Bocconi ESS vs HEC MFE
The title says it all.
I've been admitted to the programs above, namely Bocconi's MSc in Economic and Social Sciences( pure economics, basically) and HEC's MSc in Managerial and Financial Economics. I've been trying to decide between the two as the deadlines of the deposit payments are due in a few days.
HEC Pros:
-A slightly more prestigious university
-Presumably better career service( According to the information on the website of the program, %100 of the graduates are employed within three months, making over 60k euros straight out of the program. But I don't count on that anyways, websites usually tell that kind of stuff to market the program.)
- Opportunity to learn French. I am quite enthusiastic about Romance languages.
- Really interesting curriculum that offers a combination of economics, finance and strategy. The coursework is made up of economics courses such as behavioral economics, game theory, monetary policy, econometrics; a bunch of management ones like economic consulting, strategic consulting, industrial organization, data analytics; coupled by finance modules including sovereign risk analysis, quantitative asset management, limits to market efficiency etc. I chose this program over MiF, actually; for this interesting blending of different fields and its quantitative focus.
- Higher international exposure as the class is predominantly composed of international students.( around 80%)
- Lower cost( 1-year program, tuition fees cost 24k euros. There are other external funding opportunities for HEC, which would make it almost free. Still, it's just a possibility.
HEC Cons:
- The campus is in the middle of nowhere, 1-hour away from downtown Paris
- Less prestigious than HEC's renowned Grande Ecole
- The fact that I don't speak French is actually a liability
Bocconi Pros:
- Academic rigor. Excellent preparation for a Phd. There are many students ending up in top 10 Phd programs in the US.
- Cuisine :)
- The campus is in the city center
- I speak Italian, spent an exchange semester at Bocconi, loved the teaching, I know the city etc.
- I am very passionate about economics.
Bocconi Cons:
-Little orientation towards the job market.
-Way too Italian.Italians make up the 70% of the class. Many of the brightest from the undergrad go on to do a MSc there, extremely difficult to stand out. Huge class size, around 85, I think.
- No scholarship, 2-year program, 28k euros in tuition fees only.
A little info on my background: near to zero work experience excluding teaching assistantships. Graduating in June, enrolled in the CFA Level 1 Exam in December. Non-EU citizen. I know that the decision comes down to what I want to do with my life, but still, I would be happy to hear some insights.
Anyone, guys?
You said you're non-EU. Care to provide more details? Nationality /what region you're from matters, believe it or not.
I applied to Bocconi myself years ago (different program) and had a similar reservation to the Italian-heavy makeup of the class. Is the program entirely in Italian? How well do you speak/write Italian? You might face social exclusion in some sense, since birds of a feather flock together. This in't a dig at new-age post-modernist bullshit, this is a fact of life. But, I digress. Keep in mind that you might not be treated as seriously as an Italian next to you in terms of your career aspirations, and I'm putting this bluntly, because that's how life works bro. We're all equal and polite and everything, but human nature is human nature. For this reason, HEC seems a better option on paper to me, because as an international / non-local you wouldn't be in a significant minority vis-a-vis the locals.
I appreciate the reply.
Both degrees are taught entirely in English. I am Turkish, speaking Italian at intermediate level and very little French. Well, I lived in Milan for six months and communicated with locals, Italian students etc., But, oddly enough, I felt that social exclusion you mentioned, which sometimes works in very subtle ways. Milan has a strong Milanese tradition just like Paris has Parisienne culture :) Returning home wouldn't be bad, but it wouldn't be financially rewarding either. The way I see it is that even after having graduated from the best business school in the country, it is unlikely that I will be treated on an equal footing with the locals. This goes for both HEC and Bocconi. You claim that I will be at disadvantage to a lesser degree in Paris, I will consider that. Thank you.
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