I’m not partial to working in IB, Buyside, ER, Consulting etc., I find all of it interesting. Graduating from a UK Semi this year with a 2.1. A few small IB & PE internships under my belt. Have EU citizenship which makes SSE free, HSG is already affordable. English only speaking.
What’s the move?
Have no preference to work in Ldn, mainland EU, middle east etc
How much will my English only skills hurt me?
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Based on the most helpful WSO content, here's what you need to know:
Language Skills Impact:
Useful Languages for IB and PE:
Career Opportunities:
Education Choices:
In summary, while your English-only skills might pose some limitations, there are still ample opportunities, especially if you leverage your internships and network effectively. Consider speaking to headhunters and alumni from both SSE and HSG to make an informed decision.
Sources: Analysts who speak very poor English, 20 Most Frequently Asked Questions - London Edition, 20 Most Frequently Asked Questions - London Edition, How important is knowing a European language for Private Equity in London?, I Need You, WSO + Its Time To Move - Asia Job Search
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Do you already have the offers?
Not trying to discourage you but HSG SIM is ultra competitive. With your background, it could be quite difficult tbh.
If you can actually choose from both, I’d pick HSG if you want a very personal setting + close cohort and SSE if you prefer a larger cohort where you can pick your friends yourself ;)
Thanks for the insight, how is HSG student life for a non german speaker (& obv not swiss german either)?
Don’t have the offers, have a decent GMAT focus score (675, so = 720/730 old GMAT) so just going off of hypotheticals.
I thought that the MBF at HSG was more competitive and geared towards finance/stem backgrounds, whereas the SIM was akin to a MiM in the UK admissions wise (takes a wider background of applicants from different degrees, maybe slightly less competitive than the flagship Msc Finance programs).
I guess I was wrong in this assumption?
While MBF is arguably their flagship master, SIM is not less competitive. In fact, I believe the MBF intake is ~100 while SIM is ~40 (both very small in international comparisons, that’s why MAccFin and MGM exist).
The GMAT is not bad. But I believe the avg. GMAT to be substantially above. I did the MBF and avg. GMAT in my cohort was >730 with a fair share of 740+ (which in turn means that there were people with 730).
Good luck!
The SIM is the #1 ranked master in their field (2024 Financial Times MiM). They take about 50 "Simies" and have a real focus on leadership and international experiences (and of course top grades / GMAT). The MBF is THE master at HSG for finance (although top 3 employers after the degree are the MBBs), taking about 150 new students. If you want networking opportunities with future bankers / consultants, go for MBF. If you want to get to know future "leaders" / consultants, go with the SIM.
The SIM is super international, you will only need limited, if any, German (forget Swiss-German). MBF will have more German-students in it, but it is still quite international and the courses are taught in English. You won't meet anyone from the city of St. Gallen, only fellow HSGlers, which all speak English. I don't think the language is a big issue, but it will be a bit more difficult to find a job in Switzerland without any German (if that's your plan). However, if you do wish to work in Switzerland, having done a degree here is a very big plus (of course, this is a generalization and will depend on the field).
Good luck!
PS: application for the 1st of SIM are already over and 1st round of MBF close end of Nov
May I ask how was your experience after graduating from MBF? Did you stay in Switzerland or go abroad? Did you land your desired job and how hard was it? Etc.
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