Regional Boutique to Top MBA?

Hi everyone,

I live in Continental Europe and work in M&A at a regional (no-name) boutique. I have always liked the prospect of an MBA program to obtain an international network and to become a well-rounded candidate for MBB or GS/MS/JPM jobs. Lately I have been getting comments by friends etc. that in order to get into a top MBA a brand name is indispensable. They are saying that they would choose lesser jobs (or jobs with a worse experience in terms of learning opportunity and responsibility) at a large firm over regional firms to have a better prospect at a top MBA.

I know that an MBA application should be looked at holistically, but assuming that GMAT is on par, extracurriculars are average and work experience is of good quality albeit not at an (international) well-known firm, what would be the impact of the absence of a brand name on an application for a T20/M7 business school or top EU program (LBS, Insead,..)? I might consider switching jobs if that would considerably help my chances.

Thank you very much for your input.

3 Comments
 
 

After reading more about it, it seems that "career progression" is at least as important as brand name. However, with the structured hierarchy in finance I feel like it's difficult to show rapid career advancement into leading a team of people for instance. So maybe for finance profiles brand name is the differentiator after all?

Would love to hear other's input. I will tag Linda Abraham because she is a major reference on here.

 
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