Columbia MSAFA vs LSE Msc Accounting & Finance ?
I've been accepted in both masters and I was wondering which one would be the best to go into IB.
On one hand NYC and the Columbia brand sounds better than the alternative and gets me a foot in the US (I'm french). On the other, the LSE is cheaper, closer to France and to my family and the Msc Accounting and Finance looks more established.
What is your opinion ?
From a Frenchman to another, Masters degrees aren't recruited and are overall fairly useless in the US. Very different from Europe (save for the UK) where you pretty much have to do a Masters degree. So, go to the LSE, even though Columbia is the better brand name
I’m honestly just curious about what makes you say Columbia is a better brand name than the LSE, assuming we’re not being biased towards the US, what makes Columbia a better brand name compared to LSE?
Because LSE is only more well-respected in Europe (if-that). Whereas Columbia & most other ivies carries alot more weight in both the United States & Asia.
Indeed, I feel Columbia's reputation as an Ivy is a bit above LSE's (in the US of course but in the rest of the world too).
You are right to say I might be biased though, maybe it is because I know lots of people that went to LSE and few that went to Columbia : the rarity makes it more special.
Anyway, I plan to work in Europe in the long run but I would be happy to start in the US for a few years.
The MSAFA is a much harder course (I believe some courses are taught with the PhD cohort, may leave less time for recruiting, however, you will be more unique in the UK. LSE Masters are incredibly successful (maybe the A+F is fares slightly worse due to applicant interests for FO Finance), but LSE is also a degree factory (a very good one for that matter), but will leave more time for recruiting as the content is easier in the LSE degree. In addition, you're also in the UK (if that's your target market) so attending interviews is far easier.
Any info on scholarships, estimated living + tuition costs, aspects of the course that you like unique to one course.
What are you looking to go into?
I want to start in m&a or distressed m&a (ideally in a BB but I would accept going to a smaller boutique if it means I can work a bit in the US). In the long run I want to work in Europe.
However, people have told me it was difficult to get a job in the US as an international - even more so for such competitive jobs. They also told me that the US market did not particularly recognize Masters degrees. In consequence, I fear the risk of getting a worse offer or even no offer at all, while paying double the money.
With regard to courses, I feel both programs are comparable though I have a slight preference for Columbia.
International student in the US here. If you're not a US citizen, many doors will be closed for you simply because firms don't want to sponsor a visa. You might get lucky and land a BB role, but that depends on how much risk you are willing to take.
Columbia marginally better brand name, however will provide a differentiated experience, and optionality to stay in the US which is non negligible
Happen to studied at both programmes. And as you probably may know, the reason I came to CBS after LSE was that I didn't find a job in London....but I am an international student to both countries. So, here is the deal.
I think it ultimately depends on where do you want to work. If you want to work in EMEA and you are French, LSE will work fine for you. I got several ACs with BB and EB while at LSE in the full-time recruiting cycle. So I guess the brand name still works. The thing is the programme is 9-month and somehow it will disqualify you as a candidate to SAs and off-cycles. Unless you can start recruiting before you start commencing at LSE. At least in my experience, that is how things working for my friends who landed at IBD.
On the other hand, CBS is reputational worldwide. You get access to incredible alumni network and most importantly it is STEM, which give you 3 year work authorisation in US. I don't know if that is a concern for you, but definitely a good news for international student. One thing to mention, JPM, who used to sponsor a lot, is not sponsoring visa since this year. My MSAFA class, including me, successfully got some SA offers from BB, but mostly in HK. It is the truth and the BIGGEST concern that MSc students are out of targets for most of banks in US, and you need to network really really hard to get even first round.
Regarding the courses, I don't think they are that important for MSc. But it is correct that MSAFA has better courses, in terms of contents, structure, and flexibility (we share all classes with MBAs and PhDs), than LSE. More importantly, MSAFA courses actually offer your different career paths other than IB, such as quant, AM, HF, etc. Because the programme emphases both quant and accounting.
How is IB recruiting for international students ?
How many years out of undergrad can you go for the MSAFA ?
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