Breaking in Investment Banking from ESCP Business School
Hey fellow WSO'ers, I’ve been looking into the ESCP Bachelor of Management program and came across the option to specialize in Trading and Investment during the third year in London, which seems really appealing. However, I’m struggling to find concrete info on the career prospects for high finance/IB roles, especially at top-tier firms like Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, etc. Does anyone have insights into how well-regarded ESCP is for breaking into high finance, or even for internships? Do recruiters at these firms view the program favorably, or would I be better off considering other schools if my goal is IB ? Also if I want to do a Master's of Finance in London say at LBS OR LSE would ESCP set me back? Would love to hear your thoughts, experiences, or opinions on whether this is a solid path for someone aiming for high finance. Thanks in advance!
I'll admit my lack of knowledge here. I had not heard of ESCP and did even know what country it is based in... The good thing is of course that this not matter! Looking at the FT rankings ESCP is even ranked number 1 for Masters in Finance and 6th in Management. This means HR departments will know about your university and I don't see why it would set you back. It also seems you would be studying in a few different countries which seems a great experience. In general I think people in London are not too knowledgeable about all the good universities in Europe, but as I said the HR departments will be, so seems like a (very) good option to me.
thanks for your input and for taking the time to research more about the school, appreciate it!
you're welcome! I would add that, also from the other response, it might well be the case that I am not the only one not familiar with this school, so clearly others in the area like HEC Paris and Bocconi are much more well-known. I also felt that the ESCP website looks a bit dodgy: when I go to the homepage I have to give my name and email and so on to see any details about the courses. But from reading online otherwise I can't see anything bad about it, but as I said it is clearly not as well known as some others so worth researching further.
ESCP for bachelor is pure crap... look somewhere else like LSE, Warwick, RSM, Bocconi or HSG :)
Could you please explain your logic behind that? I'm really interested to know more about why you qualified their bachelor's as "crap"? I mean the school is definitely known for its master's, so its name resonates well internationally, but also their bachelor's, as I conducted more research, is first in France and actually lets you spend one year in London. So what exactly is "crap" about it, I'm interested to know more. Is it about career prospects? ROI? internships placement? Please enlighten me, your input is much appreciated!
cash cow for them to make money on you... Check the other ones or ask around/look their reputation for bachelor online.
I know multiple people that were rejected from Bocconi bachelor, and got into ESCP. Same goes for masters. Yes, ESCP has representation, but typically not for the bachelors. And don't rely on FT rankings, FT is a business, and so is ESCP. Working in banking, there are thousands of LSE and Bocconi alumni. Same can't be said about ESCP, especially for bachelors...
I've seen you comment on a bunch of threads saying ESCP is bad. You must still be really butthurt that you didn't get in and are now discouraging others not to go. How sad, grow up kid.
I'd say their bachelor degree programme is barely known outside of France and even there it's seen as just a place where well-off individuals stick their academically underperforming offspring.
HR outside of France will either be surprised to learn of the BSc programme or already know of the discrepancy in the admittance rate between the MIM/MIF and BSc. In France it's always the latter case, also having a culture where you need a Master's for most jobs is not helpful.
Think of this like the reverse of what Ivy league institutions did by creating their MSc programmes (not MBA), except there the caliber of those accepted would still be often quite decent, despite relatively lower selectivity vs the bachelor degrees for the same fields of study at these same institutions.
But a BSc is the norm in other countries, so why would they be surprised to hear about it? Also if ESCP is that well known for their masters, won't the name resonate well internationally? Ultimately if my goal is to work in London, being in ESCP will put me in a bad position? that's what you're saying? I'm really interested to know more. Will it be the same for masters too? Will ESCP set me back for a MIF at LBS?
They would be surprised to hear about it because ESCP (much like ESSEC and HEC) are known pretty much just for their MSc degrees. And yes, you'll probably find a few folks who secured solid full-times, but this would be more abberation than rule.
If your goal is MIF at LBS/LSE, consider institutions that cost much less and have better rep for their BSc degrees (e.g. Bocconi). Not sure ESCP's bachelor would put you at a disadvantage per se, but would not expect it to position you better than any other top-150 university.
*Know someone who completed their bachelor's degree at ESCP.
It's true that UK recruiters often don't distinguish between a ESCP BSc and ESCP MiM/MiF. However, the challenge is that your CV will be compared to those of master's students, who likely have multiple relevant internships in IB already. My recommendation is to complete at least one relevant M&A/IB internship during your bachelor's studies at ESCP and then apply for a top master's program (such as LBS, HEC, HSG, etc.). I've seen many ESCP BSc graduates secure positions at very good banks in London, but the majority pursued a master's degree
that's great to here, everyone seems against the school in the comments tho:(
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