Hi Guys,

New to the site although found a ton of useful information reading through the discussion topics. I found the site whilst looking for information around UK MBA courses......Here is the scenario:

Nationality: British born and raised

Academic Background: Undergraduate Degree in Sciences, PhD degree in Biochemistry

Work Experience: Non-science related. 8 years working in Market Research. Started at a humble low position straight after post-grad - rapidly worked my way upwards building Operation Centers in Eastern Europe and Latam.

Aim of MBA: Find a January start date accredited course around the London area

Reason for MBA: To broaden my skills and move up closer to C-Level management - something which I have been struggling thus far and the ability to change industries

After being away from the UK - returning is a daunting task especially given how specialist my role has become...... I need additional skills and knowledge to move up from my current status to the C-Level roles. I know that an MBA would cater some way towards that.

Problem: There is so much opinion and information out there that deciding on the institution is a mind boggling task. This exercise should i get accepted to a Business School would be self funded and ideally at a school which starts in January. I could wait until September 2017 but my preferred option is to start January. This would be at my own cost and involve taking a sabbatical from work. The Universities that I have found that fall into these criterion are:

Brunel
Kingston
Westminster

Of the above 3 - all are in the same price range more or less and all have January courses full time. If I was to go for September 2017 then I could put Surrey, Kent and Royal Holloway into the list too.

The problem is that I see neither of these 3 have stellar comments in comparison to the more established schools - but due to budget restraints I cant really afford a Henley, Cambridge, Imperial etc. Sure I would love a Ferrari but when you can't afford then I have to be realistic...

I have a number of questions which if anyone out there can assist with some information - that would make my decision making on preference slightly less excruciating:

1) Of the 3 listed - which one really is better? Some comments point towards Brunel - others Kingston but its hard to find a true differentiator
2) Would it be better to wait till September and widen the list? For example Surrey, Kent, Royal Holloway all are in the same budget and in/around London - but September only......
3) I noticed in an old post that Grenoble was also doing MBA courses in London. It was an old post - on their website I didnt see MBA offered - perhaps this has changed over time but are there any other 'Non-UK Universities' that are in London full time but somehow missed my obsessive lists? If there are such Universities would these be better to explore than the mentioned Universities?
4) My thought process is that doing an MBA at the listed Universities can only be a plus given the strong Science background and experience I have. That said - reading the comments - I have a unnerving feeling that perhaps waiting longer and saving more and trying at a Henley or Cass would long term be much more rewarding. We know the institution that you do the MBA carries significant weight but what weight do past degrees hold in the grand scheme of things? I'm hoping a PhD + MBA would hold stronger than a MBA alone at a top 20 institution. Is there some truth in that or this unfortunately is wishful thinking?

Any thoughts on this one would be most welcome although I appreciate this isn't group therapy!

1. Brunel might be better, but I'm not sure if any of these are going to get to the c-suite.
2. Yes, aim for a better programme in September. If your budget is limited take a MSc at a better school rather than an MBA at a worse school.
3. Grenoble doesn't really help unless you want to work in France, in which case study in France.
4. You are right. A better school will help. As an LBS MBA half way through my PhD, I think the PhD doesn't really help unless it's related to the opportunity. Get into the best school you can.

Hi Duncan,

Thanks for your input - much appreciated. In your opinion are Kent, Surrey or Royal Holloway any better - or they are equal/worse in the league we have discussed?

No, I don't think any of these will help you meet your goals.