Eventually the student IS responsible.So choose your school wisely. Where you can get help. Where people want to help. It will make a mountain load of difference.

Students have to be responsible for their effort but schools are also responsible for doing their best. It is obviously that students on the campus in Henley get a Henley experience but those in Reading get something else.

I can't believe people can get into and graduate from world-ranked MBAs with very poor grammar. I am actually very worried about the whole quality of British education system.

For a few sentences I see people manage to have a a few grammatical mistakes, intolerable ones that make people suspicious how one manages to finish A-Level and have a degree and a few spelling mistakes as well.

I used to with I could work for top consultant in Continental Europe and I just blame myself for not working hard enough or not getting into more renown Universities, I now actually believe it is very much about luck. Damn. Look at Donald Trump man.

I felt the same way. But you can't expect all people from Thailand, Japan, Russia etc to be fluent in English. It's a bit frustrating at the beginning when you work in groups. Very difficult to communicate and you have to write/proof-read everything. But it is also a learning experience. Personally I didn't mind. Besides you get to learn some interesting words in their language.

I can't believe people can get into and graduate from world-ranked MBAs with very poor grammar. I am actually very worried about the whole quality of British education system.

For a few sentences I see people manage to have a a few grammatical mistakes, intolerable ones that make people suspicious how one manages to finish A-Level and have a degree and a few spelling mistakes as well.

I used to with I could work for top consultant in Continental Europe and I just blame myself for not working hard enough or not getting into more renown Universities, I now actually believe it is very much about luck. Damn. Look at Donald Trump man.

For a few sentences I see people manage to have a a few grammatical mistakes

I used to with I could work for top consultant in Continental Europe

[Edited by HenleyStudent on Apr 07, 2017]

I felt the same way. But you can't expect all people from Thailand, Japan, Russia etc to be fluent in English. It's a bit frustrating at the beginning when you work in groups. Very difficult to communicate and you have to write/proof-read everything. But it is also a learning experience. Personally I didn't mind. Besides you get to learn some interesting words in their language.

Students have to be responsible for their effort but schools are also responsible for doing their best. It is obviously that students on the campus in Henley get a Henley experience but those in Reading get something else.

Have you ever come across one positive feedback from full-time alumni in any of the public forums?

I'm a current student at the business school (Grad Sept 2017). I find the overall "review" of the course to be a very harsh and sounds like it's from someone quite entitled and who want s to be given everything on a plate. Remember every MBA will have positives and negatives and its very individual to that person.

The cohort this year is great, with many different perspectives from many different countries. The class is small enough that you work with everybody in teams throughout the year. Everybody on the course have modules they loved and others that they weren't too interested in. Leadership and R&R on I found to be great and would heavily disagree with the original review. I on the other hand didn't find Strategy to be my favourite subject but others in the cohort really loved it. So it takes all types. In general if you take they same perspective to "operations management" to "managing people" models you'll easily find faults because they are very different subjects with very different applications. You'll find that as time goes on every module is designed to build on everything else and you'll find everything coming together very nicely in the end.

Having a small cohort means you have a very strong group you know intimately and is one of the main differentiators for the MBA. I know people doing the Oxford MBA and they hated it as they felt like sardines being pumped through a money making machine and they didn't really bond with their cohort for a number of reasons.

The careers services is what you make of it. They will work really hard to set you up in the best way they can, with networking classes, endlessly reviewing your C.V, making a bullet proof LinkedIn Profile, amongst others. They will also connect you with Alumni in fields you are interested in to discuss things and open potential doors. One thing no B school will do is hand you a gold plated consultancy role with they "Big 4". As an MBA you should be a future leader and not expect things to be handed to you.

People will need to gauge their expectations accordingly. The 25 years olds have sky high ambition without experience and are disappointed when BCG, hasn't begged them to work for them. If you're looking to make a major career change then you will find this difficult, but the careers service help you construct a skills based CV to help you if this is your angle.

From my side the Career service helped me with all my requests and connected me with Alumni and an Alumni Mentor who's the VP of FORD and really connected me with other companies.

I'm 34 was a Programme Manager before and during the MBA I had multiple companies contact me and Interviewed with Amazon, Different Management and Financial Consultancies, and Banks. Other cohort members have gone to Microsoft, RBS Set up their own Consultancies etc.

Regarding the Economist rankings. These are, like an rankings self servicing. I worked for some of the "Greatest places to work" and really wondered what the hell people were thinking. Those companies are just like all the others. Harvard/Oxford grad will say their MBA's are the best as will Henley. Because by devaluing the course you're only hurting yourself in the longer term and other Alumni. It would be naïve to think otherwise, and experience would always tell you to take these rankings with a pinch of salt.

Overall I'd give the school 9/10. I've learnt a fabulous amount with a fabulous group of people and doubled my salary. But this is because I put the effort in, networked like the school taught me and applied myself.

Anyone who does the same, I cant imagine wont achieve great things :).

I'm a current student at the business school (Grad Sept 2017). I find the overall "review" of the course to be a very harsh and sounds like it's from someone quite entitled and who want s to be given everything on a plate. Remember every MBA will have positives and negatives and its very individual to that person.

The cohort this year is great, with many different perspectives from many different countries. The class is small enough that you work with everybody in teams throughout the year. Everybody on the course have modules they loved and others that they weren't too interested in. Leadership and R&R on I found to be great and would heavily disagree with the original review. I on the other hand didn't find Strategy to be my favourite subject but others in the cohort really loved it. So it takes all types. In general if you take they same perspective to "operations management" to "managing people" models you'll easily find faults because they are very different subjects with very different applications. You'll find that as time goes on every module is designed to build on everything else and you'll find everything coming together very nicely in the end.

Having a small cohort means you have a very strong group you know intimately and is one of the main differentiators for the MBA. I know people doing the Oxford MBA and they hated it as they felt like sardines being pumped through a money making machine and they didn't really bond with their cohort for a number of reasons.

The careers services is what you make of it. They will work really hard to set you up in the best way they can, with networking classes, endlessly reviewing your C.V, making a bullet proof LinkedIn Profile, amongst others. They will also connect you with Alumni in fields you are interested in to discuss things and open potential doors. One thing no B school will do is hand you a gold plated consultancy role with they "Big 4". As an MBA you should be a future leader and not expect things to be handed to you.

People will need to gauge their expectations accordingly. The 25 years olds have sky high ambition without experience and are disappointed when BCG, hasn't begged them to work for them. If you're looking to make a major career change then you will find this difficult, but the careers service help you construct a skills based CV to help you if this is your angle.

From my side the Career service helped me with all my requests and connected me with Alumni and an Alumni Mentor who's the VP of FORD and really connected me with other companies.

I'm 34 was a Programme Manager before and during the MBA I had multiple companies contact me and Interviewed with Amazon, Different Management and Financial Consultancies, and Banks. Other cohort members have gone to Microsoft, RBS Set up their own Consultancies etc.

Regarding the Economist rankings. These are, like an rankings self servicing. I worked for some of the "Greatest places to work" and really wondered what the hell people were thinking. Those companies are just like all the others. Harvard/Oxford grad will say their MBA's are the best as will Henley. Because by devaluing the course you're only hurting yourself in the longer term and other Alumni. It would be naïve to think otherwise, and experience would always tell you to take these rankings with a pinch of salt.

Overall I'd give the school 9/10. I've learnt a fabulous amount with a fabulous group of people and doubled my salary. But this is because I put the effort in, networked like the school taught me and applied myself.

Anyone who does the same, I cant imagine wont achieve great things :).

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. I'm sure this person makes fair comments about their experiences, but the truisms that an MBA is what you make it conceals the reality that Henley doesn't get into Europe's top 42 MBAs, as ranked by the FT (http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/european-business-school-rankings-2016). There will be many reasons for that. he fact that students have to make the most of the MBA does not explain why the MBA isn't doing better.

Hi Duncan, can you please explain why you say "Henley doesn't get into Europe's top 42 MBAs, as ranked by the FT" while the link you posted shows Henley Business School ranked 37 in 2016 and 36 in the 3 year rank? The Executive MBA at Henley is ranked 26 in the same ranking. Or you solely refer to the Full Time MBA which is not in the ranking?
A previous post from sdr09 stated "This thread is about the 1 year duration Henley Full-time MBA", but if this is correct, I would ask the author of the thread to rename it, as the thread is actually titled "Henley Business School Review". With such a title people would expect to see discussions on all the programs and the school as a whole not just about a single program. I am particularly interested in the Executive and the Flex Executive MBA programs at Henley and want to understand why you say that Henley is just a good, but not very good school (in another thread about Henley)? Comparisons of Henley with Oxford or Cambridge are out of scope of course, but if a school which program is ranked in the top 50 in the world and has a triple accreditation cannot be seen as a "very good school" than all those rankings and accreditations would be meaningless, wouldn't they?

[Edited by Rosen Ugrinov on May 04, 2017]

Regarding the Economist rankings. These are, like an rankings self servicing. I worked for some of the "Greatest places to work" and really wondered what the hell people were thinking. Those companies are just like all the others. Harvard/Oxford grad will say their MBA's are the best as will Henley. Because by devaluing the course you're only hurting yourself in the longer term and other Alumni. It would be naïve to think otherwise, and experience would always tell you to take these rankings with a pinch of salt.

Overall I'd give the school 9/10. I've learnt a fabulous amount with a fabulous group of people and doubled my salary. But this is because I put the effort in, networked like the school taught me and applied myself.

Anyone who does the same, I cant imagine wont achieve great things :).

Because by devaluing the course you're only hurting yourself in the longer term and other Alumni. It would be naïve to think otherwise, and experience would always tell you to take these rankings with a pinch of salt.

i'm actually planning to pursue this flexible EMBA from Henley biz school, University of Reading from Malaysia which will start early next year.....it's quite a bit of surprise seeing most negative feedback about this course...

what i understood from the school is the cohort will be a small group, probably around 20pax, n i was not informed anything about career services support... @@

The feedback is really about placement support and careers services. I am sure the course itself is fine academically. The FT online MBA ranking is useful. If you want support changing firms,industry or country then an EMBA will be better.

PS The feedback below deepens my feeling that EMBA students in Henley-On-Thames get a Henley experience but the full-time students in Reading get a University of Reading experience.

[Edited by Duncan on Jun 28, 2017]

I'm a current FTMBA student at HBS. I generally agree with the initial feedback posted here and let me share my experience of studying in the school. Firstly, I feel a 50% satisfaction by the programme content and less than 50% by the career development support. Of course, I never expected to be given everything on the plate, but I haven't even got a sense of Henley's strong relationships with industries. I don't remember a single significant event like a job fair organised by the school. Secondly, the programme itself is too academic and far from the real business world. It was sad to observe how students and me either tried to analyse outdated case studies through the prism of old-fashioned frameworks and models. 80% of the modules' contents is fluff and 15% is like when you have a hammer, but don't really need it because the world has been already offering electric hammers to make you feel an expert in nailing. 5% is what you probably use in your future career if you'll get a decision-making position otherwise you'll have to follow your boss' orders and this 5% will look like a suit in your wardrope. Thirdly, alumni network is not about how many alumni are there, but how effectevily and systematically they interact and guide each other, provide useful information and insights about contemporary trends in different industries, gather and share ideas internally between groups of interests. During the year we had none of important venues where we could have met alumni and had chats with each other; just random breakfast meetings with some of alumni in London. HBS is only proud of the number of its alumni network. Finally, if you expect that there will be life-changing or life-making guest lecturers, both academics and business leaders, stop dreaming about that. Use YouTube instead.
To conclude, I'd say that the programme is not worth of money you have to pay.

Just a late reply to the question: "Hi Duncan, can you please explain why you say "Henley doesn't get into Europe's top 42 MBAs, as ranked by the FT" while the link you posted shows Henley Business School ranked 37 in 2016 and 36 in the 3 year rank? The Executive MBA at Henley is ranked 26 in the same ranking. Or you solely refer to the Full Time MBA which is not in the ranking?"

Yes, that is correct. I am referring to the full-time MBA. It *is* in the full-time ranking shown in the listing of European schools.

[Edited by Duncan on Jul 04, 2017]

I'm a current FTMBA student at HBS. I generally agree with the initial feedback posted here and let me share my experience of studying in the school. Firstly, I feel a 50% satisfaction by the programme content and less than 50% by the career development support. Of course, I never expected to be given everything on the plate, but I haven't even got a sense of Henley's strong relationships with industries. I don't remember a single significant event like a job fair organised by the school. Secondly, the programme itself is too academic and far from the real business world. It was sad to observe how students and me either tried to analyse outdated case studies through the prism of old-fashioned frameworks and models. 80% of the modules' contents is fluff and 15% is like when you have a hammer, but don't really need it because the world has been already offering electric hammers to make you feel an expert in nailing. 5% is what you probably use in your future career if you'll get a decision-making position otherwise you'll have to follow your boss' orders and this 5% will look like a suit in your wardrope. Thirdly, alumni network is not about how many alumni are there, but how effectevily and systematically they interact and guide each other, provide useful information and insights about contemporary trends in different industries, gather and share ideas internally between groups of interests. During the year we had none of important venues where we could have met alumni and had chats with each other; just random breakfast meetings with some of alumni in London. HBS is only proud of the number of its alumni network. Finally, if you expect that there will be life-changing or life-making guest lecturers, both academics and business leaders, stop dreaming about that. Use YouTube instead.
To conclude, I'd say that the programme is not worth of money you have to pay.