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GLOBAL DREAMS
THE TELEGRAPH CALCUTTA THURSDAY 15 DECEMBER 2011
other countries in Europe, even though the degree I would get is comparable with the best in the world. An MBA programme in the US would have cost me around Rs 42 lakh, whereas I need to pay only Rs 17 lakh for the Lisbon MBA. The rest will be taken care of by the scholarship.” “Moreover, I was looking for a programme that would give me the right kind of exposure, quality education and cultural diversification. The outbound exchange programme with MIT Sloan School of Management was an icing on the cake,” says Sabharwal, a BTech in computer science from the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi. Swagata De, who joined the Lisbon MBA programme in 2010, says she joined the programme because of the attractive academic scholarship, cross-continental academic experience (Europe and North America), and compact course structure with internship. “I think the programme has helped me evolve as a better leader and a team player and develop empathy towards others. I would definitely advice Indian students to opt for this programme. It can be the most
STUDY ABROAD LISBON IS THE NEW DESTINATION FOR MBA STUDENTS FROM INDIA, FINDS AVIJIT CHATTERJEE ocated in Europe along the Atlantic coast, Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world predating modern European capitals such as London, Paris and Rome by hundreds of years. In olden days it was the launch pad for many of the voyages of discovery (notably Vasco da Gama’s epic journey to India). Today, in its modern avatar as an “alpha city” because of its importance in finance, commerce, international trade, education and tourism, Lisbon is a stepping stone for wannabe managers from across the world. In fact, unknown to many, Lisbon offers a vibrant MBA programme. And several students from India flock to Lisbon every year for lessons in management education and learn about international work culture. There are quite a few Bschools in Lisbon, the notable among them being Nova School of Business and Economics, Católica-Lisbon School of Business and Economics, University Institute of Lisbon and the Technical University of Lisbon. But the most popular MBA programme is the “Lisbon MBA” jointly offered by the Nova School of Business and Economics, Católica-Lisbon School of Business and Economics and the MIT Sloan School of Management, the US. Students opting for the Lisbon MBA spend six months on the Católica campus and six months on the Nova campus, benefiting from both universities’ facilities and prestigious faculty. They also spend four weeks in June in Boston, the US, attending classes at MIT Sloan. Though the Lisbon MBA programme offers a two-year part-time and a one-year international full-time MBA, most Indian students opt for the latter. The full-time MBA takes in an average of 40 students per year with around 40 per cent international students. “This year we received 20 applications from India, the highest since the programme was launched in 2009. We usually accept between 10 to 12 per cent Indian students per intake,” says Tânia Roquette, marketing and admissions director, Lisbon MBA. Indian students interested in the Lisbon MBA programme need to submit an online application, including the GMAT score, curriculum vitae, university transcripts, two references and four essays. Though the admission season is between February 15 and September 30, the Lisbon MBA follows a rolling admissions process. In practical terms, it means that applica-
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tions are received throughout the year and the admissions committee closely reviews each application. After analysing the applications, candidates are called for an interview. All international interviews are conducted at the McKinsey offices through video conferencing. The tuition fee for the one-year international programme, including the MIT immersion and the intern-
Top draws ! Nova School of Business and Economics www.fe.unl.pt ! Católica-Lisbon School of Business and Economics www.clsbe.lisboa.ucp.pt ! University Institute of Lisbon www.iscte-iul.pt ! Technical University of Lisbon www.utl.pt
ship / international labs, is a tad expensive at 33,000 euros (around Rs 23 lakh) but meritorious students need not worry. There are a number of scholarships to help finance the programme. “Scholarships are awarded to meritorious students who will contribute to the diversity of their graduating class. The scholarships cover from 25
per cent, 50 per cent to 75 per cent of the tuition fee,” says Roquette. The scholarship offered by Nova School of Business and Economics consists of a partial tuition waiver of 30 per cent, 60 per cent and 90 per cent. The cost of living in Lisbon for a full academic year (covering accommodation, food and local travel) is usually around 10,000 euros.
Varun Sabharwal, who will leave for the Portugal capital in the last week of December, got 60 per cent scholarship to pursue the MBA programme. “I opted for the Lisbon MBA programme because the cost of studying in Portugal is considerably less than that of the US and the
intense but also the most enriching experience ever. I have met some wonderful and truly remarkable people from the academic and professional world while I was on the programme and these connections will remain with me all my life,” says De who hails from Calcutta. Though Indi-
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an students comprise a among Indian students — miniscule percentage of the some of them have successstudent population in Portu- fully set up their own vengal, they are coveted by uni- tures in Portugal after comversities in Lisbon for their pleting MBA. It is also very academic prowess and the interesting to see that many ability to acclimatise to the of our Indian students have Portugese way of a great attachment to Porlife. “Indian tugal and have settled H A students down in Lisbon.” L O stand out for MO TERS Mehul BhanT their flexibili- MA dari, who will : S E E ty and adapcomplete MBA kh ON F TUITI s (Rs 23 la tation capain December, o r u e 0 bilities, reis enjoying 33,00 approx) ! vealed not every moG: N I V I OF L year (ac just by the ment of his T S O ic C cal stay in Lisem way they inll acad food and lo u f a r n, s Fo tegrate into bon. “It has odatio 0 euro comm el) is 10,00 prox) teams with truly been an p trav people of all amazing experilakh a (Rs 7 nationalities but ence. The Lisbon also due to the way MBA has taken me to they get used to Lisbon and two of the most beautiful the Portuguese way of life. cities in the world — Lisbon Academically, they have a and Boston — and provided solid preparation in the an insight into the various isquantitative components and sues and matter of relevance a good English fluency in today’s times along with allows them to score high in real business working experithe GMAT and start the Lis- ence through multiple Harbon MBA well prepared,” vard cases to on-field projects says Belén de Vicente, execu- that require actual visits to tive director of the Lisbon companies, talking with cusMBA. tomers, taking surveys and “We have also found a proposing solutions to the high entrepreneurial spirit company managements.”