SSE Over-rated or Under-rated?

Ive been hearing from everyone that SSE is really good.... but I live in Stockholm with many friends at SSE.

a) many of them don't speak english very well and don't really seem intelligent to me... not the same quality of students than from my home school at University of Washington

b) the program is 2 years for a MS in Finance which is wierd...

c) doesn't seem prestigious

d) warwick seems better

thoughts?

23 Comments
 

My thoughts are that kids from SSE are better placed to land gigs than yourself, given that your alma mater is U of Washington.

 

im basing all this on empirical experience....basically i wasnt impressed with sse even though initially my perception was that sse was very highly regarded....

 

uw isnt prestigious either. but i feel that us institutions have better faculty and sharper students. but i agree, sse has stellar palcement rates. im trying very hard to figure out if i want to go to sse or warwick or boston college.... i want to say sse but stockholm isnt exactly the hub of financial activity.... london yes. nyc yes. stockholm, eh?

 
lekimbap

c) doesn't seem prestigious

d) warwick seems better

thoughts?

Great arguments pal... O.o
Valor is of no service, chance rules all, and the bravest often fall by the hands of cowards. - Tacitus Dr. Nick Riviera: Hey, don't worry. You don't have to make up stories here. Save that for court!
 

like jmdude mentioned though, it seems that danish or swedish language skills are essential... for an english only speaker, i dont know if sse will help

 

SSE is a target school and places quite high up in European rankings, Nordic PE firms recruit quite vividly from SSE as well.

But I agree with OP that SSE is filled with loads of people that isn't that intelligent. Loads of them busted their asses off in high school to be able to go to SSE but really isn't that smart.

However, If you want to pursue a career in I-banking you should definitely choose SSE over Warwick.

"It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired you quit when the gorilla is tired" -Robert Strauss
 

warwick has excellent placement into the city and a strong alumni network. In the UK warwick is more reputable than SSE. cannot comment on the continent.

Also most SSE guys I know were hired for nordic teams, since they spoke the language. Havent really seen anyone from SSE that wasnt versed in nordic language and part of nordic team.

 

unless you have some special interest/connections/language skills in the nordic world, i would choose warwick over SSE. at the end of the day, networking is king, and i simply can't see some UW asian breaking into the nordic financial elite (don't be fooled by some "quality of life" ranking, continental europe's social mobility is nowhere near that of the anglo-saxon worlds)

 
LLcoolJunless you have some special interest/connections/language skills in the nordic world, i would choose warwick over SSE. at the end of the day, networking is king, and i simply can't see some UW asian breaking into the nordic financial elite (don't be fooled by some "quality of life" ranking, continental europe's social mobility is nowhere near that of the anglo-saxon worlds)
True, but the main issue on this mobility is language, english is just way too easy. Now, if you dont speak an scandinavian language, go to warwick, if you do go to SSE.
Valor is of no service, chance rules all, and the bravest often fall by the hands of cowards. - Tacitus Dr. Nick Riviera: Hey, don't worry. You don't have to make up stories here. Save that for court!
 

Est optio necessitatibus nobis optio ducimus. Aut blanditiis atque necessitatibus eligendi. Recusandae sed doloribus fugiat ipsum aspernatur harum. Ipsam dolorem laboriosam perspiciatis velit. Nisi quia eius dolorum laboriosam rerum atque dignissimos.

 

Velit voluptatem deserunt est omnis amet minima. Incidunt dolore cupiditate fugiat id natus cumque. Quos eos occaecati quam est fuga non ut. Eveniet molestias possimus asperiores aut est officia id.

Ut harum ut illum deserunt accusamus. Est possimus minima possimus magnam enim possimus suscipit. Iusto perspiciatis rem nobis quia error voluptatum eos. Cupiditate sit est facilis fuga accusantium maiores est ut. Veniam rem quos aliquid iste.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”