This week we’ve interviewed Mara Saviotti, Admissions and Marketing Manager at Grenoble Graduate Business School to find out what it takes to make a successful application. Grenoble Graduate Business School is part of Grenoble Ecole de Management, one of France's grandes ecoles, with an MBA ranked 87th in the Financial Times top 100.
Mara joined Grenoble about a year and a half ago, but before that spent 12 years in marketing for global corporates. She gives us some insight into the application process for this relatively small programme, the excitement that Grenoble offers students outside the classroom, and some examples of the students who have passed through the school.
What's your favourite thing about working at Grenoble?
The nice thing about Grenoble is the diversity of people you come into contact with, whether it's the students or the staff. The students come from a wide range of backgrounds and the people in my service are from all over the place. Everyone you meet is pleasant too!
Is there an ideal candidate for the full-time MBA?
I have to say there isn't one such thing. We value all our criteria together. A lot of the time, candiates think there is one thing that trumps the others -maybe a good GPA - but that's not the case. We look for people who are well rounded, with good grades, a good command of English,and three years of relevant work experience. We want driven candidates who can show their motivation for wanting to do our MBA. We want people who understand diversity in their work and personal lives because we promise our students a lot of interaction and we want that to happen. Each class has 30 to 35 people so you get a good balance of interaction between peers and exclusive attention from faculty members.
Something important for candidates to bear in mind is to avoid regurgitating things from the website. It shows you have done your research and you have a good memory but true colours are a lot more seductive.
What’s more important: GMAT score, or work experience?
Like I said, there isn't one criteria that's more important than the other. As a matter of fact, we don't request a GMAT score. We don't feel that a GMAT score is a good indication of who will do well post the MBA or not. A high GMAT score tells us that a person is a good test-taker but there are other important factors we rely on when selecting applicants. We accept scores from candidates who have already taken it, perhaps for other schools or because they were eager to, but we place greater emphasis on prior work experience, and how well they've performed in previous educational institutes. Personally, I find it a little bit insulting to ask serious MBA candidates for GMAT scores.
Do you have any favourite interview questions?
I sit in on interviews along with the Programme Director and the Director of Studies. We interview different candidates based on points we pick up from their applications. For instance, I interview candidates who I feel we could give scholarship awards to and the Programme Director interviews candidates to clarify motivations.
What kind of candidates do you pick for scholarships?
We offer different scholarship awards: some merit based, some for outstanding women, some for cultural diversity. When I mention cultural diversity, I mean that one person's experiences may mean that he or she is more culturally diverse than others - the kind of person whose life is so amazing that it can be made into a movie! We also give scholarships in conjunction with other organizations or bodies such as the Eiffel Scholarship which is a French scholarship. These are often people who have made an impressive career for themselves in remarkable ways and have so much more to offer.
Can you give us an example of how a Grenoble alumnus made an exciting career change?
Careers after the MBA can be really varied. The most classic changes are engineers, lawyers or auditors who moved into more strategic management positions. People move from operations roles to more supervisory roles. People have set up their own companies and people have put themselves forward as independent consultants. An extraordinary one we had is a professional dancer with a Bachelors in Classical Arts who was part of the Russian National dance crew. She had set up a dance school that grew quite large. She came to Grenoble to gain some management skills and she ended up doing her thesis on how dance discipline can be used in business.
What does a Grenoble MBA get up to at the weekend?
Our location is perfect for sporting activities. These can range from hiking, sailing, body surfing, biking, ultimate frisbee and skating, to skiing in the winter. The town is easy to get around, you can take your bike to school or work and there are good tram ways too. Outside sports the school has dozens of societies and groups students can get involved in. In the summertime there a cafes, musems, outdoor film festivals and tons of restaurants. The MBA students have a massive integration department which organizes activities to help people settle in. There is a gala, a week of skiing and also clubs at night.
Is there anything else a Grenoble applicant should absolutely know?
Applicants should spend a lot of time researching and choosing. Its a life long investment so it's important to choose the best school for yourself and let us worry about choosing the right applicants for our schools. All applications are done online so candidates can come back to the form as many times as they want before it's finally submitted. This means you can take the time to do a better essay.
Read more articles about students, alumni and programmes at Grenoble Ecole de Management here
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