MSc. at Cass or LSE?
Hey guys,
I need some advice on what school to I should choose for my MSc. My career goal is to break into investment banking and from that perspective LSE has a better reputation.
Unfortunately, I didn't get into a finance/economics masters at LSE, instead I got admitted to MSc. in Economic History, which doesn't involve a lot of preparation for a banking career but I will be able to pick some optional courses that are leaning more towards that industry.
So that was my first choice. Secondly, I have also been admitted to MSc. in corporate finance at Cass Business School. It is of course ideal when it comes to the actual courses and learning - but like many has written in this forum before - it is not a target school.
So my dilemma is; choose the most appropriate programme for my career choice or the school with the best reputation around banks?
Also, bare in mind that if I were to go ahead with LSE I am not worried about not learning enough to prepare for a career in banking, as I have a genuine interest for finance and will devote much of my spare time to pratice valuation models etc.
Thanks so much for your help!
LSE - hands down. You don't go to LSE for the classes, you don't go to LSE for professors - you go to LSE to gain access to banks and a network. LSE gives you all of this. Your MSc actually is quite interesting, bottom line is I see LSE on your CV and I talk to you. I see Cass and I don't care. Outside the UK Cass' reputation is almost non existant.
Exactly. The perfect point man
Disjoint is blunt, but i would agree with him
Thanks Disjoint, I really appreciate your advice and I agree but it feels stupid to pay a large amount of money for a History degree when I have a limited interest in the subject. I really don't know what to do here.
If anyone else has a different view or even better has been studying MSc. Economic History and aims for a career in banking - I would love to hear your thoughts!
What did you study for your bachelors? You say you have a genuine interest in finance, how so? Internships? Have you got contacts? Have you got a story for why finance when you're studying something not even remotely connected? It's not as black and white as you make it out to seem. Without any background information, you won't get any reliable answers.
Thanks for your input Black Star, yeah I am working in finance at the moment (not banking) and I have contacts in the industry. I studied Finance for my BSc. and I think I am quite well-prepared for working in the industry. Do you share the same opionon as Disjoint?
How long have you been working for? I am presuming it is FT. Not that it will make much of a difference but was your undergrad target/semi/non-target?
Disclaimer: I don't run through CVs, so please take any advice I give with a pinch of salt.
OP, I disagree with Disjoint. Since you are already working, you are not given the benefit of doubt when it comes to your choice of subject as grads are. An MSC in Economic History is a tough sell when you are trying to explain to future employers why you wish to switch jobs into front office IB.
I would go for the relevant course (i.e. Cass corporate finance), leverage that into a couple of MM/boutique internships and move to a BB from there. Much easier to land an internship with Corp Fin than Economic History as it sends a clear signal to your future employers that you want an IB job.
The school matters less here. And no school is a shoo-in for IBD anyway, not even Oxbridge (or the LSE).
I'm going to say this, have a few finance certs and show that you've taken financy classes and a lot of recruiters might not even see the word history. It's only a SINGLE WORD on your resume. Have a good story and be spot on.
If things are as they are in the US, major matters less than university and if you have an undergrad in fin you don't have to explain a ton. Just focus on polish and sophistication.
LSE, for sure. It is thé number 1 target school for IB in London and yes that means above OxBridge. I've seen people who did degrees in fucking geography at LSE get hired by Goldman for FT. Ofcourse, without a decent resume not even LSE will get you into BB IBD but all else equal LSE is definitely your best choice. I mean its also economic history, it has the word economic in it so you should be fine. Just have a decent story ready as to why you wanted to do Economic History. Don't do Cass dude, for every person at Cass that gets hired by a BB at least 10 get hired from LSE.
He was inquiring about postgrad...
The person I am talking about did an MSc in Geography, so postgrad.
Thank you all for your input, just out of curiosity; all people who have been advising me to go to LSE, are you from from US? Because I realise that LSE has a much higher reputation there but I have no intentions of moving there permanently. I live in London and will be looking to stay here for at least the next 10-15 years.
Thanks guys, all input is more than welcome as I haven't decided yet.
A few close person to me did the MSc in Economic History at LSE and another acquaintance is on the program right now. Truth is, the course is extremely interesting but if you're looking to break in Finance then it might not be your best bet. A few people on the program did indeed have work experience and were looking for a one year break from industry but the majority were recent graduates.
If you're looking to stay in London/Europe, then in my opinion only Oxbridge can trump LSE's placement in the City. However, because you are an experienced hire, moving into Front Office will be harder, even if you have the LSE brand name. My suggestion would be that if you're adamant on going into FO then consider an MBA.
For postgrad LSE > OxBridge. For undergrad I would agree with you.
Also, to OP, I am from Europe yet still consider LSE a superior choice.
To be honest, both are not ideal. I personally wouldn't pay that amount of money for Cass, but I also do not see the MSc EconHistory as a good choice for you. Maybe stay in your current job another year or apply for new jobs out of your current and if nothing comes around, apply to LSE AccFin/Fin/FinP again?
Cass seems to be the obvious winner here. What are you going to talk about during your interviews? How are you going to explain why you want to work in finance and in IB but chose to get a masters in history? Devoting 'spare time to financial modeling' is incredibly inefficient. Who's going to raise the issue of partial period adjustments, alpha factors/discount rate adjustments, etc?
It appears as though you're severely underestimating the value of an actual education and knowing what you're talking about during an interview. As I understand it, Cass is a pretty good school is not?
Disclosure: LSE alum here, definitely biased.
LSE hands down. IBs don't care about your subject if you are from LSE/Oxbridge. Everything else could be outsourced - but not the school brand name.
What to talk about in the interview is not an issue. You could study everything by yourself, and you have work exp already. Econ History is pretty interesting too. I have no knowledge of the MSc but the BSc involves lots of econ-related quant stuff.
For entry level IB - you need the school name. Yea it's only a beautiful introduction but you could just prepare the basic IBD/S&T stuff easily along side when you are doing your MSc - LSE has enough resources for that.
Your diploma and school name is going to stick with you for the rest of your LIFE. Cass is indeed very nice, but doesn't really give you as many interviews especially in TOP PE/HF. To be honest here, my current fund and the fund I used to work at only recruit from Oxbridge/LSE/LBS for entry level.
If we start to talk about the alum network.....sorry Cass.
I was interviewed at a first round interview by an analyst that had studied theology at oxford. I was on exchange at LSE and was only able to secure the interview through the network LSE provides. Clearly the rep of the school is far more important than the major. IB in London welcomes people from all fields, I think its the same in the US? Its not the same at regional EU offices that require a technical finance background. Go for LSE!!!
Edit: programs I would consider instead of Cass in order to get into IB (apart from obvious LBS, Oxbridge). Bocconi Msf, SSE Msf, ESADE Msf, StGallen MfinAcc. Maybe even ESCP? Check LinkedIn to get a feel for which schools are targeted.
Hi man, few years ago I know. Can you tell us what's happened?
LSE MSc Finance (Originally Posted: 05/29/2014)
I have received an unconditional offer from LSE and Cass to do an MSc in Finance. I want to break into Investment Banking, which one should I choose? Please help me. Thanks
Perferendis sed cupiditate et a. Qui blanditiis quibusdam officiis consectetur qui officia nobis sit. Reiciendis totam est libero consequuntur ut. Error nisi ipsum pariatur est iure minima quam. Distinctio nihil dolorem nostrum qui veritatis.
Quis tenetur nam ut illo. Maiores eos tenetur id molestiae a. Repellat facilis illum quis exercitationem. Quod cum et earum illum ex et.
Ut incidunt quasi excepturi architecto consectetur voluptatem distinctio. Sit rerum non officiis unde illo est velit. Dicta rerum deserunt enim saepe eos ab. Similique voluptas nostrum voluptate tempore.
Iusto quae quos enim recusandae eaque explicabo vitae. Et quo temporibus amet et unde. Praesentium aut architecto et esse nostrum. Id sint sunt dolorum.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Assumenda molestiae est qui officiis repudiandae. At qui officia voluptate similique nihil. Libero dolore sit sed doloribus deleniti in. Illum laborum optio debitis iste omnis sed. Voluptas quia quo nihil sequi voluptatum. Iste recusandae et fugit.