Recruitment from the continental European top schools
Hey guys, I am a final year management student in the UK and I am planning on starting a MSc in finance this fall. I got offers from LSE A&F (it was my 1st choice), SSE and Bocconi (declined). I did not apply elsewhere, these are my choices, no doubt there. I am not really interested in yet another school A vs school B discussion, although in a way this thread can be seen as LSE vs SSE. Rather, I was hoping that someone can share how strong is the recruiting at the top continental schools (SSE/Bocconi/HEC/etc) if you do not speak the language of the country. I know that the Swedish/Italian/French/etc students at these schools get excellent recruitment, but I am getting some mixed signals on whether this is also the case for the international students there. I guess most of you would say that LSE is the safe choice, but I do not have much work experience or money, so I prefer the 2 year cheaper programs on the continent. I am not very picky about my career goals. I am not aiming for M&A at GS. I'd be more than happy with a MO-type role at MM firms as well. That's why I am leaning towards SSE - it's free, it's 2 years, it's a good school. However, I'd be very disappointed if I go to SSE and find out the hard way that only the Nordic students get any attention from recruiters. My profile: Likely to graduate with a low 1st/high 2:1 in management from a top 10 university in the UK 1 year exchange in a top 30 university in the US - 3.3 GPA 760 GMAT 2 (maybe 3 this summer) internships in the ministry of finance and central bank in my home country Some involvement in societies on campus, no leadership positions For all practical purposes English is the only language I know
So what do you think? Should I just go to SSE and stop worrying about it, or finding a job in London from the top continental schools is very hard if you do not speak the language?
First of all, in Stockholm nearly everyone speaks English. That's partly caused by the fact that a fair amount of films / tv shows aren't translated in nordic languages and people there are used to watch films and shows in English. Therefore, language shouldn't be a huge problem in Stockholm. With a LinkedIn and Xing research (ok actually, 10 minutes of browsing) you can discover that a lot of non-nordic students at the SSE secured spots at top BB's. Shouldn't be a problemm, I guess. I personally know a guy who is from central Europe and hence doesn't know the language and he never mentioned recruiting problems durings his time at the SSE. Another point in favor of Stockholm is the great city and the hot blondes over there. But that's just a sidenote.
I'm not able to say anything about Bocconi, but from MY experience Italians in general aren't as capable of English as the Nordics are. I do have some friends in northern Italy which are pretty shitty in English considering the amount of years of English lessons they had in school. But yeah, can't really say anything helpful to you about Bocconi.
But for your career goal (MO role) all those schools should be more than sufficient.
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