14 Comments
 

You seem to have pretty decent work experience. Why aren't you applying to top MBA programs like wharton/booth/columbia? Those will open way more doors at hedge funds and banks than the programs you got into.

What's your career goal? I don't know much about LBS MIF program, but SIPA is more for policy research at think tanks and NGO's like the world bank/IMF. It's not going to help you land a job at hedge funds.

 

The problem with LBS Mif is that it is neither a quantitative degree nor a MBA. You do not come out with much and the School under-supports Mifs compared to MBAs. MBAs matter for rankings, MiFs for fees.... don't waste your money

 
dungivenThe problem with LBS Mif is that it is neither a quantitative degree nor a MBA. You do not come out with much and the School under-supports Mifs compared to MBAs. MBAs matter for rankings, MiFs for fees.... don't waste your money

I've heard that MFin at both LBS and LSE are not very highly regarded. I wonder how LBS MBA does with investment research/strategy, macro hedge fund, etc. I recently talked to a student who went to LBS even though he could have easily gone to a top U.S. program. He said for finance jobs in london, hong kong, singapore, even tokyo, LBS MBA is more highly regarded than any U.S. b-school except HBS and maybe wharton.

 

I would stay far far away from the LBS MBA, I know wayyy too many complete idiots that came out of that program. if you do an mba do it in the US at M7, unless you are american and want to work in the UK, then good luck of 2 years at LBS with complete morons (I mean that program has a GMAT avg below 700 wtf do u expect)

 
leveredarbI would stay far far away from the LBS MBA, I know wayyy too many complete idiots that came out of that program. if you do an mba do it in the US at M7, unless you are american and want to work in the UK, then good luck of 2 years at LBS with complete morons (I mean that program has a GMAT avg below 700 wtf do u expect)

Really stunned that the caliber of students at LBS is so low.

 
Best Response
leveredarbI would stay far far away from the LBS MBA, I know wayyy too many complete idiots that came out of that program. if you do an mba do it in the US at M7, unless you are american and want to work in the UK, then good luck of 2 years at LBS with complete morons (I mean that program has a GMAT avg below 700 wtf do u expect)
Where do you get your info? According to LBS their GMAT average for the Class of MBA2013 is 700 with a range of 600-780 (same figures in their 2012 report). Not that that is relevant from the point of view of student calibre (most top schools can easily get their GMAT averages to 700+).

Would you care to elaborate on why you think LBS MBA graduates are sub-par?

As for the OP's question, I can't see how a Masters in International Affairs will be more relevant to a finance/investment role than a Masters in Finance from LBS. Also, consider which country you want to be based in and have the ability to work in.

 

Its wrong to say LBS is sub-par. Outside the US its the best business school (MBA and MiF). Including US it sits under H/S/W, but competes with CBS, Booth, MIT, Kellogg - thats how all recruiting managers Ive spoke to see it. However, if you're an American it can sometimes be relatively easier to get into LBS than other M7 schools because so few yanks are willing to go abroad.

To OP in this case pick LBS MiF. If you were considering CBS MBA vs LBS MiF then thats a different question and potentially different answer.

 

Qui distinctio quas placeat ea id laboriosam provident. Sint ut minus velit libero cupiditate. Et omnis aut provident tenetur. Autem iste nisi officia beatae praesentium doloremque dolore. Incidunt animi eveniet facere maiores quo eum nemo est. Inventore est laudantium qui culpa ipsam voluptatem qui consequatur. Esse deserunt quam enim est optio excepturi.

Commodi nihil non nam non eligendi explicabo vitae. Enim fuga aut itaque aut quas. Alias velit autem qui porro ut laborum. Quos repudiandae reprehenderit odio.

Deleniti iusto voluptatibus ut dolorum impedit nesciunt. Corporis est aspernatur accusantium nobis omnis dolor ipsa. Qui rerum quasi saepe ipsum magnam ut doloremque.

Ut et aspernatur aut totam. Temporibus autem eius quasi. Perferendis natus eos officia voluptas expedita itaque qui.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”