If you are dead set on working in IBs, I would sincerely recommend you to choose LSE. It doesn't matter to the recruiters which degree you are taking once you have been in LSE. Career events are open to students from all programmes. Given the close proximity of LSE to the City, it would be much easier and convenient for you to network, interview and go to the assessment centre. Why do you want to make your life unnecessarily harder by choosing SSE and having to fly to London to attend assessment centre ? This reasoning applies to the debate choosing between other UK universities vs European ones as well. However, a Bsc in Management will not equip you with enough quantitative skills to pursue higher studies in Economics (Msc/ PhD.). P/s: Basically, I was in the same boat as you 1 year ago. In the end, I decided to go to an European school due to financial reasons. I bitterly regret making that choice now.

 
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I think SSE places very well into IBD in London and you see a lot of their graduates in bulge bracket banks. Whether you end up at a top bank/group eventually depends more on what you can do (and how lucky you are) rather than the school you went to. Now, of course there's a point that being in the UK makes interviewing/networking/accomodation during internships a little easier but I wouldn't sacrifice academic excellence for it. That said, I don't see the LSE BSc in Management inferior to their Economics degree. In fact, doing Economics will mean that you should probably study finance, accounting and valuation next to your curriculum. Yes, that degree has a slightly better reputation but is it relevant for your career? Even as an intern you are required to understand these concepts and nobody in banking will sit down and explain you how depreciation works, etc. I would recommend you to apply for finance-related degrees or business degrees which provide you with the opportunity to gain a thorough understanding of these concepts. Once you get acceptance letters, take a decision based on academic, professional, financial and lifestyle reasons. I would always recommend visiting each school before taking a 3-year decision.

 

Totally agree with what EuroLocust have said. You should definitely spend some time on visiting those schools to which you have applied. Factors such as social life, student clubs and events ... must not be excluded from your decision. I believe that the difference among top UK universities (Oxbridge, LSE, Warwick, UCL, ICL) in terms of IB opportunity is not that huge. Banks do come to all of these schools to provide information sessions. Basically, you need to have a brand name school, fufill the minimum required UCAS points and do well in the numeracy test to pass initial HR filtering. From that point, whether you will get an offer (internship/ full - time analyst) or not depends entirely on your performance in the interviews and assessment centres NOT your school name. Have you considered BSc. Accounting and Finance in LSE and Warwick ? These two courses are very relevant to IBD work IMO. If you are still interested in studying economics but fear of not having enough points for pure Economics courses, I would recommend you to research on alternative programmes that contain Economics mixed with other subjects, for example, Statistics for Economics and Management in UCL, Economics and Economic History in LSE etc Good luck with your choice.

 

Hi I'm kind of facing the same issue as you are! But I too am leaning towards LSE, because you can choose finance and economics as some of your options the 3rd year. Although worthy to mention, SSE is the very best in Sweden and all Nordic countries and they offer you an opportunity to study abroad with their exchange program completely free!

 

Both place very well in London, but I would still advise you to attend LSE, as you will in close proximity to actually network a lot. It makes quite a difference between being a train ride away and having to make phone calls.

I'm talking about liquid. Rich enough to have your own jet. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars, buddy. A player. Or nothing. See my Blog & AMA
 

I would probably give the edge slightly to Oxford in terms of placement at the undergraduate level (overall probably about the same number but there are a lot of master's students from LSE in banking), but either school will give you all the opportunities you could ask for. I wouldn't overstate the networking part, all the banks visit Oxford giving you plenty of opportunities to network. If that's not sufficient for you, London is just a train ride away. Talk to people from each school and go to the one where you believe you will have the more enjoyable experience. It probably comes down to whether you want the big city experience or the campus experience.

 

Hell, you can even study only gender studies courses if you want as long as you apply for spring weeks and get some experience, the LSE name will pave you the way into banking (given solid grades and experience). That being said, do the courses that you enjoy the most and you deem useful for your later career/life. Don't adjust your whole degree to the ultimate goal of banking, you will have the same shot doing advanced econometrics vs. corporate finance anyway.

 

In my opinion LSE is a no brainer and I agree with all the points wallstreetwolf highlighted.

I'm not sure of the recruitment figures at SSE but I don't think it would put you in a good spot for FT recruiting 2 years down the road. One of my friends go to SSE and it has not been extraordinary in terms of recruiting this year. The name is OK, but there's nothing like being on-site in London and in a more reputable school like LSE.

About the fees, you get to start working one year early instead of spending an extra year in school incurring living expenses so these two options are probably equivalent or very similar from a present value perspective.

Good luck

 

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