Nyenrode - Can You Be Tempted To This Fairytale Castle?

An eclectic bunch embark on Nyenrode's re-vamped MBA this fall

What does a Chinese engineer, a Dutch serial entrepreneur, a Brazilian pharmaceuticals agent and an American advertising executive all have in common?

This September these individuals will be flying to Amsterdam, taking a 20 minute drive to a nearby 13th-century castle estate, and joining the community at Nyenrode university to embark on the newly re-vamped international MBA program.

Surrounded by classmates from different walks of life, supported by a friendly campus environment and inspired by experienced professors and corporate leaders, these MBA students will spend 1 year honing their business skills and bonding with a new international network.

This definitely isn't a "mass-market" MBA. Everyone at Nyenrode knows each other by name, students run their own campus bar and even a mini-supermarket, and the small class size of about 30 MBAs means A LOT of personal attention from faculty.

The brochures make Nyenrode seem quite magical - it's hard to imagine cut-throat business negotiation classes taking place amongst the fairy-tale turrets and evergreen trees.

But Dr.Désirée van Gorp, the MBA program director at Nyenrode assures us there's a strong commercial buzz despite the beautiful surroundings "there's an energy on campus - people are always chewing over the latest economic news, debating how to run a company, plotting new entrepreneurial ideas. Students love the setting, but they certainly don't want to rest - they want to make the most of every minute during their 1 year MBA - meet everyone and learn everything they can!"

To help seduce prospective MBA students, the school is running several Campus Weekends over the summer - the last one was reportedly a 'huge success' - check out the video highlights. The next Campus Weekend takes place July 30 - August 1. If you're worried about the cost of traveling to Amsterdam, fret not, Nyenrode will PAY FOR YOUR FLIGHTS if you're a strong candidate with a 650 gmat score.

And if you decide to apply to Nyenrode but you're concerned about course fees in the current financial climate, you'll be reassured to know that they offer several partial and full fee-waivers to their best students.

Maybe it really is a fairytale? Tell us what you think!