HEC - Bocconi - Essec MSc in Finance Choice

Hi all,

I've been admitted to all three of HEC, Bocconi and Essec MSc in Finance for the 2018 year. I hold a Finance/Mathematics double bachelor undergraduate from an Australian University and I'm trying to decide which course to accept and where to go.

The decision is part academic, part financial and part about the how studying at each of them is. Basically the difference are Bocconi is 2 years, Essec is 15 months and HEC is 10 months. I have a 50% tuition waver for Bocconi and Essec and HEC scholarships aren't out yet. Which means Bocconi is 13k Euro, Essec is 14k Euro and HEC is 30k Euro.

Has anyone had experience with these courses - including how there placement in London for non-Italian and non-French nationalities, the difference in prestige (namely between HEC and Bocconi), which is better for placement in portfolio management, how the class size and culture is and whether it's that grim living outside of Paris compared to in Milan.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

2 Comments
 
Best Response

Bocconi is in the centre so a great location, HEC is pretty far from the centre so you'll stay on campus with the occasional weekend trip to Paris. Don't know about ESSEC. If money is an issue then with Bocconi you're still getting a great name and paying half of HEC. Bocconi IMO is better than ESSEC so you can't go wrong with it. A note of caution: without Italian or French you won't be able to work in Milan or Paris. Assuming you don't speak those languages your choice for work would probably be UK, USA or Australia (if you want to go back home).

For the UK I think reputation with employers is: Bocconi=HEC>ESSEC. For the US I don't know and for Australia you're more qualified than me to answer.

As for uni culture I have no idea about ESSEC but for Bocconi and HEC you have mixed reviews. A lot of non-French friends than studied or did exchanges at HEC get the vibe from French kids that you almost don't deserve to be there. Some Italians at Bocconi give off the same vibe (but clearly I can't speak for all the Italians and French at those schools). The international crowd (based on stories) seems to band together more at Bocconi as larger groups where in HEC smaller ones form.

 

Officiis vitae consequatur incidunt. Facere et quod dolorem quis. Architecto corrupti aut dolore in ducimus exercitationem vel necessitatibus. Id ab autem maiores distinctio modi provident doloremque. Repellat aut deleniti qui expedita ea quia. Ut aut sint at ut temporibus aperiam.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (53) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”