Breaking in from Top MSc Finance without any prior experience?

I'm currently in the process of applying to the most prestigious and well recognised MSc Finance programs in London.
I'm aiming for :
Imperial MSc Finance
LBS MFA
LSE MSc Finance or Finance & Economics

But I have no relevant prior experience.

So, let's say I manage to get accepted into one of them, my main worry is during the program when I'm applying for Summers and Off-cycles, that I don't find anything and get accepted to nothing. Especially with the current job market.

So except for applying to top french schools, hoping I get in, and trying to apply for and getting summers between the 1st and 2nd year, what can I actually do?

I doubt BB and Boutiques take in people without experience just because there is a nice LSE/LBS/IMP logo on the CV right?

12 Comments
 

A lot of people recently from these 3 schools doing masters have not got anything in term of EB/BB without experience just due to how much they have inflated the number of people accepted onto each course. Your best bet is to try and find course you have 2 years to recruit for so you double your chances .
Because at places like LBS quite a few European student who come in have experience and will probably take up those top roles.

 
Most Helpful

Exactly.. Without prior experience it will basically be a debt trap that I've seen plenty of people in my circle fall into. These schools have prestige but the outcomes don't match at all because they're only pretty but not practical. 

With chances being so low of landing an SA each year, your probability is much higher going to a 2 year master like hec, bocconi, escp etc. and grinding basically.. 

 

Okay now say that I have only 2 offers, one from Imperial MSc Finance, and another from HEC Lausanne (coming from a Swiss uni requires nothing, just a bachelor's degree, no internships, no GMAT).

In this scenario, what do I pick?
The former with at least some amount of prestige and a big target for London IB, or the latter which only opens the Swiss job market to me (where I don't want to work)

 

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