Hello!
I was offered a place for executive MBA in both Imperial (Tanaka) and Cass business school. I tend to choose Imperial, but I definitely don?t know if I?ts really better or not...?
Can someone please help me with my decision?
(i've posted the same question also under the Europe section)

"Imperial. Whatever you study there, banks (if banking is what you want to go into) will be craving for you when you graduate. I'm sure Cass is good too (in fact, I've heard it has a great reputation), but it's not Imperial. No one can deny that. But it's really what you prefer I guess. If you're an intelligent and hard-working person, you'll have great career prospects wherever you go, Imperial or Cass."

At least that's what the Swede told me in the Student Room.

Seriously, look at the following profiles by the Good University Guide and you will know where you want to go:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/good_university_guide/article2126369.ece
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/good_university_guide/article2124605.ece

But the, how can you trust a newspaper that uses the picture below for its "About to start uni?" brochure.


These Brits...

Thanks!

The photo is definitely funny ?

The ranking you?ve posted is the general ranking which Imperial seems to be much higher there than Cass. However, in some of the business school rankings, Cass gets better scores? what does it mean? What?s more important: the business school ranking or the university ranking?

Imperial as a university has a great reputation. Its MBA programme, however, is young and small. That means you don't have many alumni to help you in your job search!

I had the same dilhema a few months ago when choosing my MBA. I was a graduate of LSE didnot want to do a 2 year MBA and wanted to find the best 1 year MBA for Finance.

I did a comparison based on several factors which I list below and came to a conclusion that Cass is a much better MBA than a Tanaka MBA.

I provide my findings for your information so you can make up your own mind.

CURRRICUM
Tanaka has a basic core + basic electives
Begg (Dean of Tanaka) calls it a vanilla (general) MBA.

Cass has an EXTENSIVE core and over 20+ specialised electives + option to do international symposiums in China, Emerging markets weeks in Argentina, Consultancy in Easter Europe in Poland, Outsourcing projects in India.

All terribly important for (BRIC/Emerging markets)

As of 2007/8 Cass also has a language specialisation (Chinese/Spanish/Japanese) 6hrs per week which resembles INSEADs

MBA LEAGUE
Cass is definitely moving more like the NYU of London (LBS would be Columbia) and is known in MBA circles and competitions more than Imperial, Warwick and Manchester put together.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Also, if you look at the development programme of Cass it includes over 100hrs of PDP with providers which are used by McKinsey, BCG and Banking Career Coaches (external) that are the same ones that INSEAD and IESE are using.

Cass MBAs get a full day on PDP training every week.

FACULTY SPECIALISATION
Tanaka is a research-led school.
Cass is a true business school.

Lets look at a famous Professor at Tanaka (e.g. well known researcher in economics David Begg)

and a famous Professor at Cass (e.g. 18yrs leading investment banker and ex Managing Director of D. Bank and Morgan Stanley - Scott Moeller)

SPECIALISATION & FACILITIES
Cass is strongly geared in finance
it has Bloomberg Professional Terminals and Dealing Room
Reuters x3000 Terminals
Thomson Investment Banking Terminals
AND IS THE ONLY school to have a campus in Canary Wharf

On the other hand, Tanakas graduates make money from R&D spin off companies of the college.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
IMperial came 10th in the world for ente. and R&D

Cass makes history with its private equity module (one of the first int he world PE modules as an asset class that will be taught holistically in an MBA programme)

ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
Arguably WBS, MBS, Said and Judge are EXCELLENT places BUT a lot of people cannot take superbia and donot go to WBS, Cranfield etc for this reason. They want to be at the doorstep of city institutions and live and breath the colour of money (and attend evening events at their doorstop). Who can network better in the city of london a Warwick alum or a Cass alum ?

Cass alum (both MSc and MBA) work around the corner and you can call them to go for a beer after their work. Not sure if the same would be that easy with any other non-City based school. The only other school I know that enjoys such strong links with bankers is NYU.

Fro my social circles Imperial/Tanakas graduates tend to be Coders, Scientists and Biologists (or in banks they would be the hard core quants?.feed them pizza under the door)

The Cass MBAs are coming from all types of background and I have found the Cass Exec MBAs to be actually investment bankers, traders or brokers who work in teh city and went to Cass on the basis of proximity to their work and practical (not theoretical) tuition of finance.

Arguably an excellent source of a network to tap into and give you a job later...

VIBE
If you speak to a Cass MBA cohort most were accepted at Tanaka but chose Cass after experience 1 day in both schools.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST (BRANDING)
Some schools, hide behind the mother brand (Imperial MBA hides the Tanaka MBA)
Some wish to have their own new brand like Cass MBA

LBS is also a Univ. of London college but I know no one that knows this fact and links LBS with the University of LOndon. LBS has its own rank and brand.

Cass is moving that way and soon it will be less and less affiliated with the mother brand and no-one would compare it with City Uni. Two different things. Like no one cares about LBS and University of London.

For example, IESE is the b-school of which Uni?
(Navarra is the answer).
I hope it illustrates my point.

Cass I think will soon not care about its parent brand.
It has its own world rank MBA brand.

SO. DO YOUR RESEARCH first and visit each School
Experience the programme
The people
The tutors


So if you really compare
-academics
-electives
-pdp
-alumni
-facilities
-specilization

Cass is simply the best 1-year programme in London and a full provision business school with focus in finance, trade and shipping.

Put it simply:

If you want to be a banker: Go to Cass
If you want to start your own business: Go to Tanaka

Hope it helps.

Last note.
PS. Imperial left the federation of London and lost its best asset. A link to the University of London Careers (one of the best careers service out there and links to other better-linked-to-finance colleges ie. LSE). Now if you take the Imperial College alum most are scientists versus Cass that most are bankers. So who can get you that interview at Goldman Sachs? think think think....

:-)

ALL THE BEST !!!

Hi,

I have to support Tanaka here, but yes it really does depend what you want after you graduate. I think the Imperial brand is stonger than Cass.

I have met almuni from Tanaka who work a Mckinsey, who work as consultants or who are setting up their own business. The good thing about Imperial is that you get a good mix in the class, lawyers, accountants, IT specialists, bankers, consultants, plus lots more...

Also, Tanaka has one day a week for careers training, and they run a number of courses to choose from.

I think you must be an Cass MBA or alumni!!!

I think it is clear from my email that I was researching the best MBAs in London obviously to do an MBA myself. I provided the post as the result of my own research and findings.

I graduated from LSE back in the days when Imperial was part of U of London so I know about the school as we had close ties back then.

I am sorry but I cannot put Imperial in my top list for business studies. FAR from it.

Regarding argument that Imperial has graduates at McKinsey. Who told you WBS, SAID, Judge, Cass donot???
Are they mutual exclusive?

Funny enough my first meeting with a Cass alum mentor was an ex-McKinsey now turned private banker and one of my group members told me yesterday he was recommend Cass from McKinsey alum he met abroad.

It would be interesting if I knew if the McKinsey Imperial graduates were Tanaka graduates or UG/PG/PhD graduates. I think you will find McKinsey donot really target TANAKA for MBAs. Strategy firms target strategy school.

So if strategy is your thing I would go to Harvard (Porter ist eh man) or INSEAD a strategy school and or wherever Mintzberg (Europes Guru) is these days.

You can also argue Cass has Baden-Fuller, Julia Ballogun and Lambel -who publishes closely with Mintzerberg - is at Cass) and Dr Tuba Üstüne who apart from her Harvard DBA teaches at Harvard the executive module and Cass B2B Marketing Elective.

However, I would go to Porter.

Mind you even Harvards 800MBA cohort cannot attend Porters 80-present class. 1 in 10 is selected for his elective.
The only sure thing is Executive Education. Pay the man to see him!!!

So the point I am trying to make is different MBAs suit different people. I cannot emphasize enough HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO DO YOUR RESEARCH and find what suits YOU.

I advised a friend, consultant (Medic), two days ago to go to Imperial to spin off his company in facial care but because he is 40, he cannot travel the world and participate in 100+1 symposiums and extra-curriculars. For him Tanaka MBA is a just 6 core just, a few electives and some advice to start off a company and to be in an environment it understands the medical profession.

On the other hand another dear friend, a younger GP turned banker, was advised to come to Cass to get a real MBA experience AND FS contact.

In this point, the MBA experience, I dont think Imperial can even touch the basics.

I was with two ESADE and INSEAD alum last nite having drinks and we discussed the MBAs and the dramatic increase of the breadth and depth of the Cass MBA and its links with the elite tournaments and link with the leading European b-schools, regattas, ski events and Olympics (that network you with other leading b-schools INSEAD, IESE, IMD, SDA Bocconi, HEC).

I come more and more to the realisation people who did not do a top UG/pg in the UK are keen to buy the Imperial brand but sacrifice a real MBA experience.

But if you have a good UG in your CV and you want an MBA brand then Tanaka trust me...does not kick it in MBA circles in Europe nor we see it in this (invitation only to Europe top-14) social and cultural events which I am proud to say we attend and particpate.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST,

You have to understand that most people who apply to Tanaka and Cass are 99.99% accepted to both .

People who come to Cass are here for the reasons I listed in my original post (BEST 1 YEAR MBA with focus in FINANCE) AND I am sure people who go to TANAKA feel they can benefit from the excellent programme to spin of companies related to Imperials R&D.

and the Cass brand is well known in business.
The CASS exec MBA is really and top 15 world elite.
The TANAKA MBA is little known outside R&D circles. Imperial is a top name for sciences (NOT business).

Weigh the pros and cons according to YOUR plan and make the best decision for you.

Speak to as many MBA holders as possible.
Visit the schools.
Browsertheir events page.
Research their faculty.

Talk to the company you want to go and ask them if X MBA is a target/partner recruitment ground

All the best.

Hello,

Can anybody tell me howz University of Bath & Leeds which one is better for MBA FT and how are the job prospects...??

Also i would like to know which good universities can i apply without GMAT score , i have a work exp of 4 years witha a blue chip company..

mbastudent,

I had already decided to accept my offer from Cass for the coming academic year, but reading your list of pros and cons just makes me much more confident and excited about my choice! Thanks very much. I did quite a bit of research and spoke to a number of people, but your obvious enthusiasm, along with facts and examples really does help!

Take care, and if you are an alum, I would love to get in contact with you.

Kelly

Hi Kelly,

How are you doing in CASS now?

What's the difference you could think of for Imperial and CASS MBA?

Please let me know.


Regards,
Chee Wai Lam