MBA: INSEAD or CBS
Hello,
I've been accepted to INSEAD and Columbia Business School both starting in January. Not sure which one to choose.. still applying for other T15.
-A bit about my background:
citizenship in Asia; Pre-MBA work experience: marketing in the consumer sector in APAC; Post-MBA goal is to pivot to tech/consulting in US/Canada/UK/SG/EU
-Main consideration:
1 INSEAD has time for a structured summer internship, while CBS J-term does not (not for an international student in the US, if granted absence from school in the summer)
2 cost difference
3 Prefer less academic intensiveness for the first semester
Appreciate if I could have opinions from you to help me make a more informed decision.
Thank you so much!
Bump
Comes down to location. I chose Insead over CBS (but I was already a US citizen so I did not need work authorisation). To be honest, Insead is the only school I got into (which included Wharton, CBS, Booth and LBS) which I felt like they did not want to be at HBS (even though I did, I got dinged).
Insead yield rate is >80% and its a lot of peoples' first choice because of the 1 year duration and international campus in SG and France. If you want to work in finance in the US, CBS is the right choice 100%. However, if you want global exposure and to work in a top tier company in Asia, Middle East or Europe (Insead's network and very strong brand name will serve you well). If you look at international rankings, CEO / senior management numbers, global start up capital raised etc - Insead > CBS if you're not in the US. For a school with 0 undergraduates, it is absolutely shocking just how good the school is in terms of outcomes; 1. Top 20 for global universities for alumni >30mm USD (#6 for billionaires for MBA programs); 2. Pitchbook data shows Insead as fourth (behind Harvard, Stanford, Wharton) in start up capital raised globally; 3. Ranked #2 MBA globally by financial times and QS. Internal / private data is even better for Insead; Linkedin internal data tracks career seniority and progression and ranks 1. Stanford, 2. Insead, 3. Harvard, 4. Wharton; Clearadmit data with their internal candidate preference data base shows Insead to be the fourth most desired school (again, only behind Harvard, Stanford, Wharton); 4. #2 (only behind Harvard) in global CEO FT500 companies and because of their strong prestige / family business programs they draw some of the most influential families in their ecosystem. Again, (only behind H/S/W), they have attracted (without doxing names) top 5 richest families in India, Singapore, UAE, France, Italy, Philipines, Malaysia - to emphasize, these are only alumni that I personally have run into I'm sure there are many more.
However, there is no denying the importance of the US and the opportunity it brings, so CBS will always have that as an edge for those looking to immigrate to the US.
CBS
Why ?
INSEAD can open more doors across the globe if OP isn't dead set on working in the US. INSEAD also has a presence in Singapore, which OP mentions they have interest in. With Insead they have access to the Singapore and Paris campuses, as well as the Wharton exchange program. To top that off they have the summer internship,although i think this is or the one year program only, and can save on money. The one year program will definitely be intensive.
How many languages do you already speak and what would your exit language from INSEAD be?
INSEAD all day
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