Lawyer to MBA in Finance. LBS vs M7?
Hey everyone,
I am a qualified lawyer from Europe with a master's in Pol.Sci. I have OK grades (top 30% in class) and a 730 GMAT. I will be applying in round 1 2020 to LBS + several of the M7s (incl. HSW).
I know I want to end up in London one way or another, but I am also craving the US experience, where the quality of the curriculum and the student body is regarded as superior. Also, I see the MBA more as a way to study and re-skill myself and less as a 2-year party bonanza. For example, this is why I feel attracted to the alleged culture of MIT Sloan, where there is a greater emphasis on study.
I am aiming for a finance role post-MBA, perhaps in IBD, but I am open to discovering new things.
Thus, I would really appreciate your input, especially from alumni, so as to get out of my head and have a more practical approach to this 'first world problem'.
TLDR: I want to work in London, but feel that LBS would be an inferior experience academically.
Thanks
How do you score 731 on the GMAT?
Lol. My numerical pad can score 731. I meant 730.
MBAs are valued more in the US and MFins more in Europe. If you want to land an IB/other finance job in Europe, the MFin may be your best bet because 1) as mentioned, it is seen as more relevant than an MBA in most cases and 2) it is specific, unlike an MBA which is general business.
Where an MBA could make more sense for you is if you have 3-5 years of experience in law and need a strong network of people to help you pivot to finance. An MBA (especially in the US) does that better than an MFin. If you've just come out of a law degree and figured this isn't for you, perhaps the MFin is better.
One final thing I would say is that getting in MFins without a semi-quantitative background is generally tougher than an MBA. If you are with little previous experience, a potential hybrid to look into would be a MiM. Generally, target school MiMs in Europe do a decent job of placing people into IB (you have to craft your course to have a good number of finance modules) and the entry requirements are a bit less strict than MBAs.
You have some thinking and searching to do. See both on LinkedIn and university websites where each of these 3 options has placed in both the US and EU.
Not positive how this would work in Europe, but I know that when comparing a masters in finance vs MBA in the US, one tends to recruit at the analyst level whereas the other (MBA) the Associate level for banking. I know that wasn’t your question but was mentioned. To me, at the end of the day it’s more beneficial going to LBS. It’s a totally different question if it’s a no name program, but LBS and INSEAD are viewed very highly in Europe. Being in London and having the ability to network with potential employers will be a huge difference.
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