INSEAD MBA

Hello! 

This is tricky question, I was in the same situation 10 years ago! I was considering enrolling on one of the top MBA and switching my career as in the travel industry where I came from, nobody will pay me enough to recover the cost. In the end, I joined Manchester Business School which cost me around 50-60K USD to earn my MBA degree. I was able to recover my investment still staying in the travel industry and eventually entering BCG as a Project Leader…but to be honest, I would say my MBA wasn't a big attraction to BCG, rather my specialized experience joining as an Expert. 

From my point of view, if you have already working experience and MBA can accelerate your career as well your pay in the industry you work then go for it. 
BCG does hire INSEAD graduates to the position of consultants -> you can consider if it is worthy if that would be equivalent to your seniority (including MBA) or not. 

An alternative option is joining MBB and taking advantage of the MBA sponsorship offered to the top-performing associate or consultant. 

You can send me a message if you would want to chat. 
All the best,
Lucie

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the career progression so far!

This is indeed an interesting question which is probably relevant for quite a lot of users, so I am happy to provide my perspective on it:

• From my perspective, the underlying questions you should answer to yourself are 1) what your mid- to long-term career goals are and 2) if you actually need an MBA to get into strategy consulting.
• Under the assumptions that you 1) want to stay in strategy consulting and 2) that you actually need an MBA to get into strategy consulting, I would say that in general, the costs will be worth it. Besides, there normally is a plenty of scholarships and financing options to provide this type of education to most people. To better understand if it would be truly worth it from a financial perspective, I would advise you to do an NPV analysis comparing the two options 1) staying at your current employer/ in your current industry and 2) switching to strategy consulting.
• Regarding your comparative question, I would advise you to have a look at websites like Poets & Quants or the FT rankings. Moreover, I would advise you to get into contact with people who were pursuing those programs and have coffee chats with them. Generally speaking though, INSEAD seems to be a highly sought-after program due to its brevity and reputation.

In case you want a more detailed discussion on how to best decide on your next career steps, please feel free to contact me directly.

I hope this helps,

Hagen

1. Does it worth that huge cost?

Usually yes. Applicants that are willing to work hard (including working hard to get a good job) usually find good jobs after the MBA, and move into a much more interesting career trajectory.

Of course, if you already have a high caliber network and an interesting career trajectory, the value add of the MBA is lower - but this is rarely the case.

2. Do you have any recommendations or experiences with that? Scholarships? External funding ? 

There are usually plenty of scholarships available (plus financing options). You should apply in the first round to maximize your chances of getting a scholarship. A very high GMAT score helps as well.

3. do you recommend as well any alternatives to INSEAD attractive to MBB in Middle East?

INSEAD is actually the best option. Highest brand value and being one year, it's the lowest cost option, which seems to be one of your key criteria. Also the school of choice in Europe for Consulting. LBS is another great option, but it is much more expensive as it is longer, and also a bit better for finance.

Hi there,

1) I am experienced professional resident at Middle East and looking forward  to start MBA at INSEAD Dubai. But I see it is really expensive (90K €) , so I wonder how can I handle that part. Does it worth that huge cost?

It really depends on your opportunity cost - ie, could you apply and get an equivalent offer without INSEAD for your dream job? If not, it is probably worth it.

Generally speaking, an MBA is good for three things:

1. Building a network – you will be able to connect with Alumni of that MBA easily (plus of course your classmates)
2. Switching career – after an MBA you will be qualified for industries not available before
3. Developing business knowledge – the actual classes you will take

An MBA also gives credibility for a corporate career in some professions.

If you can benefit from / leverage one of the points above, an MBA is probably worth it, otherwise not.

2) Do you have any recommendations or experiences with that? Scholarships? External funding ? 

Definitely look for scholarships or financial aid – I helped several candidates who got at least one of the two. You should be able to find an extensive list on their website.

3) Do you recommend as well any alternatives to INSEAD attractive to MBB in Middle East?

Based on the candidates I helped to get offers in the ME, if you are looking for a 1-year MBA to get into consulting INSEAD is hard to beat. There are several other good alternatives but they are almost all longer than 1 year, meaning more time an money required.

Best,

Francesco

Hi there,

In terms of whether it's worth the cost, that's an ongoing debate! You need to run the numbers yourself to see if it makes sense for you. Create a model that accounts for your current income + current expected growth on income, subtracts out 1 year missing this income and the cost of education, then compare that to the newly anticipated income + growth.

There are other benefits (network, opportunities, learning, the experience itself etc.) to consider.

Scholarships are the best route. You can also try to get your company to pay for it. (but then you have to work for them on your return)

Good luck!

I wont repeat what other coaches have said.

In terms of alternatives to INSEAD , consider CJBS and Oxford Business School- both 1 yr programs and very well known.

All the best.

Hello!

I got a scholarship form INSEAD for the MBA, and there are indeed plenty of them (you need to apply in rounds 1 or 2 to be considered). 

Feel free to PM me about them. 

Cheers, 

Clara