LBS MFA vs St Gallen MBF
Hello everyone! I am unable to choose between LBS MFA and HSG MBF. LBS MFA ofc sounds obvious choice. But heres my circumstances: I am an EU national speak only English. Did my Bachelors at ESSEC. I have two small Pe and 1 MM M&A. I am willing to break into London or Zurich. LBS MFA: 1. Highly prestigious school with global reputation 2. However need to take a 60k loan. 3. I have friends in MFA who are struggling to get an internship in london. And now they told me school is just a first screen on my CV. 4. However, Best case scenario is very good I might get top tier IB in london. However the worst case is terrible. If I end up in a small shop, I will get 60k all in. I am leaning towards MBF because: 1. I am learning German and willing to learn swiss German. 2. Excellent prospect in DACH 3. Living in St gallen will help me to improve german 4. I believe I will get good interviews in london if not equal to LBS. 5. Very cheap- no loan 6. Worst case is very good in swiss. Even if I start a small shop in zurich I will make 100k+ minimum with amazing tax benefits. Living expenses is higher but I visited Zurich and I found it manageable. Rent: 2k, food and other expenses: 1.5k. Total:3.5k. After tax salary: 6k (worst case scenario) My friend is saving 3k a month in zurich Please share your thoughts.
If u wanna start in zurich, I would choose StG MBF, if you prefer Ldn more I would go for the LBS MFin (but u also have a shot with StG in Ldn as well ofc, but safer for Zurich). Also tha point that u want or atm learning germ / swiss germ is other big point for StG
HSG sounds really good, since you'd get same opportunities than LBS in London mostly (minus the networking opportunities which are minimal) and have a safe spot in DACH/Zurich. What I will tell you though, it's not super-cheap (unless you would have to pay for living in London too), yes the tuition is much cheaper, but cost of living is high (but only if you would live with ur parents or sth like that in Ldn as I said).
What is AC btw?
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Based on the most helpful WSO content, here are some key points to consider when choosing between the LBS MFA and the St. Gallen MBF:
LBS MFA:
St. Gallen MBF:
Conclusion:
Given your circumstances, leaning towards the St. Gallen MBF seems to be a prudent decision, especially considering the financial stability and strong job market in the DACH region.
Sources: MSF Class of 2018, LBS MFA Interview Experience, Profile Evaluation: MSc in Finance at LBS, LSE, Imperial, Said or MIT, LBS MFA vs Cambridge MPhil REF, London Business School MFA
I had exactly the same dilemma a couple of years ago and ended up taking LBS heavily funded by debt - I would also advise you to take LBS. Reasons below:
1. HSG is very well regarded but LBS is still a tier above IMO (CVP, Ardea, and Raine are examples of banks that are extremely exclusive in their recruiting process and generally only hire from Oxbridge/LBS/HEC)
2. A lot of high-paying boutiques in London (like the EBs and firms like Gugg, Arma Partners) are much less familiar with HSG than LBS - therefore being at the latter is more likely to get your foot in the door. The same concept applies to the recruitment agencies that handle a massive bulk of MM bank recruitment
3. A lot of ACs held by banks are transitioning to in-person. This obviously creates a disadvantage if your in St Gallen, even if you’re able to join remotely
4. You will be heavily disadvantaged if you aren’t fluent in German to recruit in Zurich. This is a fact which was emphasised by the lads I spoke to at HSG
5. There are more opportunities in London as a whole. Zurich isn’t really a fallback option.
6. Switzerland culture isn’t very receptive to non-Swiss from the people I’ve spoken with. It’s difficult to mesh long-term with the culture there
In summary, there is more risk associated with HSG. For BB banks you will be able to recruit into London without much problem and is probably level with LBS in that regard. BUT, if you miss BB recruiting, it’s more tricky to land somewhere good compared to LBS.
I realise this sounds very biased since LBS is ultimately the place I decided to go to, but I will caveat by saying that I really liked the program at HSG and was at one point tunnel vision on going there. I understand the debt burden is a huge consideration, and I am sure you will excel either place you decide on. HSG is still a top institution in Europe.
In my case I decided to chance it with the debt burden and ultimately managed to get 4 SA and FT offers, which I credit a lot to the LBS name for getting my foot in the door.
That is a good summary. I graduated from the MBF (HSG) but I am German fluent. For the DACH Region, HSG is placing insanely good.
Literally 90% of my closer friends from the master are either at a MBB, top Bank or PE fund. We also have plenty of people in London.
I would say the tricky thing with LDN recruiting is the following: every LDN BB/EB has their fair share of German speakers who in majority of cases went to HSG/WHU/Mannheim. If you recruit from HSG as a German speaker you will have a top shot, as essentially those MDs/colleauges, etc. will be involved in the German pool recruiting. I'm not sure how this is if you recruit as non-German speaker from a top University in a German speaking country.
Overall HSG is a great school. Many many doors opened and the program was really affordable to me (~9k CHF). Cost of living in St. Gallen is low and can't be compared to Zurich or Geneve (my room 5min walk to Uni was ~450/Month).
Another great benefit is the ability to study abroad in the first semester. They have a stacked roaster of partner schools and you basically (given your in the MBF means you are competitive in the selection process) can either spend a semester at any other top target in Europe or even at some top US MBA schools. Friends of mine went to Booth, Stern, Duke, NYU, Columbia, Dartmouth/Tuck, UCLA and it was fully funded with othe HSG fee.
Thanks a lot for the insight. I am just worried if extra 70k for LBS worth the additional opportunity. I have my close friend at Lbs with M&A internships couldn't get any interview in london given that how competitive the process is. I am scared to be in the same spot with 70k loan.
LBS
1) location - you’re never going to be business fluent in German if you’re still learning the language. Your best bet is sticking with English.
2) network reach - you’ll be at a disadvantage within HSG’s mainly German speaking network compared to LBS’ London and broader global network.
2) LBS has a better brand, network, and known to place better. You’ll get more shots at top jobs & overall high finance jobs from LBS compared to HSG’s narrower placement.
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