Can I break into investment banking with an LSE MPA?
I'm an international student who finished undergrad at a low-tier Ivy League school and I'm currently enrolled in the University of Tokyo studying economic policy. I had an internship in ER at a BB in Japan before and I'm starting another internship in a BB's ER in APAC.
I literally hate most of my classes in UTokyo MPP, and I always want to go to somewhere else, via either transfer or dual degree. I've been accepted to LSE MSc Finance, LSE MPA, and Cambridge MPhil Finance.
I'm actually leaning toward LSE MPA but my college friend suggested that I look into the career trajectory of the program. Does the Master's program itself really matter much in UK investment bank recruiting, i.e. LSE MSc Finance strongly dominates LSE MPA? Or it is like US as well that at the undergrad level what you study doesn't really matter? My US friend told me that he thinks Finance masters in Europe have clearer career trajectory. Is it true that banks prefer hiring from Finance Masters instead of, say, MPA?
I reached out to an alum of my undergrad school who did LSE MSc Finance and she said she felt that the London's recruiting process seems to be more random. I'm just wondering if I still have a chance as a LSE MPA student to compete for banks' front office roles summer/full-time offers? Do I need much more additional effort like networking?
Yeah, good chances relative to others but you gotta have some ECs to really push forward
I haven’t had too many extracurriculars after junior year in college. Given that I’m doing Masters, does it matter a lot?
ECs will matter to a certain degree but they do matter cause having a full cv page of work experience without ECs is slightly ridiculous imo. However, chances are your likely going to pass the LDN interview because clearly you have interview skills, desirable work experience and managed to pull off 2 BB ER internships. Now that i think about it, if you dont have very notable ECs(as you mentioned) and pulled off these internships, ur clearly a good candidate. I recommend to take lse msc/cam mphil and have a leadership position if possible.
Quick question as im interested in ER and im unsure what ER interviewers are looking for compared to ib, what would you say separated you from others and to receive the internship offer? Means a lot if you could answer this.
I'm not sure how ER interviews would compare to IBD ones, but for ER interviews, being able to talk about your stock pitch is probably a must. You'll also want to be able to discuss recent macro news and industry trend. If it's an interview with buy-side, it'd be good if you can relate to your personal investing experience. Also, some basic technicals, i.e. valuation, etc., but you won't have to worry too much about being grilled on the modeling specifically used in IBD. I think in general they're looking for someone who can work and think independently and can communicate his/her thoughts clearly.
Thanks a lot man, appreciate it!
You helped cleared a lot of my assumptions about the industry.
Feel like the Mfin at LSE is so top tier that it would be negligent to not go for it since it puts you in a v strong position. Bear in mind that program is top tier for getting people who couldn't secure internships during undergrad into IB and you already have some so you will be bullet-proof if you take LSE's msc in finance.
Networking is p weak here in the UK for formal recruiting (no OCR and can't network into EB/BB interviews) pretty linear application process with online testing and stuff. LSE's MFin on your CV with internships and strong undergrad school guarantees you interviews. Good luck
Would it be a disadvantage to have LSE MPA on my resume? Do banks actually filter out non-MSc Finance in the process?
No idea but it's pretty abhorrent to consider taking it over the MFin tbh. It's what a 1 year course? You're not really going to "enjoy" something for that long for it to really be meaningful to your life, the MFin will give you actual skills that will help you in IB so presumably if you want to work in IB you would have some/a lot of natural interest in the MFin. Its between Cambridge and LSE for this, LSE's MFin is a top target with tried and true placement records but Cambridge tends to enroll a smaller class with a stronger focus on academic research/study. If you want to find out about the MPA have you tried looking for the graduate records of it? Would recommend accepting the MFin and not looking back in my humble opinion. - Well done on all 3 offers by the way this is a huge achievement.
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