Messed up uni choices, seeking honesty. (CO)
Hi all,
Last year, I was offered a place at UCL to study a niche course that I lost interest in over the summer period. (I was worried that, despite it being UCL, I would still be judged for studying a completely unrelated degree to finance and consulting. I attempted to change the course but had no luck.)
Despite taking a gap year and re-applying, I received 0 offers (1 alternate offer from KCL) this year, and now I'm not sure what to do.
I think it would be very unwise for me to take another gap year, so I'm thinking of accepting the offer at KCL and requesting to transfer to LSE/UCL at the end of year.
However, if UCL/LSE provides an offer, I would, in effect, be losing out on two years (gap year + year at KCL). Do you think it would even be worth accepting the offer at that point? Or would it be wiser to remain at KCL and apply to a master's programme (LSE/UCL) if I am unable to secure a job at that point?
I'm leaning toward applying to LSE next year but not UCL. Someone please correct me if I am wrong, however from what I've read on this forum, LSE seems to be a 'priority' target with UCL being a tier below. I am confident that if I did apply to UCL again, I would get in. However, I am just worried that I would effective be sacrificing two years in order to study at a university that would only marginally improve my prospects in comparison to KCL. (unlike LSE)
If the BCG slide for pre-screening (2017) is still valid, it seems that one would still need to achieve a Master's at Oxbridge,Imperial,LSE - regardless if one has a UG degree from UCL or KCL. In this case, surely I'd be better off continuing at KCL and apply for a masters in the future? (not re-applying for UG at UCL).
I'm sorry if this is very cliche, however, would an UG degree from KCL open any doors to the industry? (I'm aware that I don't have of a chance with an MBB but would I stand a chance at other firms/Big Four.)
I would really appreciate if someone could help provide some feedback/advice. Is it time to assess other career options ?
Thank you.
Hi 458544345, no, I never sleep and so I can respond to any lonely threads (like this one) at all hours of the night. Impressive, I know ;-)
More suggestions...
If those topics were completely useless, don't blame me, blame my programmers...
1. with UCL, no one would care (from a professional standpoint) what course you did, only thing corporates care about are your grades (whether its above a 2.1)
2. go for KCL. dont waste a whole year chasing a university, you'll be 2 years behind your friends and agemates, its not worth it. 1 year is ok, 2 years is a stretch (coming from someone who did that)
3. i know people personally who interviewed with MBB from kings UG. as long as your grades are good and if you cant get a summer internship from consulting (which is hard even if you go to LSE or UCL) try to get as much bougie brands as possible (so do IBD at Goldman for example or whatever). As long as you fill your CV with good brand name experiences, youll be fine.
4. apply to grad roles in consulting in your third year, if that doesnt work out for whatever reason, then do the masters. treat the masters as a way to buy another opportunity to apply. also going to LSE for example, wont guarantee you a consulting job, you may be more likely on paper to get an interview but sometimes that doesnt happen or sometimes you F up your interview or whatever. and then you might have to do a masters, so might as well using this coming year as ammo to do a masters with after KCL rather than waste it for LSE and maybe having to do a masters
5. MBB is the creme de le creme, if people from Kings can get interviews there, they for sure can get interviews at Big 4 / Banks / Tier 2 consulting firms / magic circle law firms etc
all in all, go to Kings, dont waste a year chasing UCL and LSE, trust me its not worth it
Agree with above. King’s is a tier below UCL/LSE but not sure it’s so far off to delay by 2yrs
You’re right UCL/KCL aren’t at the same level as LSE in terms of recruitment but it shouldn’t hinder you from getting interviews at banks and places etc. Know of many diligent KCL students who ended up in BB/EB. Apparently the head of KCL Banking & Finance Soc is a law student funnily enough and going to JPM Coverage this summer.
I would advise you apply for LSE master’s though as branding is a long term strategy and also gives another year for SA recruitment.
Hope that helps
Thank you for the advice,
I'm definitely going to stick with KCL however I think I'm still going to apply to LSE again (for the following year). This is all speculation, but If I can produce top grades in my first year (at KCL) then it might give LSE a reason to accept me.
I'm not sure this BCG slide is still valid, but wouldn't it suggest that a 1st from a Tier 1 holds the same value as a 1st from Tier 2?
So, whether I'm studying at UCL or KCL, if I don't receive any internships/offers I'd likely have to apply for a masters at a priority uni anyway. I'm just worried that only certain candidates are chosen from KCL e.g. those studying medicine/law. I've seen else where on the forum that most firms don't really look at the course specialisation - however, I am worried that this is only true for targets; the course I'd be studying is not competitive at all.
Anyway, as it stands, I'll stick with KCL -> apply for LSE next year -> no offer, apply for internships -> no internships -> decide on master's or a different career path.
Thanks again.
I would simplify by just sticking to King's bachelor's and just secure a BB/EB summer - grind your ass off with technicals and be the sharpest guy in the AC. Then, do LSE MFin or any LSE finance-related master's for that matter (try get MFin tho - the best program).
No need to chase the UG name if it means another year wasted and more money poured into your education. Remember you are here to learn at the end of the day
I know this thread is a bit old but the screenshot you shared is only for the pre-screening. For the actual screening process a 1st from a tier 1 uni (UCL) is an academic 'B' tier and a 1st form a tier 2 uni is an academic 'C' tier. The non-academic requirements for C tier is much higher to pass the screening, so I would suggest try reapplying to UCL if not LSE because the non-academic requirements for A tier unis are much more attainable. (This information is directly from the slides)
Hey - I've completely different reasons but will be taking another year out (after initial gap year).
The way I see it:
- 1) why waste 1 year making friends, spending on rent, living, etc. if you don't want to be there long-term. Unless perhaps you want that independence for one year (+ perhaps the making friends aspect is more negligible as you're still in London) - it ultimately may mean 9.25k down the drain + living costs, just to restart from Y1 at LSE anyway.
- 2) Also, masters is much more expensive than if you take out one year extra and just break in via undergrad degree. Plus all the pressure is then in one year as opposed to across 3 we have at UG.
- 3) Finally, 1 more year isn't a huge difference - considering Big 4 accountants break into Analyst roles at 28/29 - don't stress about 1 more year.
- 4) Last thing - make sure to check clearing etc. opens soon, maybe some courses are still available! nb: University brand > course.
Long-story short: If you can live with staying at KCL for long-term, and trying to transfer out (remember no guarantee) then do it. But if your heart is not in the university, and you will never want to be there longer term, then don't do it and take one year out to get prepared for a university you will be able to enjoy with no overhead stress of then moving to another uni etc.
Hi, thanks for the feedback. They are all valid points but I think there's less obviously a lot less risk with attending uni + applying for LSE next year.
1. If my experience at KCL (grades/relevant modules/extracurricular) can help me get into LSE then I think the 9.25k is money well spent. I'd also be commuting from home so I won't have any accomodation fees (at least for the first year).
2. The post-grad fees are insane, however even if I were doing an UG at LSE there's no guarantee i'd get interships. There's always a possibility that i'd be 'forced' to a masters anyway (another chance) regardless of what uni I get my UG from. Also, I haven't looked into this, but apparently its much easier to get a masters from a target uni - I've heard that LSE is a 'post-grad farm' so I could still end up 'graduating' from LSE in the future anyway. Whether a post-grad from LSE is as valuable as an UG degree is a completely different debate.
3. You're right, 1 more year isn't a lot. I suppose in the long term no one will care. That being said, I'm more inclined to adopt a 'get on with it mindset'. I don't want to be in a situation where I've lost another year with no offers. I think its important to maintain a level of mental motivation. You don't want to be completely burnt out with no interest to go to university, let alone to put in the effort to break into IB/CO.
4. I'll definitely keep an eye out when clearing opens, but honestly, any target uni won't have vacancies unless its something super niche or, if nationally, all A-level students perform badly. Even in that case, most uni's would be more linclined to allow applicants with offers - even if they missed their req grades.
Honestly, I don't think I have the option of taking another year out anyway (family), so I'm just going to stick with KCL and try to apply for LSE next year. If I end up getting an offer, I can decide further along the line. However, given that I've been rejected for LSE twice already, I'm not exactly expecting anything positive anyway. My odds of getting into UCL are probably a lot higher, but like I said in an earlier post, a 2nd year out might be worth it for LSE, but I don't think its quite the same for UCL.
Just to add, I would assume that most firms care more about work experience than a university name. So, if I can get a number of internships from Big 4/Boutique even Civil Service, I'd assume that I'd still have a decent shot at working my way up the ladder.
Its quite a big decision, so make a clear plan and be sure to have a back up if you don't get any offers next year. I wrongly assumed that I'd get an offer from a university I wanted to go to because of my grades. If we are being cynical here, unless you have done something exception, most of these target uni's prefer to accept international applicants (who probably have similar grades and same motivations) who are willing to pay almost 4x our fees. Don't rely on getting an offer.
All the best.
Et corrupti voluptas ea minima incidunt rerum. Tempore omnis sequi quae. Quod et omnis quod velit. Saepe non quam nulla recusandae corporis beatae.
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