Is the RSM Bsc IBA course a step towards IB?

Hi there,

I'm in my last year in secondary in Germany, studying towards my Abitur and I'm currently on a 1.2. I applied to the Bsc IBA course at Rotterdam and basically got an unconditional offer. Should I bother to apply to Warwick? LSE? Edinburgh? What "worries" me are the relatively low requirements for German students at RSM (1.8 overall and 10 in Maths and English), or is it nonsens to pay the admission requirements any notice? As I aspire to go into iBanking I was just wondering how my chances would be going to RSM, I could do a Masters somewhere else of course...

Thanks for the replies!

 

RSM gives bang for your buck, but Erasmus is only a real guarantee and breeding ground for Dutch students in iB as the school supports the extensive extra-curriculars found in the Netherlands. Being a German, i'd advise you to go for LSE although I know Germans from RSM/ESE who end top tier. Just do as much as possible besides your studies.

Side note; RSM is too easy, ESE faculty is a rising star and you actually learn something, look at the IBEB and econometric programs if you think you're smart. Erasmus is targeted anyways.

 

I'd always go for Economics because its more difficult and is better for your analytic skills. However, in Accounting and Finance you will probably come across more stuff you will actually use, but the work done in iBanking can be picked up pretty fast (the classic rocket scientist who winds up in M&A). So unless you actually want to become an accountant, always go for the more challenging stuff. Who knows, you might actually like it and end up doing a PhD in Chicago.

Side note: a 1.3 average in BWL still beats 2,0 average in VWL, so make sure you're up for the challenge.

 
Best Response

I am a current Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University master student and previously did IBA here too. I would definitely say that RSM is a very competitive and challenging university, which can also be seen by its consistently high rank on the Financial Times Ranking European Business School ranking. Of course you can see that the other Universities are also very well ranked. I think the main difference between RSM and other business schools in Europe is its International aspect and its price competitiveness. 60% of the IBA student population is International, and this truly means from countries all over the world, not just students from many neighbouring countries. Additionally the tuition fee here is comparatively cheap to other Universities. We also offer a very competitive master programme in Finance (MSc Finance & Investment), if you are interested in that. In case you are still doubting between IBA and IBEB, I would say that IBEB is of course much more mathematically based since it is an Economic study, while IBA gives more of an helicopter view on business administration also including management aspects.

Lastly, every year quite a few students get accepted to LSE, HEC, Bocconi, and St. Gallen for master degrees after having completed IBA.

 

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