Hi, everyone,

I am in a wierd dilemna. My options in the US are UMass Boston, Kelstadt Depaul and the Global Partners program at Georgia State. Out of these 3, I decided on Georgia State because it seemed add more value with the part of program being taught at other countries and also the chance to obtain multiple degrees.but now I have received an admit from SDA Bocconi.

SDA Bocconi seems to be a far better program as compared to Georgia State but I am just worried about the employment opportunities. I am from India and I do not speak Italian, I am aware that this puts me at a major disadvantage for employment in Italy. I have gone through this discussion: http://www.find-mba.com/board/34713

Post MBA, my goal is to work for a top tier consulting firm. While these firms hire from SDA , language will be a big barrier for me. These firms do not seem to hire at all from Georgia State.Even with the current economic situation in Europe, should I still go ahead with SDA because of the reputation of the program (something that will stay on CV forever) as compared to Georgia State (which might be a safer option, comparatively, because US provides a lot more employment opportunities).

Also, SDA has an exchange program with some of the top schools in US. How realistic is it to expect that I'd be able to use that (2 months in US) effectively to pursue employment opportunities in the US? Or even apply directly after graduation to firms in the US without taking the exchange program?

Thanks!

That is somewhat of a pickle. For what it's worth, I did a quick search on Linkedin for employees in the top three consulting firms, and Georgia State didn't even register a blip. There was representation from SDA Bocconi, but not a ton of people. Perhaps some people use their MBA from SDA Bocconi to get jobs at these firms in other countries? I'm not entirely sure.

Why not ask the career services departments at these schools to connect you with grads who work in consulting, perhaps they can give you a candid view of the situation.

What do you mean by a top tier consulting firm? If you are looking at strategy consulting firms, which is what most people might understand by that term, international candidates at the sort of schools you are discussing have no chance.

I think you would benefit from refocussing and clarifying your career goals.

Thanks a lot, Razors Edge. I have actually written to the career services departments. I am waiting to hear back from them.

Thanks, Duncan. I did mean Strategy consulting firms. I am sorry if I am ignorant, but why don't international students stand a chance if the firms do hire from the university.
Also, my career goal is to work for a boutique consulting firm that helps sporting organizations. There are quite a few of these in Switzerland. But I'd like to first work for a strategy consulting firm and carry that experience forward.

Any suggestions on the exchange program? How realistic is it to expect that I'd be able to use that (2 months in US) effectively to pursue employment opportunities in the US?

Thanks!

It's not realistic, no. Please search the board for McKinsey and review the discussion: http://www.find-mba.com/boardsearch/q/McKinsey . They recruit from the very top schools on a global level, and the top national schools on the national level. They hire at Bocconi for Italy, so they need people who can speak fluent business Italian (e.g Italians). If international students had fluent business Italian then they would be taking courses in Italian, not English language MBAs. read: Do you need to speak the local language? www.find-mba.com/board/34713

There's almost no chance that you would be able to find a role in the US. Most exchange schools don't give careers service access to exchange students. read: Tips from a European top 10 MBA in the US http://www.find-mba.com/board/39577

Thanks a lot for all the help, Duncan.

I know , I am putting you in a spot but which of the programs do you think I should pick.

What do you think of the Global Partners program at Georgia State?

Thanks!

None of the programmes will lead you to your goal. Don't chose between then until you have identified a goal. Because you don't speak Italian, I see no great benefit for you after attending SDA unless you postpone entry for a year in order to first learn Italian. The Global Partners programme is odd, and does not have good placement. Of the programmes you are looking at UMass Boston and DePaul the safest choices generally for employment, but these are all risky choices because you do not have a realistic career plan.

Thanks, Duncan.

With the schools that I am looking at, it doesn't look like any of them will lead me to my goal. I just got a call an interview call from Zicklin. I know that even Zicklin might not lead me to a career in Strategy Consulting. But purely from a perspective of employment opportunities, is Zicklin my best bet?

I think you need to develop a career goal and then pick the route to it. If you don't care where you're going, any road will do.

Well, the career goal is to into Management consulting. I am not even considering the obvious paths because there are certain limitations at the moment that are hard to overcome. As much as I'd like to, getting into Harvard, Stanford or any of the other top programs is a little far fetched considering that I have a horrible undergrad GPA, which will not be offset with the whatever GMAT score I get or however good my essays are. Also, getting a 700+ score is going happen immediately given the amount time & effort that needs to go in. At this point, I am not inclined to push my admissions by a year because even if I did get a great score, given my undergrad GPA , there would still be no guarantee that I'd get into one of the top programs.

I was surprised that I even got a call from SDA Bocconi considering that I got rejected from TAMU and Rutgers. I am only considering SDA because it seems like that's the best program (ranking-wise) I can get into.

At this point, I am hoping to get into a decent program. Work my contacts to get an internship in one of the consulting firms and then work my way up from there. I know it's a long shot but it seems like the only realistic path available.

In that case, quit your job now. Move to Italy for an intensive Italian course. With an intensive course from June to September, you can get to B1, and then to B2 or even C1 by the end of the course.

Thank you so much, Duncan. I'll have to decide quickly then.

Thanks again for all the help.