Bocconi University

cruel3a:

- As stated above, the MSc in International Management is not Bocconi's flagship (which I think is ESS and not Finance) but it will give you a shot at any firm you may be interested in (ie. McK, GS, PwC, Vodafone, any!); - At the same time, it will give you the opportunity to attend semesters abroad (exchange program) or other international experiences (cems (6 months), double degrees (12 months)); - Again, as stated above, it will be difficult to break in socially if you don't speak italian but you will be in an english course with 30% of foreign students so you will still have the opportunity to make a lot of friends; - I do not think Milan is a bad place where to study and have fun. Obv. the weather is better in Rome or in South Italy but IMO that it is not a major issue (and you have to consider where you come from since it is better than in London). At the same time, Milan can offer you a lot of things to do and it is a decent hub if you want to travel around Europe (you can find easyjet and ryan air airports within an hour). Obv. it is not London or other 100% party based places (ie. Madrid) but you can have fun (and find good food); - Job in Italy may be easy since Bocconi is a top institution and you have to complete an internship before graduation, but the italian job market sucks and salaries (excluding for investment banking) tend to be well below other European cities; - the school places above average in London and in Banking. Just below Oxbridge and LSE; - friends who completed that program now work at Deloitte Consulting, BCG, McK, Barclays (2)

At the end, if you want to study in Continental Europe, I would pick only HEC or SSE over Bocconi.

Fell free to PM me if you want (Bocconi alumnus).

Hi, I have got into Bocconi's Master in International management with 100% tuition waiver. But I was concerned about the job market in Italy and Europe in general. Given the scenario, would it be wise to go and study in Italy ? Also, I came to know that not many cultural activities are organized for international students and most of the cultural activities are in Italian (very difficult for an international student who doesnot know any italian to attend). Also the method of teaching is mostly theoretical, whereas a business school should focus more on case studies, group work etc. Are these allegations true ? Just FYI I am an Indian Looking forward to hear from you - A confused soul

cruel3a:

If you are not italian you should be able to land a scholarship with a score >=680 + good GPA. If you go higher than 700 you should get it 100%. Any score >=650 should give you solid chances to get in, especially if you are not European.

Anyway, you are required to apply before the end of March (or 15 March?) to be considered for the scholarship.

Thanks. I got a 690, so it's definitely worth a shot. I'll try my best to send my documents asap.

To answer the second part of this post, it has gotten easier to get a job in Europe as a non-European postgrad. Look into the European Blue Card Program. However, as others have said, Italian salaries tend to be a bit lower than other countries and the economic situation in Italian will probably not be sorted out for a while with the political chaos there (A Comedian as the leading vote getter?)

Question for the OP: Do you speak Italian? Even though courses are in English, I can tell you from my aborad experience, it is a pure bitch to find jobs if you don't speak the local language to a passable level (but not impossible).

I have no clue what entrance requirements are like for undergrad but it's worth an application. Do you have any specific career goals? Bocconi is a a lot tougher than your typical undergrad save for maybe Harvard, Yale, Princeton, M.I.T. and Caltech.

DreamingWL:

Which is the best MSc program at Bocconi to break into IBD in London?

MSc in Finance, Major in Investment Banking (if you want to work in M&A)

just don't go to school in italy problem= solved

I posted a thread about it and a few guys confirmed that their banks in London only hired italians from Bocconi.

It's not true, banks don't look only at Italians from Bocconi. However, there are different issues to consider in IB recruitment process, which can be very 'random' at times. An advantage of Italians is that banks usually recruit them to cover Italian clients, so they have language and culture skills which puts them at a better position. Another thing is working permit/Visa. Obviously, it will be a lot easier to hire someone who doesn't need any permit than someone who has to be sponsored. I know most BB will say they sponsor for visas, and they do, but if you have a very big pool of excellent candidates, you can afford to think this way. I did my undergrad at Bocconi, so if you have any questions I would be glad to answer. To be honest, it depends on what are your alternatives - do you plan to apply to some other university, can you get a scholarship, etc. but there are many Bocconi students in IB in London, so their alumni network is very strong. All major banks come to Bocconi and hold presentations which is a good networking opportunity and a sign that it is one of their target schools. You also are in a good position to do an internship between first and second year of the program, after which you can be offered full-time after you graduate.

I am also at a continental EU target, the thing about BB only interviewing italians or french or whatever for positions is not true at all.

They care most about your previous experience and your academic profile. If you have stellar work experience and a good gpa, why would they not interview you?

I know of Chinese classmates that gotten interviews in London (MS/GS/JPM) for trading. After getting the interview, it is on the individual to convert but that said, if you are good enough, you get interviews

One more thing, I found that the Finance program at Bocconi covers 70% of CFA curriculum...is it actually possible for 1,5 year? Ok, even if it's true, it's seems irrelevant.

I think Bocconi and HEC place better than SSE or St Gallen, at least from my experience. Regarding languages, Italian is fairly simple language, if you learn the basics now, you can improve it a lot while you're there. This of course depends on the person, I know people who never learned it, even though they lived in Italy for three years. If you know some other language, like Russian or some other Eastern Europe language it is also an advantage.

I am not sure about scholarships, I would assume that they give out a lot in the first round, but there may be some in the following rounds too.

Regarding target/non-target, I believe the important thing is where recruiters go. For example, all major banks will usually visit LSE, Oxbridge, Bocconi, HEC...etc. This means that they focus on these universities and have already established relations with them. So I would say your undergrad is not crucial.

MSc Finance is quite tough, especially first year, so I guess it's possible they cover a big part of CFA. I think they have some sort of agreement, so students can skip a level in obtaining CFA, but I'm not sure how it works, it should be written somewhere on the website.

Guys, is that true that 2/3 of curriculum covered in finance track is not applied in real life?

If you mean applicable in IB, then probably yes. A lot of Masters go really in depth in some of the concepts and often approach it from an academic point of view. IB seems to be a lot less concerned with underlying assumptions of different models, so many things you learn will not actually be used in banks. Masters is usually a preparation for PhD for some students, so some courses will aim to give you tools for academic research (e.g. econometrics) and this approach may not be very useful on the job. That's why banks have no problem hiring an English major, for example, since people usually learn the skills on the job.

Ok, I see that some business schools, regardless of that they are actually business not research ones, offer programs that are too theoretical, and just some electives seem to be applicable in real life. While Bocconi, SSE and St Gallen are more about research, RSM and HEC have more applied courses.

Hi Julia, I would like to know why didn't you apply to Bocconi MSc Finance? Isn't it good for non-EU students? I am planning to apply for the Msc finance program of Bocconi. I will be grateful if you could help.

Deleted.

If you want IBD, study finance, it's common sense. Anyway, no degree will guarantee you a job in London, especially if you don't have work experience in finance.