Post: #1

Im heading out to either for an mba. Either UCLA or one of the barcelona schools.

Which city do you think would be better? (I wish ee cities had good schools)

I dont mind the states, had fun the few times i visited and did well with girls.

Los angeles has nice beaches, and surrounded by lots of varied scenery and road trips and such. Plus its close to Vegas which i love. And a short trip to latin america, where ive never been before since its so far.

The cons i guess would be its more expensive, and youd need to drive everywhere.

Barcelona has beaches and sights, could make trips within europe, cheaper, locals i guess are tough to crack but loads of tourists. I dont know spanish but im a quick learner.

Im assuming most of the board will go for barcelona, but had to ask anyway.

Post: #2

Barcelona hands down.

The finest European talent gathers there all year long. You are a couple hours away by train of the southern French coast and to the south you have Valencia: the number one party university exchange destination of all Europe. I did my exchange in Valencia for half year and it was a blast. Good times.

My 2 cents.

Post: #3

What are your post MBA plans? Better yet what nonsense did you put in your application? We all had to bs on those apps.

Post: #4

You are not going to do an MBA for the pussy, so to consider school on this basis is a little silly, no offense. Even to consider the environment is unwise, especially for a 2 year program. Fortunately both cities have big pluses as far as environment goes. The value of an MBA is not the education, which is typically a bunch of BS, but for the alumni network and contacts that it gives you access to.

EU network vs. US West coast network are two different worlds. Pick where you want to work & live afterwards, and choose on that basis.

Post: #5

I personally despise Barcelona...and the local Catalan people....

But between just those two cities, there is going to be a terrific "gringa" talent year round with solid English levels in Barca. I think building a social circle with the couchsurfing crowd and other gringos could help your cause too.

The frequency of "interesting things" occurring will be much higher in Barca opposed to LA...

Post: #6

Honestly i realise an mba is pretty useless as far as information acquired goes, but thing is i live in beirut and want some kind of good degree in case i need to get out of here because of political problems.

I have a degree from an average university here, but im smart and got a great gmat and know i can do well, which would give me an out because with all the trouble here im not too sure about my future as a christian in the middle east.

So this isnt about where id want to network or live, its about if i need to leave, i wont just have a degree from a university noones heard about in lebanon, but id have maybe a respectable one and a decent chance of finding something.

Ideally i want to live here but it may not be my choice.

This is why im treating the mba more as an experience.

Post: #7

(08-20-2014 04:44 PM)Beirut Wrote:  Honestly i realise an mba is pretty useless as far as information acquired goes, but thing is i live in beirut and want some kind of good degree in case i need to get out of here because of political problems.

I have a degree from an average university here, but im smart and got a great gmat and know i can do well, which would give me an out because with all the trouble here im not too sure about my future as a christian in the middle east.

So this isnt about where id want to network or live, its about if i need to leave, i wont just have a degree from a university noones heard about in lebanon, but id have maybe a respectable one and a decent chance of finding something.

Ideally i want to live here but it may not be my choice.

This is why im treating the mba more as an experience.

Go to UCLA, plenty of nationalities here, so I am sure you have some fellow citizens here.

Better school is probably UCLA, beautiful campus. You can always go to Spain later, you are closer to there than to the US.

Having a good GMAT does not mean success in school or career, no offense. Don't be the guy at orientation parties talking about GMATs. Don't be THAT GUY

Of course, if your goal is to go back to Lebanon and work there, find out which network is stronger.

Rather than ask us assholes, contact alumni from both schools with your similar background and are Lebanese. See what they think. Being serious. Do it. Just trying to help.

Post: #8

Beirut, that does make sense. They hold equal value in Lebanon? With respect to your plans, if you want to leave, you will need to get a job to get a visa. You don't care where you work? EU or USA?

I understand that this is more of a precaution, but what I'm getting at is suppose you have to leave next week and you can have your choice of MBA, where would you go? How is easy is it to find a job there? How will you even find a job if you're in Lebanon; do the companies you want to work for recruit there? Are there any alumni networks in Lebanon that are relevant to these schools?

I know this all seems so far away and may all be unnecessary, but it is better to think and plan now than to say "If only I did X" 2 or 4 years from now.

You should consider asking for advice on Wall Street Playboys (former RVFer WestCoast is big part of it). They are in finance, but they may be even bigger assholes than us.

Post: #9

I already work here and if politics are good i have decent prospects for the future. But i work in a company with a friend and we made some real estate investments. Basically nothing i did that makes me financially comfortable here translates in a cv for a company abroad. I have an engineering degree that i never used so zero experience at that. My cv will be empty save for a company that im a partner in that made some smart buys and got lucky in a real estate boom.

Im just treating the mba as a piece of paper. If i stay here i wont even use it. And i realise a gmat doesnt mean anything, im the typical guy who does great at tests but is too lazy, its just a ticket in since my school isnt great.

Post: #10

Go to the best school that accepts you.

If the ones that do are not that good, then consider what would look best in your resume. Im assuming here that an american MBA will give you the most pull in job hunting.

That said, I think Barcelona would be more fun, plus, its close enough to many cities that you can travel in the weekends.

Post: #11

Depends on what your post MBA plans are mate.
Where do you want to land up?
UCLA will land u pretty much in the US, the Barcelona schools are great at placing their candidates internationally.

Post: #12

LA maybe a nice place to live but a tough grind socially. I say Barcelona because it is more cosmopolitan and your closer to home.
Sounds like you need work experience not an MBA.

Post: #13

Can you defer your admission for a year? Go get some work experience, do other things to make obtaining the MBA a more valuable and beneficial experience? If it is just for the paper degree fuck it. If you don't plan to use it fuck it. Just go live in the places for fun save the tuition money, etc.

Post: #14

If you're good at networking and hustling, I'd go with UCLA. I'm not too familiar with spanish schools, but if you are of the right mindset and can climb through and network like a motherfucker, you can use the connections at UCLA probably more than the paper or the education itself.

From your description of your current situation though, I'd probably recommend Barcelona as you don't really sound like the type to climb corporate ladders or agressive to move up.

I agree with the sentiment its odd you are pursing the MBA just for the sake of pursuing. There are tons of people like this and the MBA and experience is worthless. I know some people that were laid off right after getting theirs because the pay scale was not cost effective.

Post: #15

You could also go to another European country that has low tuition fees (France, Spain, Germany, etc), do a degree there, and then find a job. For e.g, in Germany, after graduating, you have a year to look for a job in your field. And you can work part time when you study.

Post: #16

Don't know much about your actual background and motivation, so just some general observations here.

MBA is for your future career, not chicks (they are nice bonuses, but not goals per se). So definitely go to the best school you are accepted into. Remember nowdays only the top schools provide good ROI.

MBA time is about networking, not "learning". Those academic bits and pieces that are actually used in real world could easily be learned on your own or on the job in a matter of weeks, not years.

EU vs USA. As someone already pointed out, the number one consideration is where you want to work and live afterwards. The alumni networks are quite different. For example, a degree from WHU (a very respectable school in Germany) will open many doors for your in Germany/Austria, but I doubt many have even heard of it in the US.

Also, a typical MBA is 2 years in the US versus 1 year in the EU. The students in the US are younger (a lot just finish college, work for 2 years as analysts, then go for the MBA), while the average student age in the EU is 30+ and it's quite common to have already many years of working experience.

Finally, MBA *is* expensive, EU or USA. The best scenario is your current employer pays it (with the contract that you will work for them after MBA for a minimum number of years), but this is getting rarer and rarer. So either you pay it outright (6 figure even for one year), or most likely get school-backed bank loans.

All in all, MBA is a big investment in time and money, and you really have to think where you fit in regarding the above points. If you just want a way out of Lebanon or mainly want to chase chicks, there are easier and cheaper alternatives.

Post: #17

I've been living in Barcelona for the last 8 years and it has been the best decision I've ever taken in my life. It is indeed a lot of fun. There are a couple of very good universities for MBA studying (ESADE comes to mind) so if they accept you in one of those, then you can have both a good education and a lot of fun. As for LA, I haven't leave there so I don't know. I have partied there a bit and the vibe is a lot more shallow but the quality is really good too. It's a completely different vibe to the no-nonsense style of Barcelona. I guess it all depends on what you like more.

Post: #18

Couple of thoughts-

How high was your GMAT?

Have you thought about the London School of Economics and finance related curriculum? You could be in the $ if you network right and learn the key elements of equities analysis.

Go to the best School you can (Harvard, Stanford, U of Chicago, NYU, Vanderbilt, USC, Oxford, etc.) as every town has girls-the issue is that quality and game conditions will vary. If you love African American women go to Emory in Atlanta-you will not run out of black beauties anytime soon there. For Mexicanas go to UCLA. It really depends on your favorite type of girl. I love stacked Euro blondes so wherever those are would be my choice but, you'd be crazy to miss out on an upper echelon MBA program for game purposes alone.

Unless you just hate cold weather consider New York City as well. Its a the center of game,business, finance, education, and culture.

What kind of women do you like the most?

Any of you Barcelona guys know if they have a bunch of slavic and Scandinavian blondes running around-if so that would be my choice.

LA has tons of Latinas and Asians as well as white girls but you could definitely find some fine Mexicanas and Koreans to party with there. Some white girls in LA have higher bitch shields but they are not as bad as Miami (some of the worst IMO) or as cool as NYC women. I'd say middle ground for the US.

Post: #19

I got a 780 gmat. But a 3 gpa in school.

Im gonna apply to a lot of schools but i asked about those because they seemed to have less requirements about professional experience. And are still quite good.

I doubt id get accepted into the top top ones.

The thread wasnt geared towards women only, more so towards quality of life and experiences in each, as i do think its important.

Post: #20

(08-21-2014 11:49 AM)Beirut Wrote:  I got a 780 gmat. But a 3 gpa in school.

Im gonna apply to a lot of schools but i asked about those because they seemed to have less requirements about professional experience. And are still quite good.

I doubt id get accepted into the top top ones.

The thread wasnt geared towards women only, more so towards quality of life and experiences in each, as i do think its important.

Is it IESE or ESADE? If it's IESE I think that has a pretty top notch reputation in Europe and very good one in the US. UCLA is a good school but not top 10 like IESE is globally and in Europe.

I think you'd like living in Barcelona more and it's closer to home. LA is so vast and spread out and you'd probably want a car there to be able to explore when not studying. It's also a bit of a dump outside the nicer suburbs and beach areas. To me, the whole living and working in LA thing is a lot harder than it used to be. It's a tough place to make it unless you're in the entertainment business where you stand out. But I guess you don't care about that.

But the counterargument to the above is that you could use your UCLA experience as your way to explore the US for a couple years by living there. Trips to SF, Vegas, Seattle etc. could all be done on weekends pretty easily. Barcelona is what only a 4 hour or so flight from Beirut (?) so I'd imagine you'd be able to visit there a lot if you wanted for the rest of your life if you settle back home.

Although it's not an overriding factor, from a 'game' perspective I think you'd have better quality and luck chasing tourist girls in Barcelona and also more 'cachet' living there than you would in LA (where social circles are hard to penetrate and you get zero benefits for being in business unless its show business).

Post: #21

Any update on your decision OP? thx

Post: #22

I live LA and have been to Barcelona.

Go to Barcelona.

You'll thank me later.

Post: #23

Akula had to help out my family with some difficult stuff so it has been postponed until next year hopefully. Plus with the whole region being screwed as hell, it makes me think having an option to get out is even more pressing.

Zoox i have been leaning towards that, thanks.

Post: #24

Barcelona...for sure!

Post: #25

I've never lived in any American city but I have travelled there on many occasions while also living in Barcelona. With that being said, Barcelona is a much better option in my humble opinion; universities and business schools are very good and will probably help you ''escape'' to Europe should things become excessively difficult in the Middle East and especially Lebanon. Of course it depends on your preferences; if you prefer Europe to the United States (like me) then Barcelona is the way to go but if America attracts you go there. Personally, I believe living standards are superior in Barcelona but that's a decision for you to make. You should choose the best destination based solely on your regional preference and the cost; pussy can be obtained anywhere if you have game although Europe is probably a better choice with regards to women.

OP, you check out other business schools in the capital, Madrid, and other European countries.

I realise most rankings are bullshit but they might help you look for alternatives and compare between different universities and business schools.
http://www.topmba.com/mba-rankings/regio...sc+search= (register and organise by total tuition fees)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/edu...me=2403721

Use the massive amount of resources available online too. I'd recommend phoning the business schools you're interested in; after all, the internet isn't infallible.
http://www.mastersportal.eu/search/?q=dg...||8f407d4d
http://www.studyineurope.eu/#program-sea...e%22%7D%5D

Oh yes, I'm so privileged you literally can't even.
Interested in joining the FFL? I tried (and failed).