LUISS vs WHU vs FSFM for MFin – Best Option Without Direct Finance Experience?
Hey everyone,
I have received offers from these three schools and need some guidance. My background is a bachelor's in management engineering from a non-target school (non-eu) with a mid-range GPA. I have 5 months of experience in Commercial Banking and a year in Financial Institutions. My goal is to break into IB, PE, or AM, but I’m still figuring out which path to take. Given my profile, which school would give me the best shot?
Long-term, I want to work in Germany, Switzerland, or the UK.
- LUISS: A target school in Italy(or can be said?), so I’d likely stay there post-Master’s and try to internally transfer to the UK for IB. However, Bocconi's dominance makes this route a bit risky.
- WHU: Strong finance placements and network. This will be the first year their MFin is in Düsseldorf, where their MBA program is located, which could be a big opportunity.
- FSFM: Great location (Frankfurt) and strong reputation in finance-related fields.
Which of these would be the best/most recognized option for breaking in? I’m fully committed to networking, mastering technicals, learning languages, and being active wherever I go.
Feeling a bit lost on which path to take, so any advice would be really appreciated...
Based on the most helpful WSO content, here's how your options stack up:
WHU: WHU is known for its strong finance placements and an extensive alumni network, particularly in Germany. The move of their MFin program to Düsseldorf, where their MBA program is located, could enhance networking opportunities and exposure to professionals in the finance industry. WHU's reputation in Germany and its connections to top firms make it a solid choice, especially if you aim to work in Germany or Switzerland. However, keep in mind that WHU's strength lies in its network and placements, so leveraging these through active networking will be crucial.
FSFM (Frankfurt School of Finance & Management): FSFM has a strong reputation in finance and is located in Frankfurt, the financial hub of Germany. This proximity to major financial institutions provides excellent opportunities for internships and networking. Additionally, FSFM is known for being generous with scholarships and has a good track record of placing students in IB and other finance roles. If you are fluent in German or willing to learn, FSFM could be a top contender, especially for breaking into the German market.
LUISS: While LUISS is a respected school in Italy, it is overshadowed by Bocconi when it comes to finance placements and international recognition. If you choose LUISS, you might face challenges in breaking into IB or PE outside of Italy. The strategy of transferring internally to the UK could work, but it is riskier compared to the direct placement opportunities offered by WHU or FSFM.
Recommendation:
Given your background and goals, prioritize schools with strong networks and proximity to financial hubs, as these will maximize your chances of breaking into IB, PE, or AM.
Sources: European Master in Finance programmes (pre-experience), European Masters Rankings, MSF Class of 2018, Is target MSc Finance still possible in my situation? (Bocconi, HEC, LSE, HSG....), LBS vs UCL vs Imperial for IB
bro, you’re analyzing these schools like you're about to make a $10B acquisition. Love the commitment. 😂 But let’s be real—there’s only one right choice here, and it’s LUISS.
So yeah, I’m totally unbiased here. No personal interest in this whatsoever. Just a random internet stranger with great taste. Choose wisely. 👀
Hahahahaha i love the passion…clearly no bias at all! You make a solid case for the espresso and aperitivo lifestyle over bratwurst and grey skies :( Definitely can’t ignore the work-life balance factor and the idea of outshining Bocconi grads is tempting 🤔😂
if you wanna work in ldn go for luiss or whu. fsfm is great for frankfurt, but you gotta speak german. whu or luiss are mor well known in ldn, although yes bocconi is much more popular in italy and HSG much more popular in DACH region. you seem to have a international profile and if youre from a small eu country, even better for ldn as they have their nationality quotas - if youre a german person, its mutch tougher then if you are from macedonia or something haha.
im on fsfm, main differnces betw whu and fsfm is intake size: Whu is only 60, and peers are stronger. fsfm is 260 and a lot of very weak peers, although whu is also not very "elite". still, the top 20% still perform good and get nice offers in fsfm. its easy to stand out in fsfm with good grades though. fsfm has better curriculum, more concentrations, electives and top profs. for my taste, too many statistical and empirical stuff in the foundations modules (for a business school at least). whu in düsseldorf is double egded. before, it was in vallendar, a small rural town. fostered more connections in the intake, but can be a bit boring. fsfm can get very anonymous, no strong connections between peers as its in a "big" city and also a lot of students are working part time and not so often on campus therefore. now, whu mfin is in dus you do not have the village feeling anymore. problem with that is that the banks/consults etc will now need to come to vallendar and DUS seperately. Bachelors is still in vallendar and deemed stronger then master. maybe therefore, I think there will be less campus recruiting for masters now, elss events etc. as companies do not want to have double the effort. In DUS there are some consults but bank wise there is not much going on. so thats the risk i see with the being part of the first DUS intake. on the other hand, WHU on your resume (and speaking german) will get you in some interviews, you do not need to visit network events for that. I deem networking events like careers fairs a bit overvalued, you can also network individually and that works much better imo.
Thanks for the detailed insights mate!! Its really helpful to hear from someone currently at FSFM. Based on your experience, how do you find the environment there? Are you happy with the program overall? And was there a particular reason you chose FSFM?
Also do you think its realistic to land a UK offer straight after graduation if I apply directly and put in the effort? If that doesn’t work I would probably have to move to Frankfurt first and find a job to transfer to the UK later.
yeah np, like I said the curriculum is the best in egrmany for finance, especially when youre more interested in markets or risk then corpfin. 2/3 of people choose corpfin concentration though, there are only around 20-30 ppl who want to work in some S&T or AM position (minus the indians and chinese that want that to but will struggle to find a job in ffm without german). in general its a good uni with solid placement, but the student life isnt to exciting. master is designed that you are in uni max 3 days a week so you have time to work besides. definetely no frat culture (thats more WHU), you can find cool people but most are NPCs haha. international wise its mostly indians and chinese, but also small group of foreign european countries. thes integrate well in the german student body, indians and chinese stick to themselves mostly. I chose ffm because its solid, but its nothing exciting. I dont have the time of my life there, its mainly studying and working. on the other hand, I can cover pers expenditures like rent and food w/o needing money from my family etc. placement in london from fsm comes mainly from bachelors, sometimes some DEI hires from master, but fs is not so well known in ldn. In ffm different story, lots of senior bankers came from fs. to the second question, that depends on your profile and what you wanna do. if you dont speak german I think getting a front office FTO in FFM is not easier than in LDN.
are you German? Anyways out of these three WHU is the best in my view and has the most guys in London (they are all Germans though). WHU also has a pretty strong start-up scene and alumni base if you want that at some point. Plenty of WHU alumni in hedge funds in London - cant say the same about the two other
No Im from the CEE region. I’ll definitely try my best to connect with the alumni. Do you think not being German would be a disadvantage for breaking in with WHU? My plan is to maximize my chances by learning German,aiming for a job in Frankfurt, and then possibly doing an intra-transfer to London incase direct applications don’t work. Do you think that path would be a good strategy? Thank you for your comment and insights mate I really do appreciate it.
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