RSM vs ESE vs a better school (LSE, Oxford, HEC etc.)
Short summary: dropped out of uni due to personal problems, started again at Erasmus School of Economics, have a 4.0/4.0 GPA atm with no prior internship experience (I did teach at my uni + various extracurriculars).
I've been accepted at both Erasmus School of Economics and Rotterdam School of Management, respectively for Financial Economics and Finance & Investments. Which one should I choose and if I want to work in Asset Management/IB at a bank in London/Frankfurt (with my profile)? I prefer Erasmus School of Economics because RSM students usually aren't the brightest in my very honest opinion, but then again RSM has a (much) better name than ESE.
Also, is taking a gap year to study for the GMATs and to do an internship worth it? In other words: is taking an entire year off to get admitted into LSE/HEC/Oxford worth the effort? Or would you rather do Finance at Erasmus University and do two full-time internships during your master's degree? Is it even possible to pursue a career in AM/IB this late during my studies?
I know that these questions are quite ambiguous but I'm feeling kind of lost right now, so any advice is welcome.
Forgot to add: RSM/ESE costs me €2k per year, whereas the other universities are €30k. I will need to take out personal loans if I end up at those schools (but I'm okay with this).
Quite funnily, a large part of "target" schools are populated by quite "rich/upper middle class" people. First and foremost, due to the fact that lendwise is very strict on their country coverage, that even if you were to be admitted, you wouldn't be able to secure loans in the UK. This happened to me when I was accepted for Imperial F&A. People like to step on your toes for not having the same "rank" as them, but like said before, its nothing a stellar resume can't overcome. RSM does place reasonably well into London, espeially if you speak Dutch. Also, what's the point of being able to mentioning LSE abroad? if you work for a company, shouldn't you be representing the name of your company?
Also, some critique on your post as well. Claiming RSM students aren't the brightest is not necessarily true. Its easy to compare a highly theoretical, quantitative finance program against a industry-focused applied track and conclude that since the math looks more daunting and harder, these people must be brighter than RSM people, because abstract theory looks more prestigious. A lot of success in IB, especially IB, depends on commercial instinct. Its not the most technical who wins, its the one who wins the heart of the investors, even if they are mid at their technicals. Different types of intelligence, not comparable. Also the shanghai ranking, ranked RSM's IBA, #1 in the world.
Also, LSE helps you get a foot inside the door. It does not automatically outclass your career trajectory. We live in an AI world anyway, do you rly believe that pampered kids don't cheat their way through these schools? Take the hard path, and you will outclass them on the job floor.
I would say RSM is a good school (not an outstanding one compared to LBS, HEC or LSE). But considering its price, I would seriously consider it compared to the other business schools in Europe (excluding the ones I mentioned). But then, depends on what you want and the debt you can/want (take the pressure into account when you start working).
Good luck :)
Thanks for your advice!
Congrats on your RSM admissions!
RSM is a strong school, while it doesn't have the cache of a Oxbridge or LSE, it does place into London banks as well as top firms on the continent. The ROI is also very high given the low cost tuition.
I'd suggest taking the RSM offer and pushing for AM/IB or ER. The school has London treks and if you do well academically / during interviews, you should land a great role.
Best of luck!
Thanks a lot for your advice! I accepted my offer and I think I will try to do a local M&A/PE internship before trying my luck with breaking into London.
what did you end up choosing? also debating between ESE vs. RSM
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