Top International MBA Programs and US M7 Schools - Comparative Analysis

[hankey]

Lately I have noticed a lot of interest among potential applicants about top international MBA programs. I am a current admit @ INSEAD and I was also admitted to a M7 school. Let me categorically state that overall students' quality at INSEAD is of a better quality than the student quality at top USA schools baring H/S/W. Before someone gets upset about this statement, let me make my point.

Regardless of what rankings say (H and S have never topped rankings either) INSEAD is the most sought after business school outside US (especially in Europe) closely followed by IMD and LBS. We therefore need to extend the same logic of “selectivity and yield” to international schools that we apply to USA schools. Regardless of USA bragging, the fact remains that European Union is now a big financial market with London quickly becoming the financial centre of the world. Moreover, it is also a fact that less than 10% of European students apply to USA business schools. Majority of them including high achievers/superstars end up applying to European schools (INSEAD, LBS and IMD) with INSEAD usually the first choice. Additionally, INSEAD’s one-year program is sort of unique which itself attracts a lot of top applicants who do not want to spend 2 year in the school. It has been cited by INSEAD administration many times that 40% of INSEAD students apply to INSEAD only.

All these factors subsequently result in INSEAD students' body to be quite pedigree-driven, diverse and well-connected than Chicago/Kellogg/Columbia/Sloan because in USA, majority of high achievers/pedigree-oriented/well-connected folks end up at H, S and W in the same order. For instance at INSEAD there are close to 85 students from M/B/BCG, H has 110 and Wharton got 41 (this data was cited in Sandy’s thread at BW forum. I am using M/B/BCG for the sake of discussion since I do not have data for other professions and in MBA world M/B/B are sort of “sexy” firms). You will find majority of kids at INSEAD with their undergrads from Cambridge/Oxford/LSE/ETH/Ecole/Delft/Imperial and almost all USA students at INSEAD have undergrads from top institutes. It is totally unrealistic to assume that all M7 schools would give you an edge outside USA. Only H and W enjoy real depth, alumni and connections outside USA. Otherwise in Europe (and Asia and South America), INSEAD would help you more because of its Asian campus and a very strong alumni base due to a very strong international student body.

Among INSEAD and LBS, I believe that INSEAD is definitely at par with M7 schools (in terms of admission, students' quality, career oppurtunities, brand equity) where as LBS is more inline with US 8-12 schools, although LBS gets more attention than US 8-12 schools due to LBS's ability to land IB jobs in London on a regular basis. IMD is purely focused on industry plus it is a very small program (90 students).





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