Imperial or St-Gallen Graduate
Let me give some context for the question:
I applied to Imperial (Msc Risk Management and Financial Engineering) , UCL and St-Gallen (Masters in Quantitative Economics and Finance) and I got accepted in all 3. I like Imperial and St-Gallen but ultimately decided to go through with St-Gallen as Imperial was very expensive for my family. However, after some personal experiences I decided that I really wanted to have a more international profile and I like mathematics a bit more now. So I decided to email Imperial and told them that I regretted that I had chosen St-Gallen. They were kind enough to reinstate my offer.
There are some pros and cons with Imperial that are very important to me.
Pros:
- Better courses, more mathematics (Stochastic calculus, C++, etc)
- Better name (at least better than St-Gallen)
- More international exposure (When I went to NY nobody knew St-Gallen as opposed to Imperial)
- London is more fun than Switzerland
Cons:
- Expensive (50k pounds vs almost 0 for St-Gallen : this would be very intense for me and my family)
- We have already rented an appartment in St-Gallen, bought furniture, etc..
- !!!!!One year program for Imperial as opposed to 2 for St-Gallen (meaning that I will not be able to have another summer internship with Imperial)
So what is my goal?
This summer (summer after my BSc and before the start of my Masters) I have secured an internship in IB in my home country (not Switzerland) that I am not going to disclose. I have also worked in a BB in AM for 1.5 years part time while doing my BSc. My utlimate goal is to get into an HF. Either traditionnaly through IB or directly.
The fact that Imperial is only one year makes me a bit hesitant. What if I cannot land a FT offer in a BB (which is almost impossible without a summer) ? Can I get into a HF without a summer?
The ultimate question is which Masters should I choose and how should I capitalize on my decision to have the best outcome for what I want to do.
You sound like you have a solid CV, so I wouldn't worry too much about the programme duration. Especially given how you want to pursue quant finance, I'd definitely go with Imperial. Cost is an important factor, however. Are there any scholarships you can pursue? Check out if you're eligible for a GREAT scholarship or perhaps support from local foundations in your country. If the financial situation doesn't work out, HSG is still a great school with very strong placements in the DACH region.
I think Imperial has a more solid reputation and - in my opinion - is more academically rigorous, however St Gallen still has a very good reputation
Overall, I don't think the difference is necessarily world changing: if you've already got a furnished apartment in St Gallen, and the extra fees to attend Imperial will make life difficult, go with St Gallen
The converse is that, if you're financially secure and can afford the Imperial course, go and do it - chance to live in London (I don't know whether this counts as "abroad" for you) and will arguably be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
And regarding your point concerning the lack of internship opportunity after only one year at Imperial, you can always do an internship after graduating to transition into a full time role
There's also, of course, the chance to go straight into a full time role after graduating after just one year
If you're currently on a break between undergrad and starting your master's degree, try and get something in the pipeline for now - is a little late, but will give you some experience and potentially some extra money before you re-start your studies
Thank you for taking the time to answer.
I just finished my bachelor and on September I will be starting my masters. I have never taken any time off. The idea is to complete my internship this summer and hopefully this (along with the rest of my experience and background) will be enough to secure a decent FT position after my studies.
I guess my problem is that in the eyes of many people Imperial is better than St-Gallen and I would not want to be viewed by people as the guy that took a suboptimal decision.
I guess either way, it would be fairly similar.
In London, you recruit for SA positions in August/September right around when the programme begins, and then convert those to FT positions. Obviously, you can recruit for FT positions as well, but the competition is much fiercer.
Don't worry too much about what other people think - as I said, both universities have a great reputation and you'll gain valuable, albeit slightly different, experience from each
You obviously don't ever need to disclose that you hypothetically chose St Gallen over Imperial, and if people query you, you can just say, "Yeah, I got accepted into both, but for reasons x, y, z, I chose St Gallen"
If they judge you for that, that's their problem
Another factor worth considering is what each course actually teaches you - how closely does it align with your own interests and what you want to do for a career, etc.
Let's not forget, attending university isn't just about the brand name you get on a bit of paper at the end, it's also about furthering your education in a subject you're passionate about, expanding your network, and growing as a person
I believe ST gallen is much better for business after saying that London life is funner than St gallen that's for sure.
The MSc Risk Management and Financial Engineering at Imperial is not going to be as useful in finance recruiting as perhaps the BSc Mathematics from Imperial. Also, if 50,000 is a big strain on your family + you've spent money on an apartment, I would not recommend it
OP wants to get into quant finance, so a financial engineering masters would be useful. For IB, Imperial's Fin/F&A programs would be better though.
That's a difficult question which is better but considering everything, I would go for St Gallen. Overall trying to get a career like IB, HF while already having a family is kinda risky because you need to do lots of financial planning and if something goes wrong (like you don't get the desired seat as quickly as you want), then things don't look great. But I guess you are already aware of this. St Gallen is a very solid choice. I'd focus on recruiting for ER and HFs in London given your quant interests, not only at BBs but also shops like Optiver etc. IB is also one of the choices, but I feel like it will be easier for you to get your foot in the door through ER. ER has less seats, but it's also less competetive and quant skills like yours would be highly valued - just some food for thought.
Don't think OP has a family of his own, he just meant that Imperial would be a significantly larger financial burden on his parents, who are presumably helping with tuition expenses.
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