Forum: School selection (3 Comments)
Tough decision - Cass or Sydney
Posted by - sgwannaa - on 5 July 2013 - 5:26pm
During these days I'm having a tough time to decide where I need to go
I'm native of south Korea, and will soon get bacheolr of business degree from my uni.
During past 6months I have appiled to many schools some of the them i got rejected,
and what I have left is MSc management in Cass business school.
And CEMS degree in University of Sydney. (and the other offer is EDHEC specialized MSc strategy & organizational change)Both programs are good, I think, but my concern is job prospect and also post doctoral prospect.
To get either job or pursuing a doctoral degree, reputation of the school will be important.
But as a person living in outside of EU, I'm not sure how reputable either the degree in msc management cass or CEMS degree in Sydney is in Europe.To live Austrailia, I may definintely need to choose Sydney, but I'm not sure whether I can do that because of employement and stric visa problem nowadays. I may need to return to South Korea, after all, generally university in Sydney is perceived badly in South Korea because of some reasons which i cannot elraborate fully.
But to go to Cass, It is not well known in South Korea, So I might have difficulty getting a job after graduation. (10 out of 10 people will say, 'I haven't heard the school!')
I'm currently aiming to enroll in management consultancy or strategic postion in corporate. To compare industry placement, I have extensively searched using linkedin, but there presence in South Korea are very mere.I would like to also open my possiblity to proceed into doctoral degree in LSE or ESSEC. As you know LSE is located in London, and ESSEC is in France.
But to do that, I would like to hear about your opinions about the better choose of the school based upon repuation sorely. Cass is perceieved 'good' , but it is hard to trace down the people proceeding into more reputable business school such as LSE or london business school from Cass. Maybe if I do get CEMS degree in University of sydney, may be my CV can be weighted better just based on the school? but I'm not sure How european professors generally perceive university of sydney master in management program and getting a CEMS at there.
I just would like to get your personal opinions since I think you have consulted many of student who have same issues in choosing a school. So your personal opinions would be appreciated very much.
Best regard
Sungu AhnPosted by - krishna Bhardwaj - on 16 August 2013 - 4:04pm
Hi there,
Cass business school is one of the best B School in UK and their Msc in Mgmt program is among the top 20 in the world.In terms of employment there are 50 - 50 chances bcoz u r from non EEA. I recommend u to join sydeny business school.Posted by - Thomas Graf - on 8 July 2013 - 6:27pm
Hi there,
thank you for your questions. A key point to clarify in advance may be, indeed, whether you want to pursue an academic career or a business career after your master’s.
If you want to pursue an academic career, then a PhD will be your next degree after your master’s. Then I recommend doing the Master in the same school where you want to a PhD. Both, LSE and ESSEC are renowned institutions in Europe and PhD’s from both schools work as professors in Europe afterwards.
If you plan a business career, then you will apply for a job after your master’s. Hence, you should choose – ideally –a program where your future employer recruits. Hence, what you can do is screen the schools’ websites for career statistics about where the graduates work after their master’s. And you can contact the career offices asking which companies come to campus to recruit. Specifically, you can ask what experience they have in placing students with your nationality; and you can also ask for the percentage of students who find a job within 3 months after graduation.
This is what you can and should do in general. Regarding some of your specific questions and comments, let me place my thoughts as follows:
“To live Australia, I may definintely need to choose Sydney, but I'm not sure whether I can do that because of employement and stric visa problem nowadays.”
I recommend you to clarify this in advance. E.g., by asking the schools’ foreign offices or by contacting you embassy.
“I may need to return to South Korea, after all, generally university in Sydney is perceived badly in South Korea because of some reasons which I cannot elaborate fully.”
At the end of the day you will need to make a decision based on a trade-off. If you think that returning to South Korea is most likely, then I would try to find out which schools have the highest reputation in South Korea and among your favorite employers. You can, for instance, contact your favorite employers’ HR departments and ask them where they recruit.
“But to go to Cass, It is not well known in South Korea.”
Same here: If you plan to return to SK and if Cass is unknown then why considering doing a master’s there?
Again, you will need to make a trade-off decision that is based on assumptions – e.g., where you most likely will start to work after graduation. And of course, these assumptions are based on probabilities. You can reduce, however, increasing the probabilities by investigating specifically – e.g., at the schools and at the employers.
- If Cass tells you that they placed all their South Korean students successfully in the UK. for instance, than chances should be high that you find as job there as well after graduation – and Cass would be an option.
- If they tell you, however, that they never had a SK student or were able to place him or her… then chances are higher that you may not find a job in the UK and that you may go back to SK. Now, given that no one knows about Cass there, Cass is not an option anymore.
If all these career paths are too uncertain for you – and I fully understand you – and if returning to South Korea is your last resort, then taking this as your starting point may make sense. Assume you would return to SK after your master’s – what schools would provide you with the optimal chances career wise? Once you have solved that question you can choose the school among this selection that offers you the best chances also abroad - hence, you choose a school with reputation in South Korea AND other countries.
To sum it up: I would leave the question - whether Cass or Sydney - aside for a moment and more clearly think about:
- Do you plan to pursue rather an academic or a business career?
- In case of the business career, which schools are well-known among South Korean recruiters?
- Which of these schools are also recognized in other countries?
Best wishes
ThomasBy Thomas Graf
