Cambridge vs. LSE Masters
Cambridge MPhil Real Estate Finance vs. LSE MSc Economic History
Please provide yours views.
Aim is IBD (LDN/Frankfurt/Zurich) -> PE/SWF (ideally ME/Asia)
REPE would be an option, but not dead-set on the field.
Both have slight signalling issues when it comes to IBD employers, i.e. expect to get asked why IB if you did a MPhil in Real Estate or a MSc in Econ History. The Camb programme is the less relevant of the two. However, with that being said neither should be an issue for IB recruitment. If I was going for IB I'd personally opt for LSE but that's only due to preferring a city environment and preferring a university which has a larger postgrad student body. You can't go wrong with either on the employment front*, so I'd take environment and subject interest into account.
*On the careers side, it also partly depends on how many Real Estate Finance programmes you'd consider applying to. In the UK, I can only think of perhaps 4 RE companies offering IB experience (CBRE, JLL, Cushman, EastdIl - Wells Fargo). I applied for one of those and having a RE-focused degree would've helped for those guys. Otherwise, the same jobs are available to you from both programmes and I'd guess employment prospects are pretty equal.
Thx for the reply. I have two IBD internships before (gap year), so the hope is to get a return offer beforehand.
School Selection Advice: Cambridge vs LSE for a non-target major (Originally Posted: 07/21/2014)
This is my first time posting. I'm currently trying to decide between an MPhil in International Relations at Cambridge and MSc in International Political Economy at LSE. I was wondering if any of you would have insight into whether one school/program would look better when applying to banks after I graduate. I realize that not going for a finance degree severely decreases my chances of being considered and I expect that I'll probably end up without an offer after graduating but would one of these schools put me in a better position when I'm applying to banks or does it really not matter? My thesis topic at Cambridge would have little to do with finance/economics but at LSE I may be able to choose a thesis topic related to finance. I can't imagine this mattering since they won't know about it unless I'm asked about it during an interview. Would either one look better for consulting firms?
Also, are there any people out there who majored in international relations/politics as an undergrad and managed to get an IB or ER job?
Thanks in advance for any replies.
Why do people even study these subjects when they all want to work in IB? I really dont get it.
Is it ideal? No. However, it isn't as big of a deal as it is in the United States. I had plenty of friends get offers in IBD or management consulting after reading PPE, Classics, Geography, and even History of Art.
If you want to work in IB, go to LSE, 100%. The City is filled with LSE grads and its not just finance and economics guys but also people who studied political economy. Also, at least the LSE program contains the word economy which already sends a positive signal. Just make sure you're well prepared for FT recruiting (learn your finance technicals very well) and you have a decent shot for sure.
The way you state it I'd definitely advise you to go to LSE.
I'd still go with Cambridge. Better name than LSE in my opinion. But both will get you to IB or ER. Much much worse schools would anyway.
I would go with Cambridge. It has a better name, MUCH better experience, and the network is better down the line.
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