MBA in the US vs. in London?

Hello,

As you know, most American MBA programs are 2 year long and most UK programs are 1 year long. Is doing a 1-year MBA a disadvantage since you don't have a summer to do a banking internship? Does this make it harder to land a good job?

 

It definitely makes a difference if you are not going directly into the industry you work in now. Most recruiters look heavily at your previous pre-MBA experience to determine if they want to interview you. Some industries translate, but not all. If you don't quite know what you want, then a 1-year program could be limiting, in that you will not get a chance to really experience an internship. No matter how many treks you take to visit companies, or no matter how many project you work on, there's nothing like a serious internship to indicate that you know what the work will be like in your target industry, and that you can excel there.

Betsy Massar Come see me at my Q&A thread http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/b-school-qa-w-betsy-massar-of-master-admissions Ask away!
 

I am currently working in finance but my goal is IBD and that's not exactly what I'm doing at the moment. I'm doing Corporate Banking. Will it be hard to make the switch to IBD from Corp Banking with a 1 year MBA?

 

Agreed. M7 + Tuck/Haas are better than LBS/INSEAD. But it's still kind of hard to justify going to US school (except HSW) if you really really want to work in Europe. I would avoid INSEAD because it's a 1 Year program.

 

INSEAD is strong in consulting and PE in Europe, but that stat is a bit misleading because a lot of those people are being sponsored. I seriously looked at INSEAD but arrived at the conclusion that its name brand and finance opportunities are not strong enough to warrant moving all the way to Europe. I also looked at LBS but realized that it loses out to top 10 U.S. programs when it comes to finance jobs. Even in London, a Wharton/Columbia/Booth student will have an edge over LBS.

 

Wow, thanks guys. I didn't know M7 was better than LBS even for London! So, Insead is off the table too.

Final application list looks like this:

Wharton Booth Columbia NYU Stern LBS

I made a list consisting of "finance" schools. Is 5 too much? How should I change it? Should I take NYU or Booth out? Any recommendations are appreciated.

 
fa1313:

Wow, thanks guys. I didn't know M7 was better than LBS even for London! So, Insead is off the table too.

Final application list looks like this:

Wharton
Booth
Columbia
NYU Stern
LBS

I made a list consisting of "finance" schools. Is 5 too much? How should I change it? Should I take NYU or Booth out? Any recommendations are appreciated.

5 is not too much. List looks good if you are a strong candidate who likes large city school environment. Stern and LBS can act as backups. Good to diversify. And apply to Columbia ED.

 

Well, My background is as follows. 2.68 ugrad GPA Mechanical Engineering. I know this is bad. But i offset it with 3.90 gpa in Ms finance and 750 GMAT. In addition, I have 4 years of non-ibd finance work exp.

Do you think these schools are a stretch?

 

Yeah you'd definitely be competitive. If you look at some of the alumni/current student Oxbridge MBAs the background work experience isnt as rigorous as you might think. That being said, If I had the money, I'd definitely pick Insead over Oxbridge - if you have the cash to go to London for interviews etc. Personally, I just think it's MBA programme is more well known in Europe. I would say that Insead is the 2nd top MBA programme behind LBS (And it is only 1 year), although you can't go wrong with Oxbridge, these universities just aren't known for their business schools.

 

The hardest part about getting to the UK to work will be getting a Visa afterwards. The UK has really clamped down on those, as you mentioned.

While agree with TommyGunn that INSEAD is a better school, it requires 3 languages (1 of which is French) by the time that you graduate. From what you said in your post, English is your only language so it would really be tough sledding for you. Oxbridge isn't a bad choice in the UK at all, plus it is MUCH better known on this side of the pond than anything else (even arguably LBS).

 

Can you please elaborate on the post-MBA Visa scenario? I read that there is no post study work permit. Students have 4 months post education to find a sponsor for the work Visa. Do UK employers also have to go through similar costs & paper-work behind an international student for the work Visa? Which countries should one (English speaking student) prefer for an MBA where the MBA placements & compensations are good and relatively better & secure work Visa situation?

 

LBS is the only one worth considering, if you are otherwise qualified for US MBA business schools">M7 schools. Even Said and Judge can't really compare...

 

LBS is the best, compares well with the other US ones... Consistently ranked within the top 5 in the world. The others would be Oxford (Said) and Cambridge (Judge), they are climbing up the rankings fast. Like Yale they leverage on their reputed university name rather than BS programme. Btw they offer one year MBAs vs the 2 yr LBS one. So that might be something to think about. Also, consider Insead in France/Singapore. Many UK firms recruit out of there... Insead like LBS is internationally acclaimed and well respected. Hope this helps

 

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