1yr MSc Finance guidance needed

Hi,

I’m currently looking for a 1yr MSc, in Paris or London that doesn’t require GMAT. I'm currently exploring KCL (MSc Banking and Finance, MSc Corporate Finance), UCL (MSc Finance or Strategic Accounting and Finance), ICL (MSc Finance, MSc Finance & Accounting), and ESCP (MiF). My goal is to get the FT offer after my summer (if I actually like the job) OR FT in IR in PE in London.

Do you think I should apply to all at the same time/what would you? 

Profile: 

  • BBA in a top 10 business school in France
  • 2 years of work placement in a non front office role but a good brand name (PE)
  • 6 month OC in IR in a smaller PE firm
  • Incoming IB Summer in MM (2026)
15 Comments
 

Don't agree with the assesement above only LBS, LSE and Oxford are worth it in the UK. In france, Dauphine, HEC and ESSEC are the ones worth it. The rest is semi-target at most. St Gallen and Bocconi are also semi targets in the UK. 

 
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Bocconi, St Gallen, and ESCP are all target in the UK, especially true given most banks have quotas per country and/or school and the first 2 are clearly the best in their home country.
ESCP MiF is arguably more target than ESSEC MiF in the UK from people I saw

 

They may be good schools by they are not on the same level of LBS, LSE and Oxford for London recruitment. Yes you might see quite a few 25 year old European B-School people trying to get into 1st year Analyst roles in London, but if you are able to get into  LBS, LSE and Oxford you'd be done within a year and a half tops and it is much stronger. The only scenario for a UK undergrad student to do a postgrad in Europe would be if they didn't go to a target/semi-target in the UK or have zero experience (as European schools tend to be very flexible with off-cycle internships and graduation dates). 

 
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Crazy then that bocconi grads' top choices for a master are HEC ESCP and LSE.. 

I know you like to shit on the escp bachelor but that's not the only course available right? If you actually had some data to enlighten us regarding the Masters, then we're all ears. But you're bringing up UCD and Dauphine like...? Are you genuinely just trolling? 

 

Dauphine? I'm French and while Dauphine is certainly a really good school for market finance (M203), it's still seen below top 3 for IB/PE roles. People with Master year 1 from dauphine often join top 3 after to get the brand name. 

You can say essec is above escp for prepa students doing the MiM/PGE historically but that's it. The escp MiF is simply better than essec, with the latter being full of non eu nationals who don't have good outcomes. In the UK HEC, Bocconi and ESCP make up the majority of foreign hires in banks (check linkedin). St gallen is very good too if you consider their small student numbers. 

 

Imperial is defo a cut above the rest and probs give you a better shot than other European schools if you want London recruiting. The pure Finance programme is also more competitive and well regarded. I wouldn't consider Kings or UCL. UCL is a target school for undergrad but for postgrad, when included with European schools it's not an advantage. Kings is a semi target at undergrad and I wouldn't consider it for postgrad at all if you are already meet the benchmark for Imperial

 

Escp MiF is 2 year so doesn't fit your need. But if you're French/French speaking then that's the one I'd recommend. The outcomes are better than any mentioned but mostly because you get to pivot from Paris/Geneva into London if you can't make it there directly after graduating. 

Imperial is decent but if you see the immigration mess in the UK then I'd only recommend LBS/LSE or oxbridge for the best chances. 

 

ESCP is primarily 1 year and only recently opened to 2 years for people with a 3-year degree (ESCP bachelor). Their whole 15 months is just to allow students to apply for summers with a grad date the following year

 

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