Since its inception in July 2006, the Asian Track has assumed a new dimension - a new “100% in Asia” version of the track is available to students of the Specialized Master’s in Strategy and Management of International Business and the regular batches of 40 ESSEC MBA students are accepted at a time for 6-month placements combining study and hands-on discovery of Asian business practice. The International Newsletter spoke to Chetan Sharma, a final-year MBA student, and Sonja Vorwerk-Handing, a double degree ESSEC-Mannheim student, about their experiences.

A logical choice, and for assorted reasons

For Sonja, ESSEC was a choice made partly on the basis of the school’s reputation, partly on the work opportunities that an ESSEC diploma would offer. She was also attracted by “the very strong relation with business reality” that she identified within the course of her choice, the ESSEC MBA. She describes her studies as “interactive” and also containing the appropriate “theory-bound style of business education”.

For Chetan, the decision was motivated by France’s originality as a destination and also based upon a recommendation from a personal contact, Harsch Vardhan Agarwala of the IIM Kolkata 2004-06 exchange batch. As regards his professional ambitions, the choice was a logical one:

An important experience, both personally and professionally

Both were drawn to Singapore by its rising reputation as the business hub of Asia and the existence of the Asian Track was a major factor in choosing ESSEC. Upon their arrival, they were very happy with what they found. Sonja found “useful information, professors […] eager to answer all kinds of questions, and good opportunities to get in contact with other students”. Chetan discovered “a well-run educational institution that is managed efficiently by a team of thorough professionals” and, on a more general level, saw the ESSEC Asian experience as “an important point in molding my profile as a future manager”.

Both students are unequivocal in recommending the Asian Track to interested students: for Sonja the opportunity to learn about Asian business do’s and don’ts was a “major incentive”, as was the chance the placement afforded to “truly discover the region”. Chetan feels that the main gain for his part is the “personal insight into the processes and practices followed by the corporate houses in the region”. Both will leave Singapore highly satisfied by the experience, both personally and professionally-speaking.