Hi there,
I'm in high school and want to work to work in IB so I'm discussing uni options and looking at: Bocconi, HSG, UK unis (LSE, Imperial etc) or German unis (Frankfurt school of Finance, LMU etc). Which of these will give me the best changes for IB and where? Grades, money and language isn't an issue.
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If your goal is investment banking, the strongest and most direct path is clearly the UK, particularly universities like LSE or Imperial, because London is the main IB hub in Europe and offers the best access to on-campus recruiting, internships and alumni networks directly within banks. While Bocconi and HSG are also very strong and well-regarded, especially in Europe, they still provide fewer opportunities overall compared to the UK, meaning you’ll need to rely more on networking to reach the same outcome. German universities like Frankfurt Finance, WHU or LMU are solid for the local market, but they are less relevant for top-tier international IB. Overall, if grades, money and language are not constraints, the UK gives you the highest probability of breaking into IB due to its unmatched pipeline, network and proximity to the industry.
If you decide afterwards to go to another country, especially if you speak German already, it will be more easier if you give it a start in the UK.
London via LSE/Oxbridge is your best bet. Bocconi/UCL/Impeial and HEC Paris (this one I think is only Master's though but not certain) are solid also and could work out well for London.
Switzerland is amazing imo in terms of quality of life but if you are non Swiss I think it will be very tough to land a good offer there.
Frankfurt isn't as fun as London but it's like 2.5 times cheaper (especially when you get older and get kids) which can help you build wealth quicker under less financial risks/fixed costs compared to London IBD. There are very few meaningful PE exits in Germany though. HSG and WHU would be targets, LMU and Mannheim while good universities aren't targets. Without B2 German you would have an uphill battle. Biggest downside is that many internships are often off cycle and are not structured to give you a full time role if you did OK as it's the case in London SA program I believe, at least this was the case in the past. The job market here is surprisingly not too bad for IBD if you look at a ratio of number of entry level roles to number of qualified applicants.
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