Thoughts on UCL?
I would have thought UCL is a target uni but apparently it’s considered top semi target? How true is this?
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UCL is widely regarded as a target university for investment banking and consulting recruitment in the UK. Based on the most helpful WSO content, UCL consistently appears in the "target" category alongside other prestigious institutions like Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Imperial, and Warwick.
However, there are occasional debates about its exact standing. For example: - Some rankings place UCL slightly below Oxbridge and LSE but still firmly in the "target" category. - In certain discussions, UCL is grouped with Warwick and Imperial as targets, but some users argue that Warwick might have a slight edge in finance-specific recruitment.
Overall, UCL is undoubtedly a strong target school, and its graduates are frequently recruited by top firms in finance and consulting. If you're considering UCL, rest assured it holds significant weight in the industry.
Sources: UK TARGET SCHOOLS TIER LIST 2020, UK Target Admissions?, Is Yeshiva University a semi-target?, UK Target Unis, Target Schools?
It's a strong target. There are plenty of UK Uni rankings on this site, so I suggest looking at them but for Undergrad it's:
Oxford = Cambridge
LSE
UCL
Warwick
Imperial
Strong semis include Durham (arguably is a target), Bath, Nottingham, Bristol, Edinburgh and St Andrews (I'm not drinking the St Andrews koolaid, it's a good uni but imo overhyped because of East Coast Americans and the fact the Royals went there)
Having said that, the elephant in the room is the cost of living in London; but it does help being in London to make networking easier, especially in your first and second years.
is the msc finance worth it for IB if you've been to a non-target before? compared to imperial or warwick?
UCL alumni here
Honestly, for finance, UCL MSc isn't bad especially if you've come from a non-target, you're getting an immediate upgrade. But if i'm honest, UCL MSc Finance is miles behind LSE, LBS and even Imperial. UCL undergrad is a strong target, UCL MSc Finance (whilst still good) is a semi-target masters. If you're aiming for a masters, really try for LSE, LBS or Imperial. Don't waste your time on Oxbridge either
More like
LSE
Oxbridge
Imperial
Warwick = UCL
right now, check stats for top 10 banks
In no world is Oxbridge > LSE for finance, or Warwick > Imperial. It’s just untrue. Statistics back this up. The rankings are pretty much just prestige anyway, except putting LSE over Oxbridge (usual order is Oxbridge>LSE/ICL>UCL>others)
Christ. Touch grass.
analyst 1 telling me to touch grass 😂😂😂
congrats on UCL and Baird
Whilst not at Baird, that did provoke a laugh out of me
I get your point on LSE being superior in some ways, but brand value of Oxbridge imo trumps the placement of stats. The culture of recruiting at UCL, LSE and Warwick is much more intense than that of Oxbridge
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