I guess I'll try applying for internships for this summer all over the place, i.e. SG, HK, CN, MY, in all sorts of banks, either foreign or local. Can't really say I've got a good network in the banking industry cause it's a 2nd/3rd degree network. Need to build on that soon, together with my internship.

As for the further ed., I'll most likely consider later. I tried searching for French institutions the last time, the "ivey-leagues" seemed pretty tough to get in, by some sort of standardized exam by the Ministry, in addition to the GMAT. And many are 24 months programme, not 12. Will try searching for those not within the "ive-leagues". The Grenoble programme looks promising, doesn't really need a GMAT. (It's not among world top 100 though, given that, Nottingham China would probably be a better choice?)

By the way, I guess you're in the right place to be studying. Heard from "old" peoples' chats that the entire European economy is going down (even UK), except for France and Germany. Oh if you really wanna pick up the spoken language fast, there's this MP3 series called Pimsleur, really really good, matter of days, you'll be trading phrases like a native.

This post has been edited by entryman: Nov 1 2010, 12:06 PM

Allright feynman, thanks for your reply.
My decision is this: If I do get internships in IBs, then will pursue them.
If not, I'll take the entire summer to complete GMAT in preparation for further studies. Will be able to get into top MsF programmes since I'm able to prepare sufficiently for GMAT.

This post has been edited by entryman: Nov 2 2010, 11:49 PM

Yes, of course for the money. I don't care about proving anything, money is the best proof. LOL!

But of course, with age, I don't know how that "passion for money" is going to hit or change me.

Let's not fill up this MBA thread with I-Banking stuff Will PM you soon.

MBA is not for fresh graduates. It's for working professionals.

If you are a fresh graduate from another background other than business, and want to get rounded up with a business education, go for a 1 or 2 years Masters in Management.

MBA programmes that admit fresh graduates without work experience, are just, either useless, or just the same as the Masters in Management I guess.

@nck

Well what I can tell you is the Manchester Business School programme, if based solely on international recognition, would rank the the best among your list given above.

Purpose of MBA is to share experiences of all the participants, while facilitated by the experience of leading faculty, thereby creating an interactive learning environment.

If you do not go to work beforehand, why do you even need to learn whatever others have to share with you about managing in the corporate environment? You won't even have the slightest idea \what everyone is talking about. And on the other hand, what can others learn from you? Learn how you coped for the CIMA exams?

If solely based on leadership experience, then probably what you can share is your experience of how you led and managed a team to achieve something, and the problems you faced. Notable example, being the team captain of a national team in sports, or being club president of large scale student society that has had remarkable achievements.

As of now, what can you share? Nothing.

Go work first. It would be more appropriate. By then, you will have at least 4 years of experience in a particular industry, and you will have had some experience in the industry, managing people, and being in teams, and you can share your experiences, as well as relate to the experiences of others. Then you will be prepared for climbing the ladder, or be rounded enough to make a career switch into a new industry, etc.

And the best MBA programs are like RM200,000 or even more if you combine travel and lodging expense. How long can you ever get your return on that? Usually those who go on these programs are talented people who want to go even further (and are either rich, or the company is financing them, or able to get loan).

This post has been edited by entryman: Nov 21 2010, 08:34 PM

It's not that simple, in the sense that the best thing for your career in the future might not even be an MBA programme. Could be other things, ranging from further education, to other professional certification, or solely focusing on work. Depends on where you are in the corporate world at that point of time, and your career planning.

Focus on doing the best in everything now first. It could mean postponing your CIMA certificates first, and focus on getting straight As in SPM and A-Levels, then entering a BA program in a prestigious university. (and scholarships are important too: not only for the money, it's more of the record).

Don't forget extra-curricular activities. Forget about those in your secondary school. Go join real life organisations or clubs such as Toastmasters. Don't care what your school gives you for what co-co marks or whatever crap, they can give you 0% for all you care. The school is just a legal requirement for you to get the SPM.

This post has been edited by entryman: Nov 21 2010, 10:31 PM

So you're not gonna do Pre-U, and enrol directly to a degree programme?

I'm not sure if CIMA certificates would be good enough to enter a good bachelors programme.

By the way, just another thought for you. Why not do a degree programme that encourages critical and evaluative thinking, instead of doing an accountancy and finance degree.

For example,

http://www2.lse.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/...BSc_PhilEc.aspx

Once you're done with that, and supplemented by your TopCIMA, I'm sure you'll be one bright cookie.

This post has been edited by entryman: Nov 22 2010, 12:21 AM

Have you determined why you need (or want) to do an MBA?

Harvard would be placed at the top of the list.

And in terms of UK programme, the best won't be Imperial, it will be London Business School, and Oxbridge.

Hmm, LSE only provides an Executive MBA programme though.

Oxbridge would be, hmm, however academic it may be, it's still a class above (in my opinion lahh).
And the relevance won't run that much, although yes, other schools could be better. It's just like for example... CEIBS in China tops some of the international rankings for MBA in this region (Asia Pacific), however, it still won't win over Tsinghua (probably ranked 2nd or 3rd or maybe even 4th or 5th if you factor in institutions from Hong Kong), which will provide unrivalled recognition and prestige in China.

This post has been edited by entryman: Nov 24 2010, 12:46 AM

With regards to your question "i wonder the MBA course offer by the private college can provide equivalent quality MBA course like oversea.... "

There is always a quality control. Some reputable top universities from UK have got their programmes here. For example Manchester Business School's MBA is tied with Sunway. With the same cert being awarded, I don't think a top 10 UK university that is recognised internationally will compromise on the quality?

If you're talking about some private office suite somewhere, with some tie-up with a university that you can't find in the league tables, then, I guess it's pretty much useless.

Also look at The Economist list of Top 100 MBA schools.