BYU vs KCL

My university decisions have come down to 2 universities; Kings College London and BYU.

Ill state the advantages and disadvantages of attending these universities


KCL

Advantages:

1) International recognition (top 30 in the world)

Disadvantages

1) In London. Not sure if this is a big disadvantage but I want to live and work in the US (might get a green card soon) and I'm not sure if a degree from KCL would be all that beneficial in the US.

BYU

Advantages:

1) This would be approx. 1/3rd the price of Kings and although my parents would be able to afford both I don't want them to have to worry much about money.

Disadvantages:

1) I am an Asian male and am worried that most of the recruiting at BYU would be Mormons. I think I could handle the honour code and whatnot since it's not that different from how I have been living up to now.


Also, how is transferring from BYU to another university, and what are my chances to get into a top target school if I chose to do so.

 

At BYU right now, and this isn’t true. Not being a Mormon will help you more than being a Mormon.

 

Kings is an ok Uk school, not one of the usual targets but has ok representation in finance (but UK recruiting is very random just a heads up). Can't ostensibly recruit directly to US from London, to be honest, it just doesn't happen. 

 

you don't just go from undergrad to a top US MBA, you need work experience for a few years first.

 

This is correct, but...

KCL does have decent placement into U.K. MSc courses at targets - most people I know there who applied for finance or non finance masters got into Oxford/Cambridge/LSE/Imperial/UCL/LBS. Domestic students aren’t that strong but in general the Europeans and Asians are.

That said, recruiting wise it’s at best a strong semi-target and for most firms probably behind Durham and one or two others. 

 

I don't think they were necessarily focusing on the postgrad element and moreso on the american element. They seem to want to work in the states and a uk msc isn't going to help. 

 

I have gotten an acceptance from Durham as well.

Would it be better to go to Durham than KCL? I was leaning more towards KCL since it's in London and its high ranking.

 
Most Helpful

Currently at Durham- probably the best school after the targets in terms of recruiting opportunities and placements (Oxbridge,LSE,Imperial,UCL,Warwick) There was a stat somewhere on this forum that showed there's a sizeable gap between targets + Durham vs everyone else (Durham had about 2x+ more placements into IB/MBB compared to the next best school), and you can feel it on campus. Definitely impressive considering also that a lot of kids choose not to go into finance recruiting compared to LSE etc.

KCL is certainly not bad at all and the international rep helps you if you're going abroad. Domestically, and in London IB specifically, Durham does fare better but KCL is respected through and through as a good enough uni that I don't think the difference is so significant that you'll close doors- there's just less of an pipeline imo and a hurdle because you have to compete against superior schools with a plentiful of candidates in the same city (UCL/Imperial/LSE), whereas Durham's advantage comes from being kind of its own thing (similar to Warwick in that way, but less).

Also, although KCL generally has a much better academic international perspective, Durham still holds decent weight in both HK/SG, and equal or greater weight in some of their programs like Geography/Law (although I don’t think that would apply to you lol). Regardless, It’s safe to say that if you go to Durham you might as well try recruiting for London as it places well there and London is unquestionably the biggest market outside of the US for english speakers, and then moving back after 2+ years. If you’re prepared to do a 3 year degree, might as well spend 2 more am i right

 

At BYU right now - in the middle of IB recruiting and also considering transferring.

IB network is much stronger than it gets credit for. This cycle alone we’ve already placed non-diversity at JPM, Q, Rothschild, MS, etc. Network will be extremely receptive, especially if you are not a member of the church.

Transfers are less about your prior university and more about performance and ECs. If you have a genuine reason to leave and crush it here, you can go anywhere.

 

Thanks a lot for the info! Where do you usually see students from BYU end up after transferring? Also how would not being Mormon help

 

Not being a Mormon would just make you more unique w respect to BYU peers. BYU network definitely watches out for each other and if you are able to show you appreciate the school and are drawn to its values (even while not being a member), it will be impressive.

Also, it may provide a good reason to transfer if you decide to pursue that route.

 

I have a good buddy that wasn't Mormon when he went to BYU. It was a huge culture shock for him but he still liked it. Came out of school debt-free and now works at a top BB. I say go BYU. Plus Mormons love byu so you will get a ton of help.  

 

I say this a lot and previous posters will recognize me for saying this, but BYU is a weird school. If you think of a place like Cornell or Yale, everyone is at that school because they are at a certain (very high) level of academic performance. More than anything else, that is the uniting trait of the student body. BYU is weird because the uniting factor is not academic performance but the fact that everyone is Mormon. That means the standard deviation of academic performance is very high, which is good and bad. The top ~10% of finance students end up in investment banking and have an easy time in classes but everyone else falls through the cracks and ends up doing Corp Fin at Walmart.

Network is great, nobody cares if you're Mormon or not. Response rate on networking emails is 95%+. Lots more alumni on west coast than east coast but NY IB is possible. 

 

If your goal is to land an offer in the US, KCL makes no sense. BYU banking network is extremely supportive (both current students and alumni), and all solid candidates have no problem landing at top banks. 

 

If you want to be in US, BYU. If you want to be in London go to KCL. Currently, at a target in the US, I know BYU. Don't know KCL.

Can confirm that BYU has placed incredibly well so far this year.

 

Don't know about KCL being widely considered a top 10 school in the UK. Possibly top 15 maybe, but most people are usually only really impressed if you study medicine there or something. That being said, KCL is still a school with a strong legacy and is actually revered in the states by the people who matter, whereas I can confidently say nobody on this side of the pond is impressed by BYU.

I'd choose KCL, work here for a bit and lateral to the US office which shouldn't be too hard if you're a citizen. International rep is important – you never know if/when you'll have to leave the US, but if/when you do, KCL >>>> BYU.

 

This is a very accurate summary of KCL. Stronger international reputation than domestic (also reflected in quality of students). I too would probably consider it as borderline top ten in the U.K. (well behind the six finance targets plus Edinburgh, St Andrews, and Durham; it’s in the same group as Bristol, Manchester and Leeds by a combination of layman-academic-professional prestige/reputation). 

 

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