Cambridge vs LSE
Hello fellows,
I know this neverending dispute between Oxbridge and other unis for IB is starting to be quite annoying, however, I am in a quite unique situation that, at least from my point of view, has never been discussed on the internet. I very much appreciate any additions to the discussion and perspectives on the topic.
To start with, I am from Eastern Europe, finished high school a year ago (I have taken a gap year) and I wanted to work in finance ever since I remember. At the moment I am facing a decision whether to go study maths and econ at LSE or maths at Cambridge. The problem is that I was offered to study at a mature student college (age 21 and above) and my starting year was thus deferred by a year, whereas I could enroll at LSE this year already. Furthermore, since the UK has left the EU, Europeans are subject to overseas tuition fees, which are pretty steep and Cambridge isn't famous for being particularly cheap either, while LSE is a much more viable option in this sense. It's important to note that although my family could afford the tuition at Cambridge for my bachelor's it would create a big pressure on me after graduation. Please provide your thoughts on this with respect to breaking into IB/PE, overall prestige, potential career growth, etc., and last but not least what would you do were you on the same footing.
To sum it up, I have to decide between:
LSE ≈ 120£, 3 years
Cambridge ≈ 180£, 4 years & one year of lost income/exp
Thank you in advance for your responses!
Wouldn’t take into account foregone income as a calculation for overall cost.
Cambridge Maths will by far set you up better than LSE Econ and Maths due to the fact it is well regarded as one of the top maths undergraduate degrees in the world and you will easily get looks from MM/Quant HF as well as IB/Consulting etc just because of how respected the course is.
The collegiate environment, including at a mature college, will by far trump the social experience at LSE and you will find that the city is so easy to navigate and the fact that it is small allows for you to build a network and a solid social group. Societies are far better at Cambridge than LSE, by the finance ones who will be better at LSE since it is more careers focused.
Moreover, in the long term, a Cambridge degree in Maths will carry much more weight than an LSE Ec+Maths degree and the Cambridge network is much more solid for if you want to move into Tech/CS/start up/research and further academia.
Thank you very much for your insight! In your opinion, would LSE (maths and econ) + masters from Oxbridge carry the same weight as an undergraduate degree from Cambridge in maths?
I would say that they would carry a similar level of weight however masters at oxbridge are quite expensive if one of your main considerations is cost.
Moreover, you can go to the same majority of positions within IB/HF/PE from Cambridge Maths as you would be able to from Lse ec+maths + oxbridge masters
I would still strongly suggest Cambridge maths as the most straightforward and enjoyable route to finance as opposed to LSE (great uni for finance but the place is miserable)
For UG, Oxbridge will usually offer a more wholesome experience than LSE.
There's a reason why LSE has diabolical student satisfaction!
Does the above-said apply to mature colleges as well? Are they perhaps not viewed as something less, especially for UG? Are the graduates not perceived as less accomplished? Your comment is very much appreciated!
Cambridge > LSE
Cambridge Maths is 24k/yr
LSE Econ + Maths is 22k/yr
cost of living will be cheaper in Cambridge
LSE will likely be more expensive than Cambridge overall, and the gap year is irrelevant from a long-term perspective
Add to this, Cambridge Maths is the best Maths course in the country and a core feeder for all top quant/prop shops... GS S&T literally have an insight every year specifically for Cambridge Trinity Maths students
When you're 40, 50... do you really want to be a Cambridge alumni or LSE?
Good point... However, there are also fees that each individual college charges, which is about 11k/year, so it adds up too.
Yes but you get sooo many benefits out of these (food is cheap as fuck usually, housing etc).
Picked a London university (LSE/Imperial) over Oxbridge myself, but there's no comparison in this case. Go with Cambridge. This is the best Maths course in the country (well ahead of the rest of COWI) and will get you any place you want to go. At LSE you'll just be another Economics grad, albeit one with some extra quant skills.
Cambridge without a doubt.
Thank you guys, your insight is paramount. Do you have any advice on what I could do for the year?
My options include:
I could probably, except the last one, join two of the above-stated, which ones would you pursue?
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