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轉自IESE Class 2012 台灣同學在追夢的文章


剛好有申請者寫信問了我學校的經驗，回完信之後順手po過來，
跟大家分享一下個人經驗:)
如果還有想知道的，在台灣的同學們可以參加12/27在台北的Info session、
或是在這裡回文、或是寫信給我([email protected])囉！

I was wondering what your experience has been like so far.
->Pretty good!! I love this school a lot and don’t feel regretted at all!

what made you decide to attend IESE over other MBA programs.
1.Ranking is good. This is a top European school.
Although IESE is not famous in Asia, it is still one of the core schools that
top investment banks and consulting firms target to recruit. I don’t take
IESE’s brand awareness in Asia seriously.Once the company I would like to
work with knows my school and will recruit, then it’s fine.

2.Diversity. 80% of the students are international students coming from
50+ countries. Compared to the US, only around 20%-30% of the students
are international. There is no “mainstream” in the class participation
(we do case study), and you will be able to know and respect different views.
The number of the students is around 280 in a class, making you easier
to know most of your classmates.

3.Teaching quality is very good. Professors are all strong in academic and
practice. We have open door policy: Professors “have to” meet you if you
would like to. I have classmates going to exchange in top business schools
in the US this term. Their feedback (after comparison) is overall the
teaching quality of IESE is really good.

These are the information I got from Alumni before applying IESE.
Now after 1.5 years study here, there is no gap between what I expected.
Another personal reason is that I am a career switcher.
I choose 2-year program so that I am able to do internship,
helping me bridge to the career I want to go afterwards.

What is it like going to school in Barcelona?
-> Barcelona is not big but still a fun “city” to stay for 2 years.
Except for Gaudi’s architectures, beautiful beach, and cozy and sunny
weather, it’s a city that you won’t feel bored. If you want to hang out
with friends after class, always many places to go easily.
Some of my friends going to exchange in the US, they don’t get used to
the huge campus or the must to have a car.
Another advantage to study in Europe is you can go traveling to other
countries easily by many budgeted airlines within around 2 hours.

Was it difficult for you to adjust when you moved from you home country?
-> To me, it’s quite easy to adjust myself to the new environment.
If you have the experiences of moving to a very new place,
it’s similar like that. Being open-minded to different things and being
humble to learn are the key. We have come so far to study here, the
diversified environment. Our classmates are so different in terms of
background, personalities, working styles and etc…
Sometimes it takes a while to learn to work in this kind environment,
but that’s one of the reasons we go for MBA,isn’t it?!
Knowing Spanish to live in Barcelona will make your life easier since
most of people they don’t speak English well.
However, it won’t cause you too many difficulties if you don’t.
(not a big deal anyway) In school, we use English. School offers
Spanish classes as well.

What classes do you enjoy most?
-> Most of the courses I enjoy a lot. As I said, the average teaching quality
is pretty good. Courses are intense. Classes in 1st year are all mandatory,
giving you a strong foundation. 2nd years courses are elective, so you can
go for the courses you are interested in. IESE uses case study in most of
the courses (accounting is the lecture). Therefore, you learn how to solve
business problems in the class just like in a business meeting: everyone
provides their opinions with reasoning, a little bit debate sometimes
(professors will lead the courses). Then professors will wrap up, highlight
the key learning, and provide take-away at the end of the class. You will
know this kind of training is very useful and practical when you do the
summer internship.
My 3 favorite classes so far are marketing, operation management in service
industry (combined operation strategy and a little bit marketing), and
leading growth ( it explores growth challenges for both high growth companies
and established firms). I heard some finance courses are very good as well,
but I don’t take it in 2nd year (it’s not my focus).

What has been your most memorable experience so far?
-> Still. Believe me, you will have many unforgettable experiences in MBA.
I remember in the 1st year, classmates helped each other for the subjects
they are not good at before exam, and practiced case interviews together for
consulting interview. I remember the moments we worked together as a team for
projects. I remember at “bar crawl” (kind like ice breaking activity at the
very beginning of the 1st year), the 1st time you saw people are so much fun
and relaxing (compared to the time we studied in school). I remember at
“multi-culti” (kind like the event to demonstrate international cultures),
we saw classmates wearing the traditional clothes of their countries and
demonstrating their cultures through food and performances…..

Katrina
IESE, Class of 2012

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