Hi All,

Im currently considering making a late application to Ashridge Business School for Jan 2012. I have spoken to former alumni who have said great things about the business school. I do however have two concerns

1. Rankings - I currently have been accepted into a global top 50 uni for the September intake. Although Ashridge seems to have a strong reputation it doesn't seem to do well on the Full time MBA rankings. What are people view on this?

2. Post MBA completion - Ashridge do not publish average salaries etc post MBA I was hoping to find out what the general business world thought of Ashridge. Im hopeing to move into Consultancy in the UK post MBA (currently an accountant with 6 years experiance). Im slightly concerned that as the class size is significantly smaller my network base will be alot lower.

Duncan - I believe you went to Ashridge - what was your opinion of it?

Many thanks for the help

Dee

Hi Dee,

It's a great school with an almost unique leadership development capacity. The programme is based heavily around projects which build capacity to integrate and lead. If you look at the salary reports in previous FT rankings, then you'll see they are excellent. Ashridge has always does well in the rankings, except in years when the cohort was too small to be entered. However, there's nothing like the placement service of other schools, so you will need to develop your own network to find work.

Ashridge is small. It's not a school where the bulge bracket recruiters come to hire. It's well respected, but the students are too senior to fit easily into traditional consulting firms.

I participate in the MBA refresher programme at Ashridge (I did my MBA elsewhere, but the refresher programme is open to other AMBA-accredited MBAs). I think it's a powerful place for people who want to develop from functional silos into general management and leadership. I'm not sure what sort of consulting you want to do, or where your work experience is now. My feeling is that if you're a mature UK professional with a great network and a great idea for a start-up consulting business, and you want to develop general management and soft skills, then Ashridge is ideal place. If you're in your 20s and you want to work for an established consulting firm, then ask that firm/those firms where they recruit.

The top schools from which UK management consulting businesses hire are:
London Business School
Cranfield School of Management
Warwick Business School
INSEAD
University of Cambridge
Henley
Manchester Business School
University of Oxford
Imperial College London
University of Strathclyde.

The global top 50 university sounds like one you can use an a fall back. In the meanwhile I'd suggest you look for the best MBA on the list above which you can get into.

Thanks for the advice Duncan.

I'm currently 27 - looking to move into Strategic Consultancy ideally with the big 4 so I think maybe one of the Uni's in the list above is probably more suitable

Thanks again

Dee

Hi Dee
I did my MBA at Ashridge in 2006 - FT route and was hired by Ashridge post MBA to start up a Career Support function, and am now the Associate MBA Director, so I thought I'd add my two pennies worth.

Very much of what Duncan has said is a true reflection of the Ashridge MBA experience, and there is no doubt that the quality of the programme and the experience of the place and its people will most likely far exceed any other programme you can consider (in my bias opinion). Although it is true that Ashridge does not offer onsite recruitment fairs, given the diverse and often very seniour background of the full time cohort, there are plenty of opportunities to interview at Ashridge with senior members from a variety of organisations who offer consultancy project every year. In addition, every year a number of graduates get job offers as a result of their project work.

Regarding making a career transition post MBA into one of the Big 4 Consultancy firms, this has also happened. We have had alumni with offers from McKinsey, Accenture and Deloitte, and others with offers from smaller boutique consultancies across the world. In my opinion, if you have what it takes to get hired by one of the top Consultancy firms, Ashridge Careers, faculty and alumni will do whatever it takes to provide you with the necessary introductions and references, and you can rest assured, you will be well prepared to excell at passing any type of itnerview situation you need to face to get the job you seek.

It is also true that many MBAs change their minds about a career as a consultant during their stay with us. Maybe because Ashridge has a tremendous focus on Relational consultancy and soft-skills Vs the more traditional process driven consultancy found in the Big 4 practices.

However, I loved my time as an MBA student and I have no doubt you will do the same, wherever you go. Just remember - NEVER stop building your own network regardless of how big the career service department of your business school is.

Kind regards
ilze Zandvoort

Hey Ilza,

Thanks so much for joining the discussion!

Duncan.

I agree with the aforementioned comments about Ashridge. It's a well respected school that's renowned for its leadership programmes. I believe the Cabinet Office, for example, uses Ashridge for executive education.

I'd see it as a great benefit that Ashridge students tend to be more senior in their careers. That could be very helpful for your network - better to know a few senior execs than lots of mid-level people! Though I've always wondered if "the alumni network" is largely irrelevant. Networking with people who know and like you is what counts (not networking with people who simply happen to have studied at the same school).