Master in Finance: HEC Paris vs Bocconi vs St. Gallen
Hello everyone,
I have been admitted to HEC, Bocconi and St. Gallen for a master in Finance, and I am struggling to know which School to choose.
About me: I am from Belgium, I speak French, English, and Dutch, this will be my first master, I ve just turned 21 years old. Gmat: 760, I love maths.
My areas of interest are: Financial Markets (not really interested in Corporate Finance), Asset and Wealth Management, Investment Funds
Later, I would love to work in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, or in Russia (Moscow or St Petersbourg). However, this is not a necessary condition, I love London and other more common destinations for Finance Jobs too.
The amount of the tuition fees is not relevant for me at this stage, I am more interested in the placement opportunities, reputation and teaching quality of the schools.
What would you guys do if you were me? and why?
My main concern about University of St. Gallen is that their placements are almost always in Switzerland or Germany, and this school seems to have less international recognition than HEC, would you say the same?
Thanks for your precious answers!
In order to work in London, I would say Bocco >= HEC => St. Gallen But, these 3 schools are target (top tiers in Europe). HEC is near to London.
HEC is the clear winner. Not really close.
Debatable. I think in their respective markets, HEC and Bocconi outshine each other but I feel that in the eyes of UK recruiters they can be on par. Where I would highlight a difference is that I think the Bocconi MFin is seen better than the HEC MFin, but the HEC MiM is seen better than the Bocconi MiM.
At undergrad, you may have a point. But at the graduate level, there's simply no contest. Just look at the placement stats.
HEC: 99% Employed 3 months post grad with 63k (euro) average starting salary. That becomes 136k (euro) 3 years after graduation. The OCR is outstanding.
Bocconi: 96% 1 year after graduation: 9 months to find a job: 91% student satisfaction. Cant find salary data.
Bocconi is good. But HEC is world class. Up there with MIT as best in the world.
I'll just throw my 2cents.
Background: BSc in Economics and Finance at Bocconi MFin will do HEC MIF next year and know/have talked to many students in both programs.
I'd say that only a fool would claim that HEC and Bocconi are on par, especially at the graduate level. HEC is clearly the best option.
Given that each program has some unique features designed to best satisfy your interests.
HEC: 1-year program - if you have previous experience the placement is unmatched: in London, it will lag slightly behind LSE/Oxbridge but if you learn French during the program you can apply to Paris and Benelux too.
Bocconi: 2-year program - great if you have close to zero working experience. The course is great, maybe better if you are interested in Capital Markets rather than Corporate Finance. Placement in Milan is great, but you will still have to compete with Italian students that went abroad and still apply in Milan. Placement in London is great, due to both the huge Alumni network and the Bocconi Brand.
Long story short: both are great programs. Feel free to send me a PM if you need more info.