UK University List - any feedback or advice?
Hello all,
I am a Year 13 student, and I'm in the process of applying to university in the UK. I will be an international student, and so will need a visa to work. Interested in IB/ M&A, but not too knowledgeable about it yet, so any and all advice is much appreciated. I am a girl, if that makes a difference.
UNITED KINGDOM
- All PPE/ Pol+Econ. I know these are considered good degrees, but is it possible to get a good Finance/ IB job with them as an international student? Or am I better going with single honors economics? I think I can score better with the combined honors, and that's a part of the reason I picked it.
Oxford: Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)
LSE: Politics and Economics
UCL: PPE
KCL: Political Economy. Would you recommend switching to PPE?
Warwick: PPE [have offer already]
- Their degree is classed under the Department of Philosophy not Economics. Will that make a difference to the OCR opportunities or to future employers?
theres probably better semi targets than k*ngs - i may be a BIT biased as a ucl student but id take bath over kcl because their placement programme is insane. but kcl still place decently ish.
all your other choices look good though- assuming your grades are on the higher end as most of those courses have pretty low acceptance rates.
Thanks! I already have an offer from Warwick for PPE, forgot to write that in the main post (will edit now). I like the course, and I've heard from people on here that it is a target for IB/ M&A.
Do you think that that is true for PPE? Even for international students?
yea warwick ppe is a top course forsure- not quite econ or morse but still a very highly regarded course + department. getting an offer this early is pretty mental aswell
Pretty much most of the stuff you're concerned about is a non-issue or not important.
You can do PPE, just do it at a target uni ideally.
https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/investment-banking/20-most-freque…
Thanks! To confirm what I've read elsewhere, Oxford, LSE, UCL, Warwick are targets?
I'm mostly worried about getting in as an international applicant - would Warwick (target for home students) still be competitive for an international?
I don't know how HR thinks about the dynamics between your school and your visa requirements (which btw don't kick in until 2 years after graduation). But I doubt that they think about it as intricately as you think they do.
Link I posted got broken, I fixed it.
Good list. Durham > KCL but besides that solid
Thanks! Do you think Warwick is better than Durham for IB/ M&A? I don't see myself ending up at KCL as I already have a Warwick offer, and KCLs should be about the same conditions, but not sure about Durham.
Also, how much to knowing languages matter? I will be conversational in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese by the time I enter university (B1 on the CEFR) - is it worth it to improve to C1 level, and pick up something like Italian at uni, or is that time better spent elsewhere?
It will make a positive difference that you're a girl - you'll be fast-tracked. Even better that you'll deserve a place on academic merit, assuming you get offers from these universities for those super-competitive degrees. If I have a choice between two equally strong candidates, one M and one F, I will always choose the latter. And many banks will do the same, even if the former is an otherwise stronger candidate.
It's an academic question to compare Oxford vs LSE re: IBD career prospects - it won't impact you either way if you're motivated. LSE has a better grass-roots community of students applying to IBD, keeping each other updated on key deadlines etc. I went to LSE but would recommend choosing Oxford, if you have the choice, owing to stronger reputation outside of the social sciences and for stronger optionality outside of Finance, if you ever decide to change career.
Thanks for the advice! Where do you think Warwick, UCL and KCL sit in terms of prestige as a target/ recruitment to finance?
Also, how much to knowing languages matter? I will be conversational in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese by the time I enter university (B1 on the CEFR) - is it worth it to improve to C1 level, and pick up something like Italian at uni, or is that time better spent elsewhere?
UCL, warwick kcl - large gap between warwick and kcl
Stop victimizing yourself with this "international student" tag. You'll be a Warwick / xyz University grad - end of story. Focus on getting integrated in the society, networking, learning, and getting relevant internships instead of random BS like which departments a degree falls into - this isn't India. Focus on becoming an absolute beast with the things I mentioned, and with the added advantage of being a girl, no bank will hesitate giving you an offer despite having to sponsor you.
Hi! Thanks for your feedback, though not sure why you are so upset that I'm asking these questions. I just wanted to ask about the departmental differences in opportunities because Warwick releases graduate data for their economics department, though not philosophy (where PPE is). And being an international student needing sponsorship is important because I've heard the job market now sucks, and as such I need to be careful about where I'm spending 100k pounds (which, though affordable for me, is a lot of money).
I will look into relevant internships, first year insight schemes and school societies. Cheers for the advice, I'll be sure to use it!
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