Anyone from St.Gallen?

RealDeal87:

I am getting mixed signals about applying there and would love to speak with people that either went there for their Masters in Finance or anyone that even considered it. I've look at other sites as well but too much information in this case can only be beneficial I feel.

St. Gallen is a top-notch program, along with Bocconi, HEC, and SSE it is a top tier continental target university for investment banks. The only downside with St. Gallen is that most of its graduates work in Frankfurt or Zurich, so perhaps less opportunities in London- but still good opportunities I would imagine.

well I am currently in the proces of deciding on Durham (course starting this september).

Lets put LSE aside for a second. Dont want to go there for some reasons I dont want to mention.

I dont think I want to go into IB but rather AM. As Durham is not the worst name in AM, the only thing I get out of Bocconi would be an extra summer which is obviously extremely important but I am currently thinking that I am willing to try my luck.

why do you also think the decission of picking durham over Bocconi is crazy?

I think IB is really interesting but the 80+ lifestyle would probably ruin my relationship. I might regret that decision later on but it feels right atm.

Thanks, I actually found some useful information there pertaining to my situation. Problem is, I don't speak German which I realize will work against me. I have distant family in Switzerland and an Aunt and a few cousins in Germany though. I do now another language from that region but I doubt it will come in handy unless I go to work in that country.

I did hear that it is ridicolous easy (compared to NYC/London) to get in IB in Zurich and Frankfurt. Don't HAVE to know German for ALL positions and openings but obviously its an issue if you want to cast a wide net. Basically one interview and thats it, no superdays or assesment centers.

as I said, very easy.

St Gallen is also not the worst thing if you plan on going to London. Taking the cost factor into consideration only SSE beats it from what Ive seen (both free)

I have to warn you though, it is not that you gonna "fit in" not speaking German (student life + working and living). St Gallen is a small town and the university is not "international" as Bocconi e.g. I would therefore think twice as others will enjoy benefits you wont regarding banking clubs etc.

There are strong networks in St Gallen and especially their banking club (society) will help you land gigs quite easily. Also dont forget that the msc in banking and finance is sponsored by UBS and CS! the Msc in Management is sponsored by McK. Even though I am repearing myself, there is no better place to study if you want to work in german speaking europe as the companies are known to "have set up" those courses as bootcamp for their german, swiss and autrian practices.

Hmm, I've never been one to be unable to live without the night life and I've read a little about the town. 75,000 people so I don't expect much but I really have no choice here. No other reputable program gives me the option of starting in the Spring and with my expected graduation date, I should be in a better position for a FT gig then the grads of '10 and '11, Switzerland is a tiny country though so I imagine that looking for clubs and the whole night light deal won't take more then half an hours drive to Zurich ( Maybe 45 minutes?)

My only other option is Villanova and their MSF that starts in May..but I doubt I would get in there, plus I really don't want to have a gap of 12 months on my resume if I have the option of starting somewhere earlier.

Gallen DOES have a study abroad program, which I plan on utilizing pending good grades and Bocconi is on ther list of choice as well as top US B-schools...so that's also interesting.

yes but check the requirements.. its speaking italian if I am not mistaken

let me make one thing clear: if you want to work in the US dont!! study in St Gallen. Just stay in the US. For London: do it! for german speaking europe: without a doubt.

I know people from St. Gallen, some landed top, top gigs. Some told me it's a bit of a ghost town sometimes though, but who cares, heh?

curious to hear about this too, might be considering St Gallen as an opportunity to study and work abroad and change things up and all... this may be a no brainer but id imagine the swiss are big on asset management?

Haven't read this thread fully but just to say the HSG St. Gallen is one hell of a target school for MBB and the BBs (IBD and S+T) in London and across the continent. It's the same league as Oxbridge, LSE, you name it. I would definitely recommend studying there. The degrees are highly rigorous, student body can be a bit on the posh side of things but there you go. All guys I know from there, really all guys, are very good. In terms of nightlife just go to Zurich if you're bored, or Milan...

Just how hard is it for an International to get a job from the Master in Banking & Finance program at St. Gallen's? The reason I'm keen on this program is 1) Relatively Inexpensive 2) Switzerland is a haven for Asset Managers/HFs 3) Great specialized curriculum.

I'm extremely interested in Global Macro Investing. My goal is to get a position at the global macro research desk of a bank/hedge fund/asset manager.

I'm seriously considering doing an MIM or MSF to that end, primarily because such roles are impossible to find in my home country (India).

With the weak job market in EU/US, things get all the more harder for Internationals, so I'm skeptical about spending a ton of money. I'm fairly confident of getting admits to schools such as LBS/LSE/HEC/St Gallen. Infact, a senior from my school in India got a 50%+ scholarship at HEC. However, at this point of time I wouldn't spend that kind of money on anything but an M7 MBA, so unless I get a decent scholarship at LBS/LSE/HEC, its a tough call. I have friends (Indians) at LBS/LSE/Oxford struggling to get jobs, so spending a lot of money on those programs seems unjustified.

I'd highly appreciate if somebody could throw some light on the recruiting scene for Internationals in Europe from St Gallen.

I'm wondering the same thing that MountainKing asked

To give people an update, if you don't have European citizenshp, it seems like it's not worth it to go to St. Gallen, at least this is what I have to say as of now. In order to get a full-time job, or have a chance of getting one after graduating, you need to have an internship. No one is going to sponsor you for an internship if you need a work permit, even if you're American or whatnot, it doesn't matter. At least this is my experience so far....

I am from St. Gallen. MBF (Master of Banking and Finance). If you want to work in London, I strongly recommend you go schools in London or in UK. It takes two years to finish the program in MBF (18month-program and almost everyone need one more semester for master thesis) and there are a lot of so called Contextual Studies, which related little to practice or knowledge of financial job but required a lot of effort to work on the assignments and prepare the exam. Also in St.Gallen the education is very German style (?). A lot of core courses, such as Financial Institutions, require learning by heart. [I have never seen in "University" students copying slides or handout text on flash cards to memorize them word by word ( shouldn't this happens in high school?)] I had hard time to get used to this kind of educating/learning.

St. Gallen is consider high in German speaking area. I don't think a HSG graduated Swiss will have difficulty to enter UBS or Credit Suisse in Switzerland. But for non-EU citizen or non German speaker, the only incentive to choose HSG is the cheaper tuition.

How is the On-Campus Recruiting at St. Gallen? Do they have a large database of job offers for grads etc.? How is their PhD program viewed?

Bump. Any added information into this? I'm interested in hearing from people who've done MBF, but SIM as well, and what the career opportunities for non-EUs look like.

A non-EU might seriously reconsider, unfortunately. The school's great. I'm not part of the student body, but I've been following the school's news for some time now. Even The Blackstone Group hosts workshops at the school (for the SIM Program).

A Senior Admission Official at a QS Graduate School Fair said that's Switzerland's job market environment for non-EU job seekers is very complicated, very regulated, nearly impossible. The Swiss Government's policies aren't as flexible as the UK and France concerning non-EU job candidates. And even StGallen itself won't be able to help you with that.

A good alternative for a non-EU would be the MiM at HEC and ESSEC. These schools have a strong track record of having the means to make international graduates stay and settle in France. Quick example I know of: Indian graduate of ESSEC MiM, full-time offer in Sales & Trading at BNP/SG. Didn't speak a damn word of french at the time of recruitment. ESSEC made sure he got in and stayed.

(I'm not a student of any of the aforementioned schools - StGallen, ESSEC, HEC. I'm merely speaking based-on personal reference experience and official feedback from admission officials at those schools. I attend a lot of European Graduate Schools Fairs and tend to ask a lot of precise questions to admission officials. I get them out of their comfort zone.)