Deciding between Kellogg, LBS & INSEAD programs

Question

Hi all, long time reader, first time poster. I recently got accepted to the LBS, INSEAD & Kellogg MBAs for their full time programs starting in August. Here is the situation I am trying to navigate:

Currently 30, will be 31 by matriculation. Hold a SE Asian passport. I went to school in the US and got (undergrad and masters, 4+1 programs), degrees in math/econ. I have lived and worked in the US since graduating on OPT/H1-B etc.
Solid progression throughout my career (bosses liked me, got promoted a few times etc.) I was well-liked enough that the last 2 employers both were willing to file my Green Card applications (this will be relevant a bullet down) but I wanted to follow the best path for my career so switched jobs to achieve that.
Applied and got accepted to B-school recently. All of them great programs and understand it's about the geography/where I want to be etc. Short term geo, I am agnostic. Can live anywhere on the planet (minus a few places) though my network is primarily in the US and to a lesser extent in Asia and would like to be in the US long term
Post MBA career would likely be consulting/banking though this is where things get interesting. Kellogg is the best brand name out of the three (I think?) and best set up for future progression in the US though I will likely not be eligible for OPT as I used my masters OPT though not my undergrad OPT. Though I can do my summer internship and whatnot with no issues but I will likely choose international offices to get a FT offer in those offices
If I do go to Kellogg, I will likely recruit for a Toronto/ME office so I can work at a major global consulting firm and eventually transfer internally over to the US at some point and bypass some of the immigration headaches
Is this a bad plan/huge risk? I know I would be decently competitive at most places if I did the leg work and got started early. INSEAD being only year makes the banking route tougher whereas LBS is v London focused which I am cool with.
How tough will it be for me to choose an office location outside the US if I am at Kellogg?

tl;dr: trying to make the best B-school decision based on short/long term geo payoffs

Answer 1

First of all, congrats on having all these options! At this point, you can't go wrong; it's about maximizing the benefits.

Second, you already put a lot of thought into prioritising among them, to the extent that you might be overthinking things / making it too difficult for you.

From my point of view, Kellogg has a strong brand for the US, LBS has a strong brand for Europe (especially the UK), and INSEAD has a strong overall brand. Most of the people I knew with MBAs at McK had them from INSEAD, then LBS, and a few from Kellogg (though that's also because I was part of a European office).

So all of them are great pathways to MBB. Indeed, if you have a specific MBB office in mind, it might help to have the B school in that location as well. This will make networking easier.

Specifically on choosing a B school, you might find this framework useful:

Expert Guide: Are MBAs worth it?

Hope this added a bit of extra colour to your thinking process. Do reach out if I can help clarify anything else.

Best,
Cristian

Answer 2

If you want to be in the US in the long run, then Kellogg is by far the best option. Particularly if you want to move to the US after you take a job elsewhere (you can show significant connection and commitment to being in the US, it shows you are very comfortable with the local culture, and as such “cultural adaptation” risk is inexistent… it is more convincing to the receiving office that you are trying to transfer because you want to live there - of course since you were for many years in the US this is not critical, but the better you build your case the easier it will be).

P.S. Most US students take US Schools… meaning that you won't have a strong US network by going to European Schools (but you'll have a great European and otherwise International network)

Answer 3

Kellogg is by far the best option for you given that you want to end up in the us. It also has a great reputation internationally especially in Canada so you’ll be fine either way. Insead and LBS don’t have as strong an alumni network in the us so it’ll likely beless helpful in the long run.

Answer 4

Hi there,

Congratulations on being selected for the MBAs. In terms of your question:

Q: Trying to make the best B-school decision based on short/long term geo payoffs

Kellogg should help you to get a better network in the US, thanks to its location.

In terms of the best option overall given a certain exit/region, you can get a data-driven answer as follows from LinkedIn:

Go to LinkedIn
Add each university as "School" one at a time
Add each target company as “Company” one at a time
Check how many current/former employees are present in your target regions
Normalize the results for the cohort size of the schools

Good luck!

Francesco

Answer 5

Hi there,

Congrats on having such a luxury choice to make.

I’ll keep it brief as to not unnecessarily regurgitate all of the factors already mentioned:

All of the schools will open a pathway to consulting for you. Under point 3 you state, however, that in the mid- to longterm you want to be in the US. Therefore, Kellogg is the most logical choice for that. All of the other scenarios make it more complicated than it needs to be.

Best of luck

Answer 6

Hi there,

If your primary deciding factor is location, then:

Kellogg = US first and foremost

INSEAD = Europe then UK then Middle East

LBS = UK then Europe then Australia/NZ

1 year programs have a cost benefit, but a “chance of getting the job” disadvantage (1 attempt instead of 2) and are super hectic…of all my candidates, I consistently see INSEADers as the most stressed.

Congrats on having an awesome choice ahead of you…you can't go wrong!

Answer 7

Hi there,

If long term you want to be in US, go for Kellogg. If London, go for LBS. Anywhere else including London, go for INSEAD. Hope it helps.

Answer 8

S&O stands for Strategy and Operations. It is a specific area of focus within the broader field of consulting. While... (read entire answer)

S&O stands for Strategy and Operations. It is a specific area of focus within the broader field of consulting. While consulting encompasses a wide range of services and industri... (read entire answer)

Answer 9

Hi there, find below two example cases that could be used for the presentation-case interview format. Usually these t... (read entire answer)

Hi there, find below two example cases that could be used for the presentation-case interview format. Usually these types of cases will contain a lot of exhibits and data for yo... (read entire answer)

Answer 10

I've coached candidates for A&M roles in the US and UK, but the granularity of your questions deserves answers that c... (read entire answer)

I've coached candidates for A&M roles in the US and UK, but the granularity of your questions deserves answers that come from actual A&M employees. I recommend that you reach o... (read entire answer)