Hello everyone!
I have managerial experience working for a large non-profit organization in an Eastern European country. I want to get an MBA and go to an English-speaking MBB office in Western Europe/the ME/Singapore. What could be more useful for such a transition: INSEAD or LBS?
Hi A,
I am currently still in my MBA after my time at Bain. Here are some thoughts. I decided against INSEAD and a European MBA for specific reasons - I think a top-10 US MBA is the way to go - you can work then wherever you want globally and get the biggest bang for your buck in terms of reputation and network. Wont share them all here since this is a sensitive topic for some people, feel free to DM me.
INSEAD is short, painful, direct, offers good chances. However, since it is so short, you have no margin for error. If you need more time than the average person or if you simply lose time by prepping inefficiently etc this may be a huge problem. This is why INSEAD was not an option for me - simply too short. Most people forget that the CV gets you into the door, but you also need maturity and advanced professional and personal skills. This takes time. No shortcuts. INSEAD has techniques to mitigate that but just understand you are also competing against people who have had more time potentially to prep for this stuff and actually had time to push their CV and personal development in other directions too given the almost 3 times longer programs.
LBS is great obviously in Europe - no problems whatsoever with the reputation. Henning is right, their focus is likely more on London.Why? Not because they force you to apply to jobs in London but most importantly because their network allows you to probably attend recruiting events ON CAMPUS. Hence, you would need to network with and apply for other offices on the continent or overseas. However, the reputational effect might diminish given that every region has their preferred target schools and international mixing starts too (i.e. esp. ppl from US MBA programs being your competitors).
There are other great schools too you should check out. One would certainly be IESE in Barcelona. If LBS is an option for you, you could also consider an US MBA. Prime chances to get into MBB in the US and anywhere else on the globe.
Overall - do not worry about the opportunity costs. If money is an issue do not do a MBA. Even if you attend the most expensive 2 yr full-time programs in the US, the amount of money you can expect afterwards as well as the network you will be exposed to your whole life make any calculation highly NET POSITIVE in terms of RETURN ON EQUITY or RETURN ON CAPITAL. Dont forget that most top US schools offer VERY GENEROUS scholarships (I received one too and it even surpassed the support I would have received from Bain).
DM me if you d like to have a more private conversation.
Best,
Denis
Hi there,
Both are great options. I would analyze the candidates per cohort per year and the hires for your target offices on LinkedIn to get a data-driven answer.
As Henning said, a big plus of INSEAD is that it takes 1 year only and unlike LBS it has a campus in Singapore as well (although I helped several INSEAD candidates that could not apply in Singapore due to restrictions on foreign hires).
Best,
Francesco
Hi,
I would recommend targeting TOP US MBA since they are both valid in the US and EU.
Several things to consider:
Best
Hi there,
If your goal is English-speaking MBB office, then I would definitely recommend LBS.
That said, both are absoutely fantastic skills are you really can't go wrong! Have you been accepted to both? If not, apply to both and maybe your mind will be made up for you :)
If you're fully focused on MBB and want to maintain flexibility reg the regions, INSEAD is probably the best choice. It's the school with the largest share of students going to MBB and has campuses in all the regions you mentioned. LBS still great for consulting, but recruiting is typically more focused on London offices. One more thing to consider, worth a 1 year program INSEAD has the lower opportunity costs.
Hi,
They both have a great curriculum, brand, and alumni network!
If you'd like to work in an English-speaking office, I'd go for LBS.
Good luck,
Antonello
Hi there,
if your goal is English-speaking offices, then maybe LBS would be a better match. Also think about the differences in the programs, the profs, the costs of study & living, the length of the programs etc.
Cheers,
GB
Hello!
It depends on many factors, tbh.
On top of those 2, that I agree are top choices, you should also consider the top american ones.
However:
For this I never advise to choose a school or even doing an MBA only for the chance of PERHAPS getting an MBB offer later.
Hope it helps!
Cheers,
Clara
