Hello fellow monkeys,
I have a problem. I want to break into a bb but thus far I seem to have missed the criteria. I recently graduated with two bachelor degrees from a non-target, completing both degrees in only 2 years (university is top ranked, first student in the history to achieve this) but now I am totally f***ed because I have no relevant internships or so. So I decided to go and earn a master's. My problem is that I have a hard time deciding which masters to get. I have been looking at the following as my primary two choices:
1) HEC Paris - MSc Management
2) LSE - MSc Finance and Private Equity OR MSc Management
I also have other school's in mind such as Columbia (PhD Financial Economics), Cambridge, Oxford, and even Harvard Extension School.
My issue with all the Finance degrees is that I read the following about Finance master's: "In general, MFin graduates will not be as attractive as MBAs in the corporate finance and M&A areas where the non-finance parts of an MBA curriculum are useful. In fact, if that is where you really want to work, you would probably be better off following an MBA course of study." (Princeton.edu)
As I want to go to M&A or TMT this is an issue.
I think I fulfill the both criteria for failure: Non-target undergrad and no relevant internships. I might be able to get some relevant internships but I think without a target on my resume, I will have a hard time getting into a BB.
What is your guys opinion for my situation?
Thanks!
LSE is actually a good choice - I know someone who got into GS with an LSE masters.
Also I want to comment that a lot of the business schools are moving away from, strictly, case studies according to US News and WSJ. They are doing a lot of stuff where they have you work for a semester or half a semester or intern at a company they're buddy buddy with. This might be good in your situation if you need work experience. Find out which schools do this if you think it might make your resume out.
Go for a masters, LSE has a great program as you mentioned
Would it matter if it is a Finance or Management Master?
Also is there a way, besides checking campus events on career websites, to see which companies are close to which schools?
People will likely disagree with me but I am of the opinion that layering another academic degree is NOT the best path to land a banking job. It is not cost or time efficient. There are plenty of opportunities that will bolster your profile for BB employment one year down the line that are entirely more relevant.
KevinNYC, care to elaborate further?
Network, network, network. Try and find an unpaid boutique i-banking internship for some experience, etc.
If you are looking to break into IBanking in London, a degree from LSE, Imperial or Cass will probably benefit you the most. Also make sure this degree applies to M&A... A degree in Management won't be as well seen as a degree in Accounting and Finance...
The degree in Finance, accounting and finance, and finance and private equity at LSE are all very good.
@Smooth_Nico, you seem to know Banking in London pretty good. Maybe you can help me a little bit here. I thought that the MSc Management was a degree similar to an MBA but without previous work experience requirements? Also, do you know by chance how the recruiting works for either of the three degrees you mentioned? Is GS for example a "frequent recruiter" at LSE?
Also is the school always the determining factor as far as work placement goes? Can someone from LSE work in the US for example? Where do the big bankers in Hong Kong or Dubai go to school?
The MSc Management programme at LBS is almost like a pre-experience MBA.. and I would recommend it highly if you already have deep knowledge and experience in Finance... Otherwise with the LSE or Cass MSc Management it will be a stretch to get into Ibanking. So you are better off probably going for something with a strong focus on Finance/Accounting.
To answer your questions i have seen GS as well as every other BB attend campus fairs at LSE, Cass and Imperial (the top-3 London based business schools). Additionally during my interviews at GS I met many people from LSE, so it seems to be a pretty good gateway.
I think you will definitely be able to find opportunities outside of London with a masters degree from LSE or Cass...but of course local players recruit from local universities, and the links with the london offices at BB are pretty well established for these schools- making your chances better in London then elsewhere.
Also, to strengthen your story, make sure you get a good internship this summer- ideally in London with a BB
OK, networking is a valid point. I wonder though, how can one put networking in front of getting a master's at a target school? Do you think that you can network your way into a BB?
@Nico, sent you a PM.
Thanks everyone else for the comments.
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