Uni choice for investment banking uk
I have undergrad offers from:
Imperial : material science and engineering
ucl :physics
bristol: economics
what degree gives me the highest possibility of breaking into top investment banks or quant firms?
Imperial and then UCL. STEM at either is v strong, imperial probably stronger for quant despite course.
What’s wrong with material science and engineering at imperial, it’s double as hard to get into as ucl?
Don’t know if there’s anything wrong with it per se, but I’ve heard of more physics majors in quant than the other course. Still said it’s probably stronger than UCL
UCL seems to place better for L/S hedge funds though
Hi, I have a course from UCL for bsc archaeology but i dont know if i should take it instead of bsc finance/maths at bayes or qmul. I need to decide quickly so i would really appreciate quick replies. Thanks
UCL, but try switching courses when you join.
Don't go for Bayes or QMUL esp for recruiting
take UCL
Marginal difference between ICL/UCL for finance jobs, personally I would be more impressed by pure physics degree
However for Quant and Tech roles Imperial defo has an edge
Bear in mind that it might be slightly more challenging to secure 2:1 in imperial, you would have to allocate more time in studying
Hi, I have a course from UCL for bsc archaeology but i dont know if i should take it instead of bsc finance/maths at bayes or qmul. I need to decide quickly so i would really appreciate quick replies. Thanks
What about straight IB?
Up to ur preference, Ucl is more chill and less intense/vibrant uni
Imperial sounds like a star wars empire Institute, and it actually feels like it too
Academic-wise imperial has an upper hand in STEM and heard that the quality of education is very good/also intense
If ur dead set on quant then defo Imperial but for IBD it kinda depends, you would be more flexible with ur time in ucl
Would material science and engineering give me a good chance at getting a quant/ investment banking role?
Hi,
For straight IB there's minimal difference between ICL and UCL. If you put a gun to my head, maybe ICL, but it's so marginal that it hardly matters. What matters is how you perform and behave at university.
A student at Bristol who is President of the Finance society, proactively networks, attends career fairs, sends dozens or hundreds of applications, etc., etc., etc., and one more etc. will have a far, far higher chance of securing an IB role than a standard UCL / ICL student.
Hopefully, that's good news. Choose the course you find more interesting and the university which better matches your personality. While I am deeply (worryingly) fond of the thermae spa at Bath, I do think that the London institutions would better position you for IB, but between them don't overthink it.
So overall doing material science and engineering will still put me in a good position?
Oh absolutely. Same if not better than Econs, etc. Course selection isn't a major factor.
Thank you. I am a bit unsure about networking in the uk. I know it is not as big a thing as in the US and I’ve read on here that it doesn't play a huge role.
As someone who has experience, how would you recommend uni students network? My semi target is quite small and doesn't have too many alums across the board.
1) It's correct that (mercifully) networking is not quite as important in the UK as in the US, and is not a "must-have" to secure an IB role...
2) However, it is still useful, particularly for your interviews and cover letters. It does certainly create a better impression when a candidate can say they spoke to such-and-such in the X team and they created a good impression. It shows the candidate has work ethic, really wants this, etc. But, if an otherwise outstanding candidate has not networked with someone at the bank, it's fine. In short, it gives you an edge, an additional tool in your toolbox alongside your smarts, you background motivational story, ability to answer competency questions, university, past experience, etc.
3) In addition, if you're charming, the person you networked with might refer you. Your profile will still be evaluated by HR in the same way as other applications, but my understanding (based on my own discussions with our HR team here), is that the profile will be manually reviewed (as opposed to just accepted / rejected based on criteria) and the fact that an employee referred you is a plus on the profile. But it by no means guarantees that you get to interview. And you still need to pass the online tests.
Hope this helps.
Hi, I have a course from UCL for bsc archaeology but i dont know if i should take it instead of bsc finance/maths at bayes or qmul. I need to decide quickly so i would really appreciate quick replies. Thanks
Comments above nail it pretty much. It sounds like you’re slightly confused still and I don’t want to make that any worse so I’ll give the more bullet points:
Representing Imperial here:
- Very strong exits to quant firms. We have the annual London (UK) hackathon on-campus held with QRT and a few other hedge funds (fluctuates but generally strong representation)
- S&T desk exits are also fairly strong. IBD is weaker because we're not so strong on corp. finance but that's just an Imperial thing: it's still possible but we're not LSE who have a stranglehold in this area.
- Societies are very good: there's a very strong Investment Society and an Algorithmic Trading Society which are both very strong (Investment Society is / was no. 1 in the UK according to most recent rankings) and do a lot of their own events / workshops / lectures with industrial partners. Last year, MS came to do a lecture on market making, which was quite cool. Optiver, HRT, Citadel, Millennium also come often to campus.
Would recommend Imperial over UCL and Bristol but it's up to you.
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