Bocconi or US Universities
Hi,
This is my first post on this forum, just made an account.
The short story is that I will start college next year, and I'm not sure what to choose if I'll even have much of a choice.
I come from Eastern Europe so money is tight, I have applied to some top US universities that offer aid to international students, and I am still awaiting some responses from some schools where I might have a shot to get in with some aid.
I was admitted to Bocconi at BEMACS (CS, Business, Management, and Economics) and I am eligible for the ISU scholarship which basically means no tuition and extremely cheap accommodation in Milan (which is actually pretty cool). I also think I have a pretty high chance of being admitted in the PPLE program at UVA (Amsterdam).
So, my question is, which would be better for a career in finance in the US? Are Bocconi and UVA of any use there?
I also have a decent shot of getting into Science Po, and I'd like a dual master's degree from them once I am done with college, is that any better than my other choices?
Thanks,
M.
First of all, get into the US universities, get the scholarships and then we can reconsider.
However, assuming you get in to all, the question you want to be asking yourself is do you want to end up in Europe/UK (London is your only realistic option unless you speak the local language) or US (NYC, but many more options there).
For US, go to US university. For Europe, go to Bocconi. Simple.
Personally? I’d take Bocconi. Got a few friends there, great uni, and I fucking love Milan.
Of definitely, I have to first get in :))
But I really don't know how to act if I get in.
Do you have any idea of how much Bocconi alumni make after their undergrad? I searched online, but I don't know how accurate most data is.
I also speak some German, I'm actually almost fluent, and I understand French, so I have some options in the EU, but since I am Eastern European, I don't know how well I'd integrate there.
Who cares how much people out of undergrad make? It's irrelevant. Bocconi is the best school in Italy for EMEA IB recruitment (known as a 'target' school, if you were unaware), and that's what matters for getting into finance since it makes your life a hell of a lot easier.
Realistically if you want to go into any 'high finance' role, you'd recruit to London. Better salaries, more opportunities and it looks best on the CV. Where local languages will give you an advantage is in certain teams/desks in banks. German might be the exception since Frankfurt is frankly the financial hub of the largest economy in Europe. Regardless, London is still the best place for EMEA finance by a huge margin.
In terms of being Eastern European, I really don't think it'll make a difference. I personally know loads from around there working in finance, especially Lithuanian for some reason.
Bocconi is a top target for EU locations, especially if you are fluent in a few languages. Milan is a fun city and cheap tuition is nothing to scoff at.
If you want to be in the US post-college, you should go really to college in the US - if you can get into Bocconi you should be applying to other targets/semi targets if being in the US for college is a serious consideration.
Or you can go to Bocconi, do a year or two at an EU office, and transfer
What the fuck are you saying? UVA is University of Amsterdam, UVA in the US is University of Virginia. No one said its the same...
could I ask why? i’m trying to get as much input as i can cause i really don’t know what to do
it is also really important to underline that unless i get almost 100% aid i won t go to an us uni. sadly, it’s too expensive🥲
Take Bocconi. You'll be competitive enough for London finance (nationality isn't really an issue) providing you get on the careers train early. London outcomes from Bocconi are basically equivalent to UCL/Warwick, even with the minor hassle the banks have to go to to get students visa sponsored, so unless you're getting T20 scholarships in the US I don't really see why you'd go there. Salary is obviously lower in London but you'll be earning a lot more than where you're from, or Milan for that matter.
In your situation, I would probably take Bocconi (w/ scholarship) over all but Ivies/Chicago/MIT/Stanford in the US.
do you think there s a chance to move to the us if i add a master s from lse or lbs to my cv?
cause i really don t know if i ll get the needed aid in the us. had some amazing interviews with t20s that later rejected me, i m still waiting for some, but it doesn’t look great.
No, a UK MSc will not place into the US. You'd have to go via one of the few MS programmes offered state-side (MIT, Princeton, Columbia, etc.) and the general view is that they aren't worth doing unless you have to - an MS is much less common there than it is in Europe.
You may be able to lateral internally to the US after a couple of years, internal transfer visas are not that difficult to get once you've proved yourself.
An LBS MSc will not change your chances of that at all, and in general I'd try to get placed straight out of Bocconi rather than doing an MS first given the financial constraints. Also something to be aware of - from Italians I know - is that Italian marks/grades are converted really unfavourably by UK/US admissions teams, so it will be an uphill struggle (probably need to be top 20% of your class) getting into LBS/Said/Judge/LSE/Imperial for an MSc anyway. Grades matter less for MBAs, especially as an international student, so wouldn't worry too much on that.
EDIT: Re. what I meant about Italian grades being converted unfavourably, see below for a few select institutions:
Oxford - 2:1 requirements are min. 106/100; first class honours are 109/110
Imperial - minimum 106/110; "Departments prefer applicants to hold the Laurea degrees with a final mark of Con Lode (110/110)"
LSE - same as Imperial
Cambridge - min 108/110; 110/110 for a first
I'm not entirely sure what % get 106/108+, but from the odd conversation with Italians in both university and work I'm relatively certain it's not the 90%+ that would get a 2:1 on most courses at a UK target now.
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