Bocconi BIEF/HEC-Bocconi Dual degree/Warwick/ESSEC GBBA/Tsinghua

Hi! I'm in a quandary right now. I received offers for:

  • Bocconi BIEF (BSc International Economics and Finance) [Pros: Strong brand for London IB][Cons: Lack recognition in HK/SG/APAC finance. Ineligible (Almost impossible?) for a working visa in the UK. Apparently it would be extremely competitive for exchange opportunities.]
  • HEC-Bocconi Dual degree(3 semesters at Bocconi and 3 semesters at HEC Paris. Earning "BSc in International Politics and Government" from Bocconi and a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Data, Society, and Organizations from HEC Paris.) (a relatively new program, I will be in their 2nd cohort)

    - Pros: Prestigious names, interdisciplinary, access to HEC Paris network

    - Cons: New program, less track record, complex visa navigation

  • Warwick: BSc PPE [Pros: decent UK brand(but apparently non-WBS aren't targets)] [Cons: UK job market post-Brexit is competitive, especially for non-UK students]
  • ESSEC Asia-Pacific: Global BBA (Singapore campus) [Located in Singapore (finance hub), internships possible. Double degree options possible with other universities such as CityU in HK, Peking Uni in Mainland China, etc] [Concern: the curriculum seems to have a greater focus in e-business/management/marketing areas than high finance?]
  • Tsinghua University: Bachelor in Economics and Finance [Pros: Top Asia university, excellent brand, strong econ/quant grounding][Cons: Too competitive, have not heard of any international students breaking into HK finance. Even for local students, the statistics aren't that great. Language of instruction: mainly Chinese with some classes in English, which may hurt career prospects to a certain extent]

The problem is that I do not have working rights in each of these countries. My country does not have great high finance opportunities(close to zero). I want a program that gives me strong job prospects either internationally or makes it easy to pursue a master’s degree or a job that can lead to a work visa. I’m also thinking about the reputation of the program, the language of instruction, internship opportunities, and the flexibility to pivot into either finance, policy, or data-driven fields.

Worst case scenario if I don't get a job after completing the Bachelors, I may apply to quantitative masters programs in HK/SG/US/UK. Would want to work in SG/HK in the long term, but I am fine working 2-5 years in other regions after my bachelors before transitioning (meaning I would be eyeing Middle East/UK/US as well should opportunity arises.)
 

It'll be great if anyone could give me advice on this. Thank you so much!

5 Comments
 

Hi! the deadline to accept the Bocconi offer is today, and I'm still torn between Bocconi BIEF (which is established and more geared towards economics) and the HEC-Boc dual degree. I personally prefer to have more quantitative subjects at the undergrad level as I think it lays a solid foundation for future pursuits(whether masters or job prospects) and that such subjects appeal to me too. The HEC-Boc program has a focus on data, but the curriculum has more of politics classes than the economics classes I may prefer for social sciences. I am interested in politics and governance as well, but I always thought that studying economics at undergrad level and doing politics/governance/public policy at postgrad level would be a better transition since it is always easier to move from a more quantitative program to a less quantitative one. 

 

Commodi voluptatem necessitatibus minima architecto dignissimos. Voluptates odio sit voluptatibus sunt dolor nostrum harum. Et atque occaecati rerum laudantium. Eos nihil voluptatem quos quo sint explicabo. Rerum atque est impedit labore autem. Accusamus occaecati itaque aut similique asperiores consequuntur provident eos.

Est molestiae est aperiam et dolores consequatur. Est velit voluptatem a alias. Culpa id minus ea provident aut quas. Qui itaque dolores nobis qui vero. Rerum vel voluptatem voluptate iusto vitae sequi. Velit reprehenderit neque sapiente occaecati.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”