Columbia MS&E or LSE M&S for international student breaking into consulting?
Hi guys,
I'm a Columbia undergrad and have worked one year in an education company as a project manager. Now I'm deciding between offers from Columbia Management Science and Engineering and LSE Management and Strategy with a hope of getting into tier1/2 consulting, and UK/US locations both work for me. One thing to note is that I'm an international student so will need sponsorship (although I'm cap-exempt because I was previously on H1B). Any insights on which program gives me a better chance of landing a job?
Thank you and appreciate any inputs.
The U.K. is much easier for internationals - you’ll have two years to find a job. LSE isn’t amazing for consulting (definitely not as strong as finance) but providing the rest of your resume is up to scratch and you pass the online tests (big caveat) you’ll get first rounds at most firms.
Would say Columbia >= LSE from what I’ve heard in consulting, but (1) the fact that the master’s pipeline isn’t as common in the US as it is here and (2) the easier visa situation for internationals, would make me suggest LSE. Additionally, it’s another brand name rather than more Columbia.
Do be aware that U.K. consulting salaries are rubbish (barely over £50k all-in, even at MBB). If you want to go back to the US immediately then just go Columbia, but you should be able to transfer after a couple of years from London.
Thank you for very much! Just a few follow up questions:
1. Is Master's not popular among all consulting firms, or only the top ones like MBB?
2. It looks like pay in the U.K. is much lower than in U.S. - if I get into, say company like Oliver Wyman, OC&C, Accenture, is there a chance to relocate to U.S. locations in the future?
3. By saying U.K. is much easier for internationals - does that include Asian, or it's still mostly candidates from other European countries that are able to land a job?
Thank you!!
1. It’s very common for people to have a master’s at MBB/T2 in the U.K. and Europe. Much less common in the US, but do know people who have done it.
2. Yes, you can generally transfer after 18-24 months pretty easily if you have a reason to move. Would imagine easier for MBB, harder for B4.
3. Nationality shouldn’t matter. As long as you speak fluent English (which I assume you do based on educational background) you’ll be fine. Discrimination against international students for job searching is much less of a thing in the U.K. than the US.
Thank you, that's really helpful! Just one more thing, do you think it's possible that I study master's in the U.K. and apply for U.S. jobs? (including but not limited to consulting) I was previously on H1B so will be a cap-exempt candidate and as long as companies are willing to sponsor they can do it any time in a year without me going through OPT. Do U.S. companies recognize people with, say, Columbia undergrad + LSE master's?
It’s possible. Have got American friends who have done that at my university. Not easy though as you miss all OCR. Will need to network heavily, which is probably easier with Bain than McK/BCG.
Thank you very much! Do you think a Columbia undergrad will add more value to my profile when I apply for consulting in the U.S. as a Columbia master's? Given that Columbia undergrad should be a target for most firms.
I would check w/ the Columbia MBB recruiting teams (or even Columbia seniors/alums going to MBB) to get a sense of how they would consider you as a candidate if you did a masters. At my university master's students were basically treated the same as seniors, but this might vary by school.
Don't know much about LSE.
Can confirm this is how it works for U.K. MBB and is the same for the few people I know who went to US master’s after a U.K. degree without FT work experience (Stanford, MIT, Berkeley, Austin, and Cornell). Only possible exception are some scholarships - Rhodes, for example, occasionally goes straight to MBA level after two one year master’s degrees.
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