High GMAT school choice: does top 3 vs top 8 really makes a difference (European MBAs)?

Within the European top 10 MBA does the school name really make a big difference in terms of outcomes for a high profile (GMAT 790, great job experience and general profile)?
There is a small variation of remuneration that can be observed on employment reports from the top European schools: IMD, LBS, Oxbridge, HEC, INSEAD, IE... and they all send students to great and often similar companies in different proportions.
Is the average remuneration the result of the school ranking (so it will affect all students, even the brightest ones) or the result of an average better profile of students (more high profiles select high ranked schools A, so school A gets better stats but this barely affects the outcomes of an individual performer)?
Hiding behind a brand is generally a poor strategy, but does this apply to MBAs? So many people online are fighting over which school is most highly esteemed, it is difficult to figure out whether a school name can really get you a job or disqualify you. I am not talking about the obvious top 20 vs top 100 difference, only about the debates between top 3 and top 10.

 

Within Europe, it is generally agreed upon that INSEAD/LBS are the clear 1/2, and then there is a big drop-off for #3 (can be IMD, HEC, etc.).

Not to say those other schools aren't great, but it's similar to the situation in the US where HBS/GSB are the clear top tier, and then Wharton is a bit behind, with the rest of MBA business schools">M7 following.

Note: not saying LBS/INSEAD = HBS/GSB.

 

Thank you for your answer.

But my question is not about generally agreed rankings. It is about the influence of rankings within the top 15 MBAs on outcomes of great performers. Some schools on forums clearly seem to have an edge (INSEAD is extremely represented on social media, while very few MBA business schools">M7, IMD, HEC, Oxbridge, IESE... alumni ever try to convince people that their education is great).

One example: if your profile is already excellent, can you afford to reject INSEAD/LBS to go to IMD without hurting your post MBA salary or will HR look at your profile and say "Meh, he speaks 5 languages, has great experience and his GMAT is well above most top students but he did not select LBS/INSEAD, he went to IMD, so he is worth $20.000 less!" ? For the HR example, given the employment reports and the last Forbes MBA ranking, things do not seem to be like this: HR seem to value top education almost equally within the top MBAs as compensations remain very similar.

I am simply wondering if there are dimensions in which such things happen (like kind of responsibilities, specific sectors, career advancement...). After visiting some schools, LBS/INSEAD somehow did not really convince me. But I got admission offers... So I am wondering what risks am I really taking by rejecting them and accepting another top 15 program.

 

Only partially agree. I have seen IESE alumni in the same spheres as INSEAD and LBS (can confirm this having gone through top tier institutional recruiting from a Top 9 US school), and virtually no IMD, HEC folks were involved.

Agree with the rest.

To the OP: in my experience, a key driver in remuneration in Europe is geography. Some countries simply pay a lot better than others, even when we're talking about the same employer.

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Of course there will be students from other top schools in the same recruiting spheres, companies would be stupid to just stick to those schools.

My comments above simply state that broadly, LBS and INSEAD are considered the top schools in Europe, and therefore, carry a bit more weight on resumes. Nothing more, and someone from IMD working in Switzerland after MBA can certainly make more than an INSEAD grad in France.

@Justareader, your point about INSEAD grads pumping their chests is valid. No other top school has such a fierce alumni community that feels the need to validate their 80,000 EUR tuition. Even LBS, which is often considered a peer to INSEAD, seems content to rest on their reputation and not engage in this crazy "my school is #1, therefore, it is equal to HBS"

But hey, if you are proud of where you went, who am I or anyone here to stop you? Tons of INSEAD grads in fantastic positions of leadership worldwide.

 

@pr4mence, yes INSEAD grads making the best of social media is probably the result of genuine enthusiasm. Unfortunately, the little information about other schools gets diluted because other alumni from great schools do not seem ready to play the crazy game you described. So I hoped I could get here some insights about the real-life perception of the various European schools in business (remuneration but also responsibilities, recruitment, regional vs international brands...).

Fortunately, jtbbdxbnycmad seems to have an authentic experience of recruiting spheres at least in US. Even in Europe, his point about geography shows a down to earth approach to the MBA outcomes. I hope he will have some time to develop a bit more about the involvement in such spheres of other schools from top European MBAs. From his experience, IESE, LBS, and INSEAD are in the same real-life recruitment spheres but not HEC nor IMD. So rejecting LBS/INSEAD to go to IESE, if you already have a great profile, does not seem to hurt your career prospects. For IMD and HEC, based only on his experience, the same thing cannot be affirmed (other testimonies are welcome, of course).

Did you meet other alumni from other schools there? Could you please provide more information about the sector (maybe people with recruitment experience in other sectors and places could complete your answer)?

 

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