ESADE Business School

ESADE Answer:

Applications are read by at least a member of the Admissions Committee. Students don't have access to applications. The final decision is made by the Admissions Committee that is integrated by the Program Director, the Admissions Director, the Program Manager and the Associate Directors of Admissions.

WCW Question:

How would you describe the decision making process?

ESADE Answer:

Once the application is complete, the Admissions Committee reviews it, taking into account the academic background and the candidate's performance in his/her undergraduate degree, the GMAT score (and TOEFL if necessary) and his/her career. The Committee might decide then to deny the admission or invite the candidate to an interview with one of the Committee's members. The interview is used to evaluate the candidate's motivation for an MBA, his/her leadership potential and ability to work in teams. Once the interview has taken place, the Committee meets again to decide whether the candidate is granted admission or not.

WCW Question:

What criteria are used to evaluate good prospective candidates?

ESADE Answer:

We look for candidates with proven intellectual capacity, excellent development potential and good interpersonal skills, who are really motivated to learn and contribute to the course. International experience is particularly highly valued.

WCW Question:

How important is the GMAT/TOEFL scores? Is there a minimum needed before a candidate should consider applying? Does it matter how many times a candidate sit these exams?

ESADE Answer:

The GMAT test is a predictor of academic success in the MBA and as such, plays a role in the admission process. However, it is not the most important factor in the decission process and there is no minimum required, although the average GMAT score in the Class of 2006 is 630 and the 80% range is 600-700. The GMAT can be taken a maximum of 5 times and as far as admissions is concerned it doesn't matter how many times the candidate takes it.

TOEFL score gives us an indication of the candidate's English level; if the candidate doesn't have the adequate level, the application will be turned out.

WCW Question:

Does the school expect particular profiles from international students?

ESADE Answer:

No, in fact we strive to get a good degree of diversity in every MBA class, be it academic, professional or cultural.

WCW Question:

What is the breakdown in diversity according to geographic region?

ESADE Answer:

• Western Europe (47%)
  
• Latin America (32%)
  
• North America (13%)
  
• Asia (5%)
  
• Eastern Europe (2%)
  
• Africa (1%)
  

WCW Question:

What is the male/ female ratio?

ESADE Answer:

80/20

WCW Question:

How many years of professional experience does the school prefer applicants to have?

ESADE Answer:

Minimum- 2 years; Average- 4 to 5 years

WCW Question:

How would the administration describe the strengths of the school?

What makes the programme unique when compared with other programmes?

ESADE Answer:

ESADE Business School is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world. Both Business Week and Wall Street Journal recently ranked ESADE among the top 3 European schools. Business Week ranks ESADE as the best school outside the US in Marketing, Communication and Teamworking and also the best school for Recruiter satisfaction.

The ESADE MBA is a truly international experience. The MBA students come from over 30 different countries and over 50% of them spend an academic term in another country in a partner school (50 of the best business schools worldwide, in Europe, India, China, North America, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East).

MBA students can also apply for a Double-Degree Program. The candidate is awarded an MBA degree from ESADE and the chosen partner school (Thunderbird, Emory, Texas at Austin, ITESM, among others).

ESADE also offers a Global Residency Week on International Business, which is taught abroad in a partner school (2004 at Georgetown Univ.)

The entrepreneurial spirit prevails at ESADE: In 2003, the ESADE MBA BUSINESS REVIEW was launched, the first journal of its kind that showcases the thoughts of more than 400 MBA's from the 42 top business schools in the world.

The ESADE MBA offers a very innovative curriculum. The LEAD Program (Leadership Assessment and Development) is a cornerstone of the MBA, training the students with leadership skills and career development, via coaching sessions.

WCW Question:

How would the current students describe the school and the programme?

ESADE Answer:

In their own words:

"You learn from your teammates, you learn from your professors, from real life experiences brought to discussion with top executives. The truth is you don't even realize how much you are learning and improving your skills until you stop to think about it."

Eurico Cruvinel. Brazil. Full Time MBA '05

"ESADE FT MBA is designed for intensive progress in only 18 months. It helps participants gain management knowledge in everything from the essentials to profound expertise. It is also mentionable that this highly international environment with an adequate class size allows students become better prepared for work in multinational teams".

Caterine Lu. Taiwan. FT MBA '04.

"The experience at ESADE was a refreshing opportunity to discover other socially-minded students, and a change to learn in an environment where the idea of global business management extends beyond the US perspective. In addition to language instruction in Spanish and French, taking half of my coursework at ESADE in Spanish and being able to function on a daily basis in Spanish helped deepen my language abilities immensely".

Brian K.Malone. Double-Degree MBA. ESADE Business School - McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin.

WCW Question:

Are they content with the career services department?

ESADE Answer:

In their own words:

"I like trying out new materials and ideas at ESADE. Maybe because I know the students enjoy being creative and, at the same time, are tolerant towards experimentation (it is part oof the school's Latin culture of flexibility and improvisation). An exchange student is immediately aware of the multiple cultures present in the faculty and student body. Perhaps the first surprise is to discover that Spanish is spoken in the lunch room as often as English or French or any of a number of languages. People coming to ESADE have wide-ranging interests and contacts in all corners of the globe. It's a challenging and perennially interesting place to come to work.

Constance Lütholf-Carroll. MBA Stanford University, ESADE Visiting Professor.

"I used to work in the engineering department of a multinational company and I wanted to evolve to a more business-oriented position. I decided to enroll in ESADE in order to broaden my perspective and to acquire the skills and knowledge that I needed to change my career. After the program, I joined Nestlé Mexico in the Nescafe Out of Home Unit. In this new position I am now able to combine my previous technical experience with the commercial and financial aspects I learnt during the MBA".


Juan Arsúa Guerrero. Mexico. FT MBA'04.

"74% of our graduates receive a job-offer right by graduation. 88% receive a job- offer by three months after graduation".

Camila de Wit. Director of Career Services, ESADE Business School.

WCW Question:

Who are the major recruiters on campus?

ESADE Answer:

• Unilever
  
• L'Óreal
  
• Deutsche Bank
  
• Competitive Design Network (CDN)
  
• Citigroup
  
• Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
  
• Hewlett-Packard
  

WCW Question:

What guidelines should candidates adhere to for the essays? 'Do's & Don'ts'

ESADE Answer:

DON'T tell us what you THINK we want to hear, or what makes you look good; we want as honest a reply as possible.

WCW Question:

How important is it to stay within the designated word limit?

ESADE Answer:

It gives us an idea of the candidate's capability to sintesize important information so it is important.

WCW Question:

What role do the 'Letters of Recommendation' play?

ESADE Answer:

Letters of recommendation, when coming from people who have known the candidate in a work environment are very useful, as they give us another vision of the candidate.

WCW Question:

What is the function of an interview at your school, and what role does it play in the admissions process?

ESADE Answer:

The interview is used to get to know the candidate better, to assess his/her communication skills, to identify his/her ability to work in teams and to understand his/her motivation to do an MBA.

WCW Question:

Are there unofficial/ official quotas allocated by country or region?

ESADE Answer:

No, we don't have regional quotas.

WCW Question:

Does your school have 'rolling' admissions or admissions 'rounds'?

ESADE Answer:

Rolling admissions

WCW Question:

When is the best period for a candidate to apply? Are candidates penalized for applying in the last round?

ESADE Answer:

We receive applications from Oct 1st until May 31st and we have rolling admissions. The sooner the candidate applies, the sooner he/she will have the answer and will be able to plan his/her coming to Barcelona better. We would advise applicants to apply by the end of April as they might have more chances of getting in.