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Visiting Business Schools in the UK - What I Learned (Part I)
 

Mike98989's picture
(Baboon, 167
 
Points)
 on 4/29/12 at 10:48pm
London Business Schools2.jpg

A couple of weeks ago, I spent a little over a week in London to visit some family. Because I’m looking into studying in the UK for my MSc in Finance in a year or so, I thought this would be a great way to visit some schools there. I picked some of the obvious choices, including London School of Economics and London Business School, as well as a couple of not-as-well-known schools, including London Metropolitan University and Birkbeck, University of London. I spent a few days to look around some campuses, do some research on the programs these schools offer, meet some people, shake some hands, etc., etc., etc. After all of this, I thought this would be a great thread to read for anyone who is interested in going to the UK for grad school. My main point for this thread, however, is…are these schools really worth it? This week, I’ll be talking about LSE and I’ll be keeping the thread going through May.

London School of Economics (LSE)

When it comes to LSE, everything you heard from friends or read on WSO or ANT’s website (http://www.msfhq.com) is completely correct.

In my opinion (whatever that’s worth), it really is the best school for a MSc when it comes to the program and particularly, the recruiting. LSE offers 3 different MSc programs: Finance (part- and full-time), Finance & Economics and Finance & Private Equity. Plus, there’s flexibility. If you’re in the MSc Finance, but then realize you want to do PE, there are a lot of electives that you can take for it. There are the usual requirements for potential students when it comes to applying. For starters, they are expecting at least a 3.5/4.0 GPA as well as high GMAT (the advisor I spoke with said some of the recent class averages were around 720 and have been trending higher for the past few years now). Also, there’s the cost: £26,500 or approx $43K for a one year program…and that’s just tuition. They also want prior work experience. But the worst piece of info? LSE has an acceptance rate of around 6%. But what you’re getting is a world-class education in Central London, one of the biggest financial capitals of the world.

I had the opportunity to meet with an advisor and during the discussion, she gave advice for prospective applicants, as well as describing what I call the “benefits” of the school (networking and recruiting). First, when applying, your undergrad background usually doesn’t matter (or matter as much as you may think). If your background is non Econ/Finance/Math, just explain why this degree and this school is a great fit for you. She noted that some of the best graduates, particularly in the finance program, majored in English, Biology, or even a foreign language. Also, she encouraged more students to apply from under-represented areas in the world. Students from Asia, Europe and the UK made up ~80% of the graduate student population, and because of that, LSE really wants more applicants from everywhere else, particularly from the US. She called this a potential “edge” for some applicants.

Finally, the meeting shifted to the benefits of LSE, i.e. recruiting and networking. She showed me a list of the firms that came on campus for recruiting last year. It was simply ridiculous. Name a financial institution or corporation, they were there: small, large, international, PE, IDB, VC, Big 4, F50, S&T, non-profit, IT, anyone, everyone. Also, she mentioned that many weren’t recruiting for just the UK or Europe. They’re also recruiting for Singapore, Hong Kong, NYC, South Africa, Brazil, Dubai and many others. Apart from the usual recruiting season, the school offers so many on-campus presentations that students will always have opportunities to network. This, I believe, is the one main reason why anyone should study here.

So my take on LSE? In my opinion, if you truly have the opportunity to go, take it simply for the recruiting/networking as well as its location in London. The school seems to excel at it and you’ll almost certainly have a great job after graduation. Because of this, I think this is really all the school has to offer that most others don’t. If anyone else has a different opinion on the school, throw it on the board.

So there’s my take on LSE. Let me know what you think or if you have any questions. I still have that contact in the admin office so if you want, I can relay your questions to her. Next week, I’ll be writing about Birkbeck, University of London.

Tags:

Comments

DrPeterVenkman's picture

Great summary of your visit!

O
(Gorilla, 706
 
Points)
 on 4/29/12 at 4:02pm

Great summary of your visit!

See my WSO blog

TheCityBoy's picture

I am a UK first year

(Baboon, 126
 
Points)
 on 4/29/12 at 4:04pm

I am a UK first year undergrad student and I am interested in going to LSE for MSc Economics 1 year course as a back up if I end up striking out with internships and job offers for when I leave university

The only thing putting me off is the expense and of course needing a 1st, but im hoping that shouldn't be too much of a problem

SonnyZH's picture

Don't even bother with London

HF
 
Points)
 on 4/29/12 at 4:09pm

Don't even bother with London Metropolitan; regarding LSE, totally agree.

The HBS guys have MAD SWAGGER. They frequently wear their class jackets to boston bars, strutting and acting like they own the joint. They just ooze success, confidence, swagger, basically attributes of alpha males.

nauprillion's picture

great thread. I'm sorry, but

ST
 
Points)
 on 4/29/12 at 4:09pm

great thread.
I'm sorry, but why the hell did you check out birkbeck and london met?
Imperial and CASS are the only ones in London that are worth checking out besides LSE.

Boreed's picture

What's a Birkbeck?

PE
 
Points)
 on 4/29/12 at 5:01pm

What's a Birkbeck?

WSO User Guidelines
WSO Interview Guides

nauprillion's picture

Birkbeck, University of

ST
 
Points)
 on 4/29/12 at 5:08pm

Birkbeck, University of London

Aragorn's picture

I agree with most of this

(Orangutan, 335
 
Points)
 on 4/29/12 at 5:33pm

I agree with most of this post; however, having spoken with a couple recent LSE grads (undergrad and grad) I just have two things to add:

1) Just because every single firm will be recruiting doesn't guarantee you a great job. You will have to be on top of your game and recruiting will begin as soon as you set foot on campus.

2) As an extension of number 1, foreign students (including Americans) seem to have a tougher time when it comes to recruiting.

OP -- thanks so much for your contributions.

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light." - DT

jpmoranmonkeysachs's picture

@ Aragorn: is there any

(Baboon, 149
 
Points)
 on 4/29/12 at 5:40pm

@ Aragorn: is there any particular reason as to why foreign students (american students) would find it harder? If so is there anyway around it.

Aragorn's picture

jpmoranmonkeysachs: @

(Orangutan, 335
 
Points)
 on 4/29/12 at 6:25pm
jpmoranmonkeysachs:

@ Aragorn: is there any particular reason as to why foreign students (american students) would find it harder? If so is there anyway around it.

It has to do with the red tape (i.e. visa issues, etc.) surrounding the hiring of foreigners in the UK. If you are a rock star, this should be a non-issue, but this may negatively affect those on the cusp.

I think the best way around it is to be, as I said, a rock star. If you crush your interviews, I am sure employers will look past your citizenship. Secondly, leverage the amazing LSE network.

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light." - DT

couchy's picture

how hard is it to get into

(King Kong, 1,365
 
Points)
 on 4/29/12 at 6:25pm

how hard is it to get into LSE?

jec's picture

couchy: how hard is it to get

 
Points)
 on 4/29/12 at 6:50pm
couchy:

how hard is it to get into LSE?

100/1500+

UncleMilty's picture

How common is it for US

 
Points)
 on 4/30/12 at 12:24am

How common is it for US citizen grads of the LSE MSF to get hired by US-based companies?

"When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is."
- Oscar Wilde
"Seriously, psychology is for those with two x chromosomes."
- RagnarDanneskjold

Imperialian's picture

nauprillion: great

ST
(Baboon, 173
 
Points)
 on 4/30/12 at 4:56am
nauprillion:

great thread.
I'm sorry, but why the hell did you check out birkbeck and london met?
Imperial and CASS are the only ones in London that are worth checking out besides LSE.

yea where is my school Imperial College?

jktecon's picture

And here I thought I was

O
(Gorilla, 531
 
Points)
 on 4/30/12 at 7:55am

And here I thought I was about to read an unbiased assessment on the schools in the UK I had not heard about already.

bryan521's picture

LBS is prob the best MBA in

 
Points)
 on 4/30/12 at 9:30am

LBS is prob the best MBA in the world (tougher to get into than HBS). If you can crank out a 720 on the GMAT then yes LSE is the no-brainer for a Masters. Cass is without a doubt the 2nd best Masters in London. Very specialized courses, strong alumni base because of its location, and teachers with industry experience (think NYU of London).

nauprillion's picture

LBS' Master of Finance is

ST
 
Points)
 on 4/30/12 at 9:52am
DrPeterVenkman's picture

Aragorn: It has to do with

O
(Gorilla, 706
 
Points)
 on 4/30/12 at 11:26am

See my WSO blog

D0PA's picture

London was heaven once, now

IB
(Chimp, 10
 
Points)
 on 4/30/12 at 12:15pm
cibo's picture

OK you can still work in the

(Baboon, 164
 
Points)
 on 4/30/12 at 4:41pm
Anomanderis's picture

Huh? Imperial Tier 2? No.

ST
(Orangutan, 357
 
Points)
 on 5/1/12 at 3:45pm

But Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought bravely.

And Rhaegar died.

DrPeterVenkman's picture

Warwick is a pretty good

O
(Gorilla, 706
 
Points)
 on 5/1/12 at 4:39pm

See my WSO blog

bryan521's picture

http://rankings.ft.com/busine

 
Points)
 on 5/1/12 at 5:42pm
Boreed's picture

bryan521: http://rankings.ft.

PE
 
Points)
 on 5/1/12 at 6:31pm

WSO User Guidelines
WSO Interview Guides

Anomanderis's picture

bryan521: http://rankings.ft.

ST
(Orangutan, 357
 
Points)
 on 5/2/12 at 2:48pm

But Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought bravely.

And Rhaegar died.

Imperialian's picture

bryan521: http://rankings.ft.

ST
(Baboon, 173
 
Points)
 on 5/2/12 at 8:52pm
BeastMode's picture

Imperialian: I don't deny LSE

AM
(Baboon, 163
 
Points)
 on 5/2/12 at 9:22pm
Imperialian's picture

BeastMode: Imperialian: I

ST
(Baboon, 173
 
Points)
 on 5/2/12 at 11:19pm
FlakieBear's picture

FinanceStudent28: Aragorn:

(Gorilla, 502
 
Points)
 on 5/20/12 at 4:06pm

Power and Money do not change men; they only unmask them

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