LSE vs Imperial
I’ve received offers to study MSc Finance and economics at LSE and also MSc Finance at Imperial. Most of what I’ve seen suggests LSE would be the better option however I’ve also had some friends suggest Imperial.
I’m still not sure exactly what I want to do after the masters. I studied engineering as an undergrad and have been working in risk management for the past year but am looking to move into a front office role.
I was initially thinking IB but now I think trading/quant roles would be more intellectually fulfilling. If I’m honest I don’t know enough about the roles I’m looking for and need to do some more research.
Please share any opinions on the comparative strengths of the two programs.
LSE because that Imperial degree won't help in getting you a quant role anyway
Thanks for the advice…
Also I know that I’d probably have been better off doing financial maths if I wanted a quant role but I didn’t think I was as likely to get an offer because they specifically say they wanted a maths or maths based subject and I thought engineering was pushing it. Do I still have reasonable odds with finance and economics?
LSE easy
Imperial MFin has a better placement in IB.
It’s Imperial’s flagship program with only 86 students, while at LSE you’ll be competing against your Finance & Econ cohort + all other Finance Masters + Most Undergrads (1000+ students)
Interesting point, do you think the IB placement comes down to personal preference of the candidates? As in those studying finance and economics are more likely to go into other areas whereas I’d you are doing straight finance you are much more likely to be interested in just IB?
Your point around flagship program is an interesting one.
I was hoping the replies would be one sided so I’d have an easier choice! 😅
Yeah that’s a possibility but overall I’d say competition for IB/PE is much fiercer at LSE given the nature of the university.
Regarding Imperial MFin, personal choices are mixed. I would say 40-50% of the cohort want to enter IB/PE, while the rest target S&T, Consulting or Startups.
Tough choice, but if you're looking to maximise your chance to enter the London IB/S&T scene, I'd say Imperial MSc Finance hands down. The LSE's Finance & Economics Masters program is research-focused, which means you'll have significantly less time to network and apply for positions. However, if you're also considering the PhD route, then LSE is the better choice.
What would be the benefits of a PhD route?
I am quite interested in the idea of hedge funds and I hear they quite like PhDs.
LSE reputation is hands down better for business/economics. 5 years down the line only the name of your uni will count.
current msc f&e student: go to imperial unless you already had BB internships before or you already built a solid network before joining and just want to enjoy the one year fulfilment of studying.
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now approaching the end of the program i would like to add a few extra comments. i would like to also add that everyone in the class has their very unique experiences, so mine does not apply to everyone. before going to lse, i already started networking with both imperial and lse alumni, the response rate was much higher from imperial business school, everyone in the same imperial program i was originally admitted to replied to me and shared good advice. i think that says something. this program at lse has a very small class (around 50), and a third of them are from china, and a third of the class are going for a phd program, that downsized your alumni pool significantly.
it seems like a tough choice but actually if you think clearly it really isn't; if you want to do quant, you can always ask about the possibility of transferring to risk management at imperial; f&e won't help that much unless you are extremely hard-working and smart; also you just threw the deposit away lol if you chose lse
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