Hi!

I have been looking with interest at many of the posts here.Thank you for the excellent quality of input and views!

I am based in Finland and I got accepted at Aalto part-time MBA and Henley EMBA. Tough choice to figure out which is the best option! Both schools look equally good on paper, with triple crown accreditation and comparable prestige (in my view). However, Aalto PT MBA is not FT-ranked (only Aalto EMBA is). Conversely, Henley Global EMBA is quite well ranked, in my opinion. The other Helsinki alternative, Hanken is less interesting to me. The only interesting point is its association with Stockholm School of Economics.

I am interested in a local option, with a view to the outside, as I don't see myself travelling extensively to attend classes. I also considered distance learning, with both Warwick and EuroMBA as valuable options. However, I fear that the networking potential and benefit may be reduced, despite the high quality of curriculum.

Advantages of Aalto over Henley
- More choice of elective/specialisation, which provide further depth to the content
- Better scheduling (weekend and three evenings, once a month) and no travelling involved
- Can benefit from proximity/association to Aalto innovative hub

Advantages of Henley over Aalto
- More senior profiles in the cohort
- More international distribution of classes/residentials, hence broader network
- Close association with students in Denmark, Germany, UK, as well as Finland branches. Classes are mostly in Helsinki, but not exclusively


About me:

- Mid-40s, with 20 yrs post-graduate experience
- A technical specialist, with scientific background
- A career split between R&D and government
- Interested in leadership, strategy and change facilitation
- I am multilingual, but I don't speak sufficient Finnish to work in that language, hence I am afraid that the Aalto option would be a bit restrictive from the networking point of view and the potential benefit I could get from that.

Any thought?

Thanks in advance!

[Edited by damsees on Aug 15, 2019]

Your medium term career goals?

As a non-Finn perhaps Aalto will give you a more local network. The Henley cohort will be more international, and more internationally mobile.

Hi Duncan,

Thank you for your input!

I intend to continue my career in the science/technology areas. I see the possibility of moving laterally across organisations and certantly see myself relocating at some time in the future, given the right opportunity, although I like living in Finland very much.

One of my objectives is to become better at what I do, hence enhancing my soft skills and managerial acumen. As I mentioned in my previous post, my technical and scientific skills are well developed, but I could certainly benefit from improving on strategic thinking and leadership.

The Aalto innovation element appeals to me, but I fear that as a non-Finn the Finnish business sector may be a tough nut to crack. Similarly, I see the international aspect of Henley as being more valuable for mobility.

Thanks again!

Have you visited classes? At Aalto you can buy the courses individually and then get them credited against the full degree of you enrol.

Don't rule out Hansen/SSE. For soft skills (and for services businesses) they have an important edge.

Hi,

I am aware of that option at Aalto and this is certanly a possibility for a soft landing onto the programme. I will explore the option!

Thanks for your input! Much appreciated!

Some friends of mine are completing the DBA at Aalto EE and the Finnish market interests me, so please let me know how your thinking unfolds. An hour in each of the classrooms will really help you. The Hanken and Henley cohorts do seem older and more focussed on soft skills. It's nice that Henley is a 'real' MBA (I.e a full academic master's degree, free from VAT).

[Edited by Duncan on Aug 16, 2019]

Thank you!

I will certainly keep you posted once I figure out how to proceed! Indeed the difference in a true degree offered e.g. by Henley and MBA qualifications offered by other Finnish providers is based on the fact that MBA is seen as a professional qualification, hence a cost can be charged (and VAT). On the other hand, Finnish universities cannot charge for (non-professional) education.

Polytechnics also offer management qualifications, which translate as MBAs. They are free, but are on a completely different league than what is commonly considered when talking about MBA.

[Edited by damsees on Aug 16, 2019]

Hi again!

Getting back to this topic after a while, to follow up on my thinking progress. Admittedly, it has not evolved much, apart from having decided to put this on hold for a while due to concurring commitments. As it stands, I have deferred both offers from Aalto (to 2021) and Henley (to March 2020). Having said that, I am tending towards the latter option. I greatly value international mobility and I think that the more mature audience of the Henley programme may better provide value for my aspirations. I have not yet explored the option of visiting a class, as I did not have much time to give this thought in recent weeks. However, given the current extended timeline, I plan to do so, in order to gain a perspective and overall feeling of the experience.
As I said, not much to report, but I thought that I should follow up on my previous posts. I will post further follow-ups, once something happens :).

Both programs are top-notch, and I'd give the edge to Henley just in terms of the wider network it would offer you. But yes, visit classes, that's a great idea.

Hi all,

To add further complication to the matter, I have also applied for WBS DL MBA and was successful for the June 2020 intake. The main attraction for me was the full flexibility of the programme.

Recently, I have participated to a half-day seminar at Henley as a guest observer, which was really good. I liked the dynamics and the cohort and the experienced participants. I have also experimented with a trial lecture from WBS DL MBA.

As it stand, Henley seems a good option, but it is not as flexible as the WBS offering. It requires attendance and some traveling around, especially to make up for any missed local workshops. In addition, there is a need to attend two international modules, which is brilliant, but also means further time off from my main occupation.

The size of the Henley cohort might be about 15-20, with additional participants from the DK, DE and UK locations. Conversely, at WBS cohort size may be closer to 150-200 i guess.

Any thought? especially about how these two schools compare?

As a note, Aalto is still in the backburner, but perhaps not so high on the list since it seems to be the least flexible option (weekend plus evening sessions every month).

Thanks!

[Edited by damsees on Feb 04, 2020]

Tricky choices. The size of the DL cohort at Warwick seems a bit meaningless since you won't meet them all/much even of you go to the Warwick weeks.

The Henley cohort sounds like a nice size, and the added value of the face to face networking and acculturation could be huge. I know I would learn much more with more face time and group work.

Maybe speak about this with your stakeholders at work. I know a lot of MBA students use up all their holiday on their MBA, and never ask for unpaid study leave. I got that, and it made a big difference to my quality of life because I still needed a holiday!!

Thank you Duncan for your insights! Indeed I am currently juggling the two options. I am confident that they are both excellent, that is why it is so difficult to opt for one choice over the other.

The fact that I don't have a strong connection to Finland sometimes plays a role on the way I see things and places more or less emphasis on the flexibility and international element. Also, for me the work-life balance is definitely an important part and I must take this into account. Luckily, my stakeholders are supportive and I am sure I will find a suitable arrangement with them.

I have a bit of thinking to do still, but I am sure it will work out. I will keep you posted on how this evolves.

Thanks again!