Urgent Decision Time: European MBA

Question

Sorry, I made a similar thread recently but I really have to make my mind up in the next 24 hours and would appreciate any last thoughts here.

I have an offer from HEC and Cambridge but just can't decide between the two. I'm a German Citizen who wants to transition into management consulting (tier 1/2) after the MBA in Europe or Middle East. My GMAT was decent but I didn't apply to LBS because it's just way too expensive and I've already lived in London so I wanted to move out and INSEAD programme was just too short (10 months).

Cambridge
- Rumours are that the brand name of Cambridge will carry and have more weight than HEC in the job market.
- Stronger network in the UK than HEC.
- No Scholarship

HEC
- ranking is higher for both mba programme and business school overall than judge
- received excellence scholarship
- polarising opinions on employability - some say the HEC brand in Europe (and Middle East) overall is elite with a good network whilst others say outside of France HEC network/name is overrated.

Other concerns
What would consulting recruiters in Germany, UK, North Europe, Netherlands and Middle East think between HEC vs Cambridge Judge?

What do other large firms (incase I don't get into consulting) like Amazon think about candidates from HEC vs Cambridge ?

Answer 1

Hi there,

I think you are splitting hairs at this point. Both are good institutions and will open doors for you for consulting and elsewhere. I would therefore not make this the tie breaker anymore as the whole prestige topic is too subjective and ambiguous at this stage to really get you anywhere.

Think about the aspects that will impact you for a fact:

Cost - what is the difference between the two programs (scholarship vs. no scholarship) and are you willing to take on such debt?
Location - where do you want to actually live? Sounds like you've already lived in the UK before. Would it be appealing to you to try France for a change?
Network - don't assume you just get handed a network in either case. Your network and its usefulness will end up being what you make out of your experience and contacts.

Lastly, if you want to enter consulting after your MBA, decision making will be an important skill to hone. So use this as practice :)

Best

Answer 2

Hi Enclop,

Q: What would consulting recruiters in Germany, UK, North Europe, Netherlands and Middle East think between HEC vs Cambridge Judge? What do other large firms think about candidates from HEC vs Cambridge ?

I would recommend checking the actual numbers for a data-driven answer as follows:

Go to LinkedIn
Add the universities as "School", one by one (if possible, target the MBA only)
Filter by each MBB/target company as “Current company” for your target geography
Check how many school alumni joined your target firms
Normalize for the size of the MBA intake (if available)

Good luck!

Francesco

Answer 3

Hi there,

If you are solely basing your decision on prestige and chances to make the move to consulting both are well suited, however, I would argue Cambridge has a better global brand name (gives you more options).

All the best,

Florian

Answer 4

Enclop, with all due respect, you need to become more decisive.

Oftentimes, when we struggle with decisions, we don't struggle because of a lack of information but because of a lack of clarity over our values and objectives.

Best,
Cristian

Answer 5

When you have a tie… it's the time to look for different criteria.

There are multiple other criteria to choose an MBA school. You should be considering those as well.

Answer 6

Hi! Sorry to hear the interviews didn't go according to your expectations, but also don't read too much into them - i... (read entire answer)

Hi! Sorry to hear the interviews didn't go according to your expectations, but also don't read too much into them - it often happens that candidates are harsher with their self-... (read entire answer)

Answer 7

Hi, Great question. Sharing my perspective having considered exits at various stages. I would say it all depends on... (read entire answer)

Hi, Great question. Sharing my perspective having considered exits at various stages. I would say it all depends on what your exit goals / outcomes are. I would characterize op... (read entire answer)

Answer 8

Hi! I wouldn't worry about them reneging on the offer. Through the background check, they rather want to understand... (read entire answer)

Hi! I wouldn't worry about them reneging on the offer. Through the background check, they rather want to understand whether you purposefully tried to hide something or lie in t... (read entire answer)