning German.

I am not sure on what basis an employee of GISMA can say it has a "very high standard". The ranking of the Grenoble courses is determined by students at Grenoble's own campuses. It seems unlikely that Sabastian can provide data showing that GISMA students have similar outcomes to those at Grenoble.
Sabastian doesn't seem to have worked for or studied at an AMBA or EQUIS accredted school, so I am not sure that he knows the difference between GISMA and schools of a "very high standard".