Just wondering how good LSE's reputation is in the US and in particular big cities like US (Wall Street), Chicago?
Is it as well regarded as any of the Ivy Leagues? Also, is it well represented on the street?
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If you go to LSE, you should really just aim for the London offices. Let's just say that it's far better known over there than here.
I agree with Beretta. Stick to London. You'll be much more successful with the LSE brand over there.
Much like any college that isn't regularly mentioned on television shows, LSE is fairly unknown to most Americans, even educated ones. I went to Columbia last year and there were so many people who asked me where it was and whether "its accounting program was any good." I will be going to one of HYP this year, and still get a lot of blank stares.
That said, if you focus your networking completely and solely on top industry professionals in NYC and (perhaps) SF, you'll face a decent probability of people knowing how reputable LSE is. In Chicago, I doubt very many would be aware of the LSE.
The average person doesn't know it well, but those who matter usually do. Similar to university of Chicago or university of Pennsylvania.
STL is right on with comparisons to UPenn and UC. As someone that studied at UChicago and LSE, and currently works in Chicago, I can say that the LSE brand will definitely be recognized (there are even functions in the city for former LSE students which generally get good turnout).
Is Imperial College known in Chicago (to the recruiters/"people who matter")
really, LSE is similar to University of Chicago. Where in America are you exactly?
I have to disagree with a lot of the other comments here. LSE has pretty good brand name and recognition on the Street. People who matter know the school and its reputation.
its not as much a matter of how known it is but recruiting practicalities, if you go to school in uk you will interview in the uk for uk spots
That's the key factor here. There will be very few opportunities to be recruited into the states from LSE. Although I'm sure over time you could make a move into the states, it might be difficult in the beginning. But it is definitely a great brand...
Smart folks know it's as good as Oxford/Cambridge which makes you competitive with UChicago grads.
If you want a top tier education in econ and you want to be approachable to ordinary folks, LSE is a pretty good choice.
Hopping the pond is pretty darned easy once you are working for a big bank. So if you were to go to LSE, the path of least resistance (and most money) to Wall Street is to get hired by a global firm with large presences in the US and Europe (Deutsche and Barclays come to mind in particular), join a team that's got folks in NY, or that works with folks in NY on a regular basis, and then hop the pond. When I was working for a bank, pond hopping was a regular thing and one out of about every 15-20 people in the office had a British accent.
Work visas are very key here. If you have a green card or are a US citizen and can get UK work authorization, LSE is not a bad choice.
^^^ Of course, OP may not want to hop the pond.
If I wanted a long illustrious career as a C-level exec, I'd get an MBA from Oxford or INSEAD, or maybe LSE, work in London for 3-4 years, THEN come to the US.
I come from a pretty tightly knit family, though. So 800 miles from Chicago is about my limit.
^^^ INSEAD / LBS / IMD / IESE MBA >>> LSE / Oxbridge MBA in my opinion, but who cares :)
Only problem with this opinion is that LSE doesn't offer any regular MBA program...
https://lfylive.lse.ac.uk/lfy/tc/enquiries/enquiry.html?a=4&q=549
Does the same thing apply for Imperial College?
hey thanks for the reply. Does this mean that there is a much lower chance of me switching from a London branch to a US branch?
This is equivalent to saying MIT is less known than say Wharton.
Imperial has one of the best educational programmes in the UK, especially in STEM where they probably exceed all others. They are pretty much a global brand, though not as.... "noisy" as oxbridge.
I speak of course from a technical background.
Regarding the whole office switching thing: Is it just possible to switch from say London to a financial hub like NYC or Hong Kong or would it also be possible to lateral from London to a place like San Francisco once you are at a BB?
I don't blame anyone for these posts, but I think you should all calm down. The bottom line is if you can make it into LSE, you will do fine. I'm heavily biased. I'm attending my MSc at LSE (political-econ) in one month.
There is so much more to education and careers than going to HBS and getting an MBA track job. If you do well in LSE you'll do fine if you move to NYC. Sure it might not be super easy, and GS might not suck you off while you Investment Bank yr pants off--but who cares?
Look you'll be fine, LSE is a great school. And instead of obsessing over 'name brand prestige' for one second, you will be SMART. You will learn a bunch, network well, get some good experience, and that's awesome! Everyone here who attend schools (loosely) ranked, let's say, 10-20, are so nervous. As though if it isn't some hardcore ultra-prestige school no one will care. That's just not true.
In the end the difference between an LSE student and a Harvard student will have more to do with the level of intelligence, motivation, and hustle, the graduate has. I'm not saying LSE is on par with Harvard, before everyone freaks out. I just mean if you go to LSE but are a baller--you'll do fucking SWELL.
LSE is a great school. But for finance jobs in the U.S. you're much better off going to a top American MBA program. Lot of this has to do with the sparse alumni network in the U.S. amongst the likes of LBS/INSEAD/LSE/Oxford. From talking to people, they all advised me to NOT do a european mba or masters unless i was prepared to work in Europe right afterwards.
LSE is the king of the joker master's programs. like the NYU of the UK, basically.
It depends on the program. LSE's masters in finance only accepts like 5% or even less. It's a very tough program. And NYU's masters in financial math is also a very strong program.
i suspect it is on the back of the legit master's like that that they built up this ridiculous cash cow of the nonsense master's programs. they dilute the brand.
I'll echo what people are saying about jumping the pond after working for a while. The LSE name will get you interviews at just any bank in London but you'll be out of the loop for US recruiting which is by OCR. Your best bet is to do what IP suggested.
LSE is a big target - a third of my BB s&t grad class went there.
LSE is a terrific school, and most American's would be at least familiar with the name... HOWEVER, it is not the best move if you are looking to get hired for a bank in the US..
The biggest advantage to going to grad school are: ability to intern, and alumni presence... LSE lacks these two things here in the states...
People saying, "Oh you can just hop the pond!"... Slow your roll. First, LSE wont guarantee you a seat with a top shop that has large operations in both the US and in London. So you should first put your focus into that and not count your egg's before they hatch. Second, groups just dont transfer anyone to the US just bc they want to (way to many candidates already here), you would have to bring something truly unique. Most of the time they will either hire a junior guy in the office or someone already in the states who has relationships with American clients. I have seen many friends who get hired for a MS/GS Japan or whatever, with the intention on making the hop back- and almost all have stayed because the move is far more difficult than they once perceived.
what is LSE?
As others said, LSE will be well-known by those who it's important to. It spits out a large majority of the IB and High Finance grads in the UK and Europe.
Nevermind
Ok, I will offer a deal. I will research and, if I can do so honestly, promote Imperial in the US. You Imperial Alumns promote UIUC's College of Engineering. (#4 Engineering program in the US). Obviously there are smart people everywhere and it is better to have smart people in the front office than dumb people.
Deal. http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings?s=Me… but if you don't really trust these rankings, you can go on the student room which is a uk student forum and ask them about Imperial.
This thread kind of opened my eyes since I am senior in Bulgaria. Thank you.
This thread kind of opened my eyes since I am senior in Bulgaria. Thank you.
LSE for the USA? (Originally Posted: 05/26/2008)
I've considered pursuing the Masters of Finance degree for one year following my graduation in the USA for a couple of reasons.
1) It is a much more prestigious school than the school I currently attend in the USA, and if I do well, it would increase my chances of being accepted into a top tier MBA program.
2) Since I go to a total non-target, the opportunities for recruiting for front office positions will be a lot better.
How is this school recruited for the USA though? I know all the bulge brackets recruit for their Europe office, but am not sure about NYC recruiting.
Also, how much will this help with getting into a top USA MBA school (if I do well)? Please note, I have a 3.75+ GPA already at my current undergraduate school, which is up and coming, but far from prestigious and well-known.
I know someone who came from a non-target (think high 30's in USNWR LAC rankings) who did a year at LSE and is now working at Goldman (I'm 100% sure it's in the US, just not positive what city.)
So yes, it can be done. To what extent, I have no clue. However, I will let you know that LSE is very, very prestigious. It's certainly comparable HSW in terms of overall international prestige.
I myself am in the same position as you (non-target undergrad), however my GPA is slightly lower. I am also looking at MSF programs upon graduation (I'll address that later).
B-School wise your GPA is more than sufficient, check the stats of all the top schools, your acads are above average and most likely in the top 20% of students. A strong GMAT and some good work experience is what you need for a top MBA, not a Masters.
However, MSF programs do improve your job prospects (and pay), especially coming from a non-target. I don't know much about LSE's program, however I would recommend checking out Washington U of St. Louis, U of Florida, and Vanderbilt for top state-side programs.
Shoot me a message if you have anymore questions about MSF programs as I have done extensive research on many programs.
If you can get into LSE it doesn't even really matter if you do a masters in finance or a masters in comparative anthropology (or any other major); you will be a very high interview priority for all the BBs. On campus recruiting is done by the London office (in the case of GS/ML/JPM their office is just down the street from LSE) but many end up working in Americas (NYC) or pacific rim (Hong Kong) as well as EMEA.
There is really no comparison between LSE and schools like Vanderbilt or WUSTL when it comes to IB recruiting.
LSE is a big target school for Goldman especially, if you get into a masters program there and work hard, there will definitely be opportunities to get into good firms
There is no point to do the MSc Finance program AND an MBA.
What are your career objectives?
The MSc Finance is to improve all quantitative skills and is directly applicable to finance. If you are already in the field, it can only help w/ upward mobility. If you are looking for more of a managerial/overall business degree, then do the MBA. It is your own choice as to what you want to do w/ your life, but I can tell you right now, it's the biggest waste of time and money to do both degrees.
Cheers
I disagree with the above poster. I just finished up my LSE Masters and you are right, I have the quant skills, but I don't feel like I've learned anything about strategic thinking and managing people. So an MBA might actually be useful if you want to move up the corporate ladder...
ab123 - wouldn't one expect to learn that through real world experience? i mean, if you need a course to teach you how to manage people, don't you think that may be a problem within itself?
just playing devils advocate.
I agree that managing people can't really be learned in a class room, but consider that fact that as an analyst, you are really the one being managed so you are not really getting management experience. An MBA can be the first step you get in learning how to manage people. And if you think managing should be done by common sense, then think again because a lot of people really don't have that much of it.
I also think that strategic thinking is not that easy to just pick up as you go. To be able to have a vision of where you want to take something and implement it is very difficult to do. Just consider many of the business transactions that have failed through history, and they were probably done by people who thought they had quite a bit of real world experience. A good B-School will teach you how to focus a vision you have and implement it to minimize problems.
I don't think an MBA is that intellectually stimulating though, especially from what I have read on threads and heard from friends. With that said, you have the opportunity to develop a much greater network then you ever could as an analyst working 80 hours a week.
Believe me, I still have doubts about whether or not I should apply, and specifically when to do it. I think hearing from someone whose gone and done an LSE Masters then gone on to do an MBA would be helpful in determining if it is actually worth doing.
If you want to do an MBA at a later stage but still want to do a masters at the LSE, look around at some of their other programs. It's reputation for being finance only is unfair - the school is frankly amazing for all of the social sciences. At banks in the US and Europe there are LSE alums with masters degrees in international relations, economic history, political science, etc working at top investment banks.
So rather than doing an MSc Finance and then doing an MBA down the line, you might find another MSc program that's interesting to you for its academic value, and then look at an MBA later for its professional value.
I agree w/ fp's thinking. ab123, i'm just curious which degree you did at LSE and if you had any work-experience prior?
I personally do not work at an ibank but work in strategy full-time for a start-up, therefore, maybe my perspective is a bit skewed as to the real world experience you can gain w/out achieving an mba. With that said, however, I still feel that it should be choice between an msc finance (finance/accounting, econ, etc) or the mba. Unless you come from a non-target and didn't major in business and need the quant foundations, plus the managerial perspective, I just can't see the benefit (in monetary terms as well) of doing both programs. Why not just do the MBA w/ a focus in finance and not waste the money at the LSE (unless you do fp's perspective... but yet, isn't that still a waste if the work your studying is not applicable to your career, albeit interesting stuff!)
ahh, i did a econ degree, not a finance degree, and it was more academically inclined then professionally. No work experience, but starting in Ibanking FT next month
There ya go. See, I can see that making a little more sense since you won't have the real world experience prior to the LSE degree. Are you still in London mate? Working at a bank in London or back in the states?
I think many of you are missing the point. With regards to the OP and his current situation, a Masters in Finance from LSE or another top UK school will allow him to break into the field which he is currently unable to do out of a non-target undergrad. Forget those state programs, they will not help. Essentially, he is going to be doing one additional year of college and hopefully landing a job in IB. And to say suggest that someone who expects to work in Finance should get a degree in something unrelated is rediculus. You should go to school for whatever field you expect to work in. Whoever says having both degrees is a waste is also off base. The benefit to a Masters in Finance or similar degree is that it does not require work experience thus allowing people who are unable to land the ideal job, to get the job. That job will lead to acceptance into a top MBA program. So for many this combination is a great plan and the only real way of breaking into IB.
You clearly are not talking about the LBS MSF degree or the part-time MSc Finance at LSE. Both require significant work experience.
Wait, if you get a masters in finance can you still go and get an MBA? Sorry for my ignorance, I thought getting a MSF would make an MBA redundant.
Someone above said that if you want to do an MBA you should look elsewhere and not do the MSF, do others agree?
You can do both. The thing w/ the MSc Finance or MIF is that they are a lot more technical then say if you were to do a MBA w/ a focus in finance. Is it worth the money and time to do both when you can just choose one vs. the other? That's up to the individual.
sorry for digging an old thread. since the masters programs are mostly one year, lse is not going to help with internships for those without prior financial experience. but then masters program students are mostly hired into analyst positions at BBs which are mostly filled by summer analysts.. so would going to LSE for a year even help?
I'm thinking about this route too since I have no prior financial experience whatsoever. Thanks
LSE from unknown US university? (Originally Posted: 02/20/2010)
I have a real strong academic record: 3.93 GPA with 4.0 in economics and mathematics coursework. However I received my degree from a public university without a reputation. I am confident I can score 700+ on the GMAT, can I gain acceptance to LSE for economics and finance MSc?
Any other suggestions to break it into a competitive program at a BB?
Just recently took LSAT and scored 98th percentile so top law school is an option, but right now finance is where my heart is and I'm not exactly keen on practicing law at this point.
But my main question is do I have a shot at LSE masters, or should I just gain acceptance to a top law school and transition to finance from M&A practice?
Try and get into LSE. I have seen people do that and get into top shops.
Are you overseas or something? Why not try for Princeton or MIT. Both are great names and will place better in the states than LSE. You also have a strong math background which will help you at both schools.
Short answer: Yes
Long answer: Unlike full-time jobs, academic world does not give a lot of weight to 'prestige.' (MBA/law are an exception). A math major from Harvard learned the same non-applicable crap as math major from University of Oregon.
P.S.: my friend had an interview with MIT, he said that the interviewer didn't have a solid answer about recruitment. Basically MIT is just selling their name for $75k.
Confirming PussInBoots' short answer.
I'll confirm Puss's P.S. Recruitment does not sound special, especially for advisory. FWIW I interviewed this past week.
Just post it here, i'll find it eventually, maybe someone else can benefit as well.
Can you describe your work experience and academic history? Why did you choose to do a MS in finance? How soon after graduation will you be starting one? and what where your opinions of the different programs you've learned about?
what where your opinions of the different programs you've learned about?
Oxbridge sounds great but just too quant for traditional IB. LSE is the best bet. Finance and Finance & Accounting are the 2 best (Fin & Econ is too quant). I chose A&F as my top choice because it didn't have a thesis component.
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