Bocconi (IEF) vs University of Manchester (with an exchange year at an American university)

I am 17 and I have been accepted by the University of Manchester, in the course called "International Management with American Business Studies", and accepted in Bocconi's IEF degree. I am interested in a career in Business (I love management and creating my own firm) but more specifically I started thinking about a career in Finance, as I learned some basic concepts on my Economics and Business Management IB High School classes. From then I like to expose myself to as many finance fields as possible, I'm constantly googling the meanings of terms I stumble upon and I am slowly getting into trading as I invest some of my savings (a really small amount, as I am not anywhere close to capable of managing and investing funds so early) into funds that invest in fixed income securities. I am just mentioning this to show that through my minute interaction with the finance world I have become obsessed and that's all I am talking about 24/7. Preferably I want to work for a few years after undergrad and then pursue an MBA in a target school in the US, so I can pursue a career in New York. I am aware that Bocconi has a better reputation for Finance than Manchester, but I am only considering Manchester, because the exchange year can be done in American target schools and I wanted to ask if me being in a target school's campus for a year, will help me connect with recruiters and possibly landing an internship in finance in the US or the fact that I'm just an exchange student will deter recruiters from giving me any chances? I am Greek and I really want to stay in the US later on, IYO what university will get me closer to that goal?

 

Hey Dimitris, congrats for getting into Manchester and Bocconi.

I would advise you to go to Bocconi over Manchester because of three reasons:

1) Name: Bocconi is without a doubt the best university in Italy and is a competitive one in the rest of Europe. Manchester, on the other hand, is not even a semi-target for employers in the UK. 2) Quality of life: Milan>Manchester 3) If you really want to go into finance, Bocconi consistently places people at large banks in London. Although this is mostly true for master students, you do see some undergrads too. Your desired transition to the US is more likely to happen after having had some experience in the financial hub of Europe.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

 

First of all I would like to express my gratitude for your answer. I'm glad that you think Bocconi is a better choice for me as I'll also be closer to my family (plane tickets from Greece to Italy are under 30 euros) and I can also improve my mediocre Italian. One last question, if I went to Manchester and studied for one year in a US target school (as an exchange student), would recruiters bother to give me any chances when I'm not really studying in that target school?

 
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Going to voice for UoM as I went to AMBS. I don't know all the universities UoM sends exchange students to but I definitely know Cornell and McGill were options, I think UCLA and NYU as well were there but don't quote me on those two. I forgot the rest. On the IM course (as opposed to IMABS, which you can potentially switch to if you change your ambitions) you go to pretty much all the target schools in Europe, Australia and Asia (HKUST, HKU, SMU and NUS being the big ones in Asia. Bocconi, St Gallen, ESADE and RSM in Europe)

I'm pretty sure it's a semi-target just based on what my social circle has ended up doing after university. It's a university of 30 or 40k students so you're bound to encounter absolute hollow headed people, just as you are to find people who are world class. As for the student life, it's got everything you could want. Whether you love to study, play sports, game, party, create businesses etc.

Yes, I had a great time there. If you have any questions give me a shout.

As for Bocconi, better off hearing from someone who has been.

 

Thank you for your response, it is quite helpful. One question, since you went to AMBS, did you manage to land an internship in the US after your exchange year and regardless did the exchange year provide you with chances of making valuable, career wise, connections?

 

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