Charting My Career Course: Balancing Ambition and Certainty in Pursuit of Investment Banking

Hello everyone,

I'm a 22-year-old Belgian student on the verge of completing my bachelor's degree in economics and management at UCLouvain. I'm seeking advice regarding the best course of action for the upcoming year.

I have been presented with an offer for a Double Degree: one year at Louvain School of Management focusing on management with a minor in corporate finance, followed by a one-year master's program in Finance at Nova Business School in Lisbon (#11 in the Financial Times ranking of pre-experience master's in finance). The second year at Nova is valued at more than $17,000 and is covered by LSM due to my good grades, etc. Furthermore, I won't be required to take the GMAT. However, I'm uncertain whether this path is ambitious enough to realize my goal of working as an analyst in investment banking at a bulge bracket firm in London.

My alternative plan involves spending one year at KU Leuven studying Business Economics, which is a one-year master's program. During this period, I intend to focus on achieving a high GMAT score, securing an internship in Belgium, and then applying to St. Gallen (#8 ft) , Bocconi (#13), or Vlerick (#25) if I am not admitted to the first two. While this plan entails more uncertainty and higher costs, it strikes me as more ambitious.

I am concerned about potential challenges in finding opportunities after completing my studies at Nova.

Thanks guysss