Bonjour everyone,
Happy Bastille Day (or Fête Nationale, as the French call it)!
To all you francophiles out there, I wanted to wish you a beautiful day and to invite you to reflect - not only on the unfathomable achievement that was the French forcibly ending their rule under a brutal monarchy - but also on some of your own formidable achievements as you prepare your admission essays for Round 1 submission, which is just around the corner for many of the top MBA programs. For example, HBS just announced their Round 1 deadline will be September 6 this year.
For those of you considering an MBA in Europe, France is an incredible place to complete your MBA. Here are a few reasons why:
Shorter programs, on average 1 year (compared to 2 in the US)
More affordable programs, on average half the price than in the US
Much more diverse cohorts, often with 90% non-French program participants
Return to the workforce more quickly, so less opportunity cost
A much richer multicultural experience, yet all programs are taught in English
Enjoying la bonne vie with some of the world’s best food, wine, architecture, fashion, art, and stunning countrysides to visit in the world
Just a short train ride from many other vibrant European capitals to enjoy and potentially find employment
Automatic right to stay in France for 1-2 years post-MBA, depending on your nationality
Let's look at what's on offer:
France offers some of the world’s most prestigious MBA programs, even when compared to the M7 schools (the top-ranked US programs). There is also a bit of something for everyone, depending on the competitiveness of your application, professional profile, goals, and other needs.
INSEAD - Ranked number 2 worldwide in this year's prestigious Financial Times Global MBA Rankings, with campuses in Paris, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi, just 10 months long with an incredible global network, and known as a destination for aspiring consultants. INSEAD is the first MBA program to exist in Europe (since the 1950's), and they have never allowed their reputation to slip, as evidenced by the soaring international careers of their alumni.
HEC - Listed as number 17 this year on the FT rankings, HEC has an impressive global reputation and attracts incredible diversity onto its beautiful, classic American-style campus, and wide range of professional outcomes for its graduates. HEC is one of France's most presitigious Grandes Écoles (equivalent to the American Ivy League), a long-established system of top-quality French education, where the crême-de-la-crême from France earn their degrees, and for several decades now, top business leaders from around the world earn their MBA as well.
ESSEC - Also one of France's best Grandes Écoles, initially famous for its MiM (Masters in Management) program as well as its BBA (Bachelor's in Business Administration). ESSEC is a school that chose focus on specialized MBAs long before it was cool, and well before it established its full-time generalist Global MBA in 2010. That means ESSEC's first MBAs in Hospitality Management and in International Luxury Brand Management, launched in 1982 and in 1995 respectively, have yielded some of the worlds most coveted networks in their fields with the highest representation of C-suite executives for the world's most famous brands in the hospitality and luxury industries - two areas where France dominates the world!
ESCP - This school with not one but two campuses, truly in the heart of Paris, is proud to be the world's first business school created as such, and is famous for its unique Pan-European model, with campuses in Paris, London, Berlin, Mardid, Torino, and Warsaw. As a stduent, you can and must complete the 10-month program on at least 2 of its beautiful urban campuses. ESCP has been making waves, as its relatively young full-time International MBA program, only launched in 2017, recently entered the FT rankings at an impressively high position. This year, they are ranked at numbe 27! Of course their globally recognized reputation rests upon their long-standing highly ranked other programs which have been around for generations before, including their MiM and Exeucitve MBA (EMBA) programs.
EM Lyon - Logically based in Lyon, France's gastronomic capital, this school boasts a beautiful, brand new campus that during COVID. One thing EM Lyon is famous for is flexibility - you can choose to complete your full time International MBA in 11 months or in 16. You'll spend most of you class time in sunny Lyon, which is less than 2 hours ride on the TGV (high speed train), but you can also benefit from its Paris campus, conveniently close to one of the city's most important train stations - you guessed it - Gare de Lyon!
EDHEC - If you're looking for a program with a high ROI (only 10 months long, like it's contemporary in Fontainebleau - INSEAD) but with a Mediterranean climate, look no further than EDHEC. Also a Grande École, like most schools on this list, EDHEC's main campus is situated right on the Côte d'Azur, just on the edge of central Nice, and only steps from both the airport and the beach, so it's got the right mix of the idyllic lifestyle and being well-connected by train or plane to Paris and the world - very important when it comes to interviewing for that 1st post-MBA job!
Audencia - Is a school whose full-time MBA is getting a lot of international attention lately and that is refelcted by its entry into the prestigious Financial Times Rankings. Based in the western French city of Nantes, you can get a top-notch global education with a French twist, at a price that's much more affordable than some of it's b-school counterparts.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this Tour de France's best MBA programs and many of its best business schools to consider! There's obviously way more research to do, people to speak with, and factors to consider. If you'd like to further discuss opportunities at any of these schools, please don't hesitate to ask.
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I'll end with this: there are a million great reasons to study, work, and live in France. I'm originally from New York, arguably one of the best cities in the world. I love where I come from and I'm grateful to be fortunate enough to visit often. As far as where my main home is for the last 13 years, I love living in France, and you just might too. Completing your MBA here is just one of many pathways to making that happen. Or study here and move on to your next destination. The world is your huitre...
Bonne fête à tout le monde !
