Hello,

I'm currently considering to apply for MBA programs, mainly in Europe. My goal is to switch career into consulting or Pharma (in order of preference) in Western Europe. I have a life science PhD with total working experience of 6 years.

Currently I'm considering the following schools:

Dream schools (as they are expensive):
INSEAD, LBS, IMD

My Tier A:
HEC Paris, SDA Bocconi, St Gallen, Mannheim

My Tier B (as they are rather expensive, but not at INSEAD level):
IESE, Said, Judge

Safe bet (with the help of discount, scholarship, etc.):
ESMT, EDHEC, ESSEC, ESCP, CBS, Imperial

As you can see, it's rather long list and perhaps a bit unfocused. Any help to narrow down the list given my goals? I would prefer programs that have good career placement and rather affordable. Also how would you rate my safe bet category? Is it really better to have significantly more loan for a slightly better school or any of these schools would be fine?

Kind regards,

[Edited by PhDMBA on Nov 26, 2019]

There is no rational basis to make affordability a criterion. Focus on fit with your goals and any difference in fees will be tiny.

Also read: Is there an efficient frontier in MBA selection? http://bit.ly/MBAfro

[Edited by Duncan on Nov 24, 2019]

Hi Duncan,

Thanks for your response. Aside from the affordability, what do you think of my safe bet category? Should I stay away from them, or are they good enough?

The graph in the link looks very relevant, but I guess we can't really derive general reputation and career placement effectiveness from only one ranking (in this case FT)?

This hinges on your GMAT and quality of work experience.

The graph in the link looks very relevant, but I guess we can't really derive general reputation and career placement effectiveness from only one ranking (in this case FT)?

Thanks for your insights!