GISMA Business School Full-Time MBA (Hannover, Germany)

[The Argentinian]

I am a former GISMA alumni and want to alert any Indian students about going to GISMA Business School in Hannover, Germany to the Full-Time MBA Program. I had one of the most terrible experiences in my life and want to share it with you.

GISMA misleads potential MBA candidates by doing clever marketing. It sells its MBA as a top notch program with Purdue University. Truth is, GISMA has multiple shortcomings. The program is extremely quantitative but scores very poorly when it comes to soft skills and networking which are extremely important in an MBA. Furthermore, GISMA lacks true MBA ambience. The school is very small; networking non existent. If it were not enough, it's not easy to find a more boring place than Hannover.

However, the most serious aspect about GISMA is the way it recruits MBAs. It has a deliberate policy of recruiting students who lack leadership, ideas, and entrepreneurial desire; who will be contented with low level positions in German multinational companies. Most of the students come from underdeveloped countries / regions such as India, Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe, etc., and it is no coincidence. GISMA selects students from these parts of the world because it is consistent with its strategy of finding low cost labor for German companies. They want to exploit us! It never chooses candidates from developed countries such as France, Italy, Spain, Japan, etc. because people from these countries expect higher salaries. The exceptions being German and American students. The latter serve the function of being the link between foreign students and the multinationals. German and American students are oftentimes in the "Dean's List" and secretly enjoy special privileges. On a lighter note, the academic director, Ms. Annegret Zurawaski, is the best example of what a manager shouldn't be. She is not involved and doesn't show interest in student concerns or disposition to help. She completely lacks people skills and is not liked by the vast majority of MBA students (some will not recognize this out of fear). Ironically, she is a GISMA MBA graduate. Furthermore, GISMA is in a critical financial situation. The Dean (David Schoorman) even bothered to travel from the States to inform the class of 2008 the possibility of GISMA closing next year. In the mean time, German companies have agreed to continue to subsidize GISMA. However, this is by no means a guarantee of its long term viability. This is bad news particularly for candidates applying to GISMA in the future without knowing the risk it implies.

In conclusion, GISMA is definitely not a good business school. It is misleading in its advertising and the Full-Time MBA program has multiple failures. But the worst part about GISMA are its students. Most lack leadership, entrepreneurship, soft skills, and even social skills. Participation is discouraged even if they deny it. Their policy of choosing students lacking leadership, vision, and all of the above qualities is pathetic. GISMA is not a business school for leaders. It is a school for low level employees.

Good MBA's seek anything but GISMA. If you want a real MBA strive for Harvard, Kellog, HEC, etc. or even Purdue, but not GISMA. It is a terrible business school. I would rather have a Harvard diploma than a GISMA MBA.

GISMA is also in a critical financial situation, please check this article:

http://www.mba-channel.com/MBA_In_Germany/Ove ...

Indian friends, believe me, GISMA is a very bad school. If you are considering applying I highly discourage you from doing so.

[GISMA student]

I have attended GISMA business school and do not agree with the points mentioned above. GISMA program is very much comparable to Purdue program and I am saying this after taking an exchange to Purdue campus for 1 module. The quality of professors here is world-class. You would probably find more diversity in GISMA than Purdue because of greater number of European countries represented.
Also the point mentioned about "Deans List" is sheer non-sense. I also come from India and never felt that non-Indians are getting privileged.

Even though GISMA currently lacks brand awareness, I would recommend people to join the school. It definitely provides value for the money you pay.