Hello, I would be very happy if someone could help me choose right MBA program for me.
My profile:
Korean male 30 years old, currently working on real estate industry, within consulting strategy department. Strong data analytics backgrounds proficiency in many programming languages and data mining. I applied for a few MBA programs, and so far I am accepted to the following programs:

Cranfield(with scholarships)
McGill(with scholarships)
BYU Marriott
Mannheim
HEC Paris
Ceibs
I am also waiting to hear from Mays Texas A&M as well

I only speak Korean and English, and going back to South Korea right after MBA is big nono for me. Ideally, I want to work in the place where I will get my MBA, hopefully software or technology companies in operations. I would appreciate if you could give me some thoughts and opinions.
Thank you in advance.

John.

[Edited by john2687 on Jan 19, 2018]

Unless you are a Mormon, in which case a awesome BYU bride can get you a green card, then the US and UK do not have enough employment security. Without German or French your options are limited, but HEC and Mannheim are both near major fintech cities. Ciebs and McGill sound safest.

I thank you very much for your response. No, I am not a member of lds church but I heard that the program places well on tech areas. So as Mays Texas A&M. Of course, I understand that the US and UK do not have enough employment security. I am strongly learning toward Mannheim due to its strong connections with German software technology companies and location to network. I am willing to learn German but I understand that my level will not be good enough to make a meaningful impact on job search. Will my options be significantly limited due to language barrier? I also would like to know your opinion on Ceibs. I know that it is a strong program but I am not sure it places well on fintech areas. I greatly appreciate for your attention and help.
John.

[Edited by john2687 on Jan 19, 2018]

Having learnt English, I am sure you can get through to great German but there are so many people with great German available.... Just imagine if the situation was reversed, and I went to one of the SKY schools to do an MBA and I did not speak Korean.... my options would also be limited, wouldn't they?

CEIBS is a great school and, while Shanghai is not my idea of heaven, there's a startup culture there. China exports five times more stuff to Korea than Germany does, so being Korean is a plus there.

Have you considered Singapore? There are some great business school options there with good international mobility, the place is great tech hub with good salaries

Dear all,

I would like to apologize for the delayed response.
I had some health and personal problems, so I could not get in touch with.

After long and thoughtful consideration, I decided to enroll at McGill. There are no such zero possibilities, but after having a conversation with many Korean alumni from European business schools, it is near to impossible to land an MBA level job in Europe without being fluent in local languages.
Many recommend me to take an intensive language course for minimum 1 year and get a language certificate before enrolling the program. After starting an MBA program, it would be very difficult to improve foreign language skills due to intensive nature of an MBA program, therefore they strongly emphasize the importance of being fluent before . As a someone who has already made so much effort to learn and be fluent in English alone, I guess I am too old and lazy to learn a new language and take risk. Obviously, the US is not an option due to complicated H1B lottery and coming back to Korea will be big nono for me.

So, this is how my MBA application journey ends. I hope I make a right decision, and I am very looking forward to a new life in Canada.
I would like to thank Duncan and George for your insightful advice.

Kind regards,
John.

[Edited by john2687 on May 08, 2018]

Good luck! Keep in mind that French is the primary language in Montreal and Quebec broadly. If you plan on working in the province, you'd be wise to learn it. Of course, there will be more English language opportunities in QC than in France for instance, but you'd still be very limited not speaking the language.

Hello Laurie,

I thank you very much for your advice. I already acknowledge that opportunities will be significantly limited not speaking French in QC. However, after having a conversation with students, many secure employment in Toronto and the province of Ontario. Of course, nothing is perfect but for me, McGill gives the best job scenario among schools that I was accepted to, except maybe Ceibs (However, as a someone who is from Asia, I want to have new experiences in life and explore different cultures of the world). At least, I do not have pressure to be fluent before starting the program and have a plan B. I will have an opportunity to find jobs in other provinces of Canada, whereas I need to have a C1 language level certificate in Continental Europe. I already started to learn French, but let's see how it goes. Positive mind and optimistic thinking are the most important in this journey of my life!

You can look at accessmba website, there is a detailed review of MBA schools