A blog about the .. ups and downs ..
fun and sun..woe and snow
of an MBA at the University of St Gallen (HSG)in Switzerland!
Mirror site: http://mbahsg.wordpress.com
The first week at HSG (University of St Gallen) was really a lot of fun..
We had sessions with "Klaus Elle" on unleashing creativity through the St Gallen Creative challenge. On the first day Klaus gave us an audiovisual stimulus which comprised of vivid patterns drawn from sub-atomic particles upto the cosmic spheres.. then , all of us were split into groups and each group had to work on a painting .. the canvas and all materials were ofcourse courtesy the MBA office (I'm starting to really like these guys!)
The theme was " Reaching Places others only dream of" And suddenly we..the group of aspiring future entrepreneurs … CEOs (or Picassos? Huh?) grabbed brushes and started working on our masterpieces… What more should I say.. let the pictures unfold the story…!!!
This is the video
and this is the photo album of our experiences at the creative challenge...
Well now that stuart has paid his deposit and is all set to leave the warmth of his home... he needs to look for another hole (apartment) doesn't he?
So i'm looking for an apartment...and it ain't an easy task! Most of the house hunting sites are in German so google translate and Babelfish(Alta vista) are the online translation services that one needs to use..
But what's easy: you have somebody from the MBA office to help u evaluate and finalize the apartment..
typically u need to pay 15 days to 1 month advance rent to seal the deal....!!
There are some very popular sites for hunting houses ..
Well i've wired my 6000 CHF deposit and am now within sniffing distance of the St Gallen MBA! And yes i'm rubbing my hands in anticipation!!
Well for the uninitiated... the MBA program at St Gallen provides funding for its participants. The Euro/Swiss participants get a bank loan to fund their entire fees of 48000 CHF (including the initial deposit of 6000 CHF) at an interest rate of 4% per annum.
For non-EU participants, the Univ offers a loan of 42000 CHF at 5% interest p.a. repayable over 3 years starting 6 months after graduation.
and mind you.. both of these loans are without collateral!
My 2 cents: By having this arrangement, St Gallen has made life a lot simpler for its participants. Arranging finances to fund one's MBA studies can really be a nightmare! INSEAD had an ABN AMRO loan program but after that was discontinued.. people have had a lot of trouble coughing up the MBA fees of 48000 Euros!
Quality education does come at a price, but by leveraging its brand name to arrange affordable funds for its MBA students, St Gallen has shown faith in the future leaders that it is nurturing!
Now when I decided to set sail on the MBA voyage, I found myself with numerous opportunities . With the world moving fast towards becoming a global marketplace, i greatly felt the need to get an international perspective on business, economics and world affairs.
I was keen to immerse myself in a pool of "ignited" minds and benefit from the intellectual abrasion that results when you work in closely knit groups on tight deadlines.
I wanted to pursue my MBA in Europe, Australia or Asia and finally zeroed in on St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Why St. Gallen?
The reputation of the University of St. Gallen is unrivalled in Switzerland and German-speaking Europe, and is seen as one of Europe's premium International Business Schools.
Small , well-knit batch ( 30 participants) : good bonding/ strong networks, personalized attention!
Even though it is a new program, it is very selective (avg GMAT is second only to INSEAD and higher than LBS/HEC/IMD),
Truly global: Over 95% international students
One year course: the idea of spending two pristine years of my life pursuing an MBA didn't appeal to me.
NETWORK: Strong links with industry: has an old boys network with top officials of Swiss and German industries, which throws open several doors of exciting opportunities
Downside: It does not figure in FT/Businessweek rankings. However, this is because although St Gallen was established in 1898 , the MBA course started in 2005 and all renowned rankings consider institutions which have been around for five years or more.
However, the Karriere and Wiwo rankings put it right up at the top of the league! It is also very highly recommended by people in the business spheres
Stuart decided it was time to grow up and arm himself for the real world. What better way than to get himself an MBA.
Why MBA? Well what else.. ? how would you describe an intense international learning experience that screws ur weekdays (& weekends) stretches you beyond your capabilities (that means no sleep for the whole year) helps u bond and build networks.. (make ur own gang oops! club lol) and still gives you a feeling that u r having the time of ur life...
So he's counting days to the start of a new exciting (!) one year that'll change (screw?) his life ;) cheers!
