MIT vs. LBS vs. Oxford
Hi everyone! I've been admitted to all of the following programs and I'm having a very hard time deciding between them. I want to do a couple of years in IB and then move to PE. I have no preference for location. Any advice would be hugely appreciated!
Oxford Said, MSc Financial Economics
PROS
• Oxbridge brand
• Oxford experience
• Features a PE course
CONS
• Nowadays lower in rankings
• Bit too academic
London Business School, Masters in Financial Analysis
PROS
• Very applied
• London location
• On paper the program looks amazing, with global trips and business immersion weeks
• LBS is arguably the best B-School in Europe
CONS
• Doesn't feature PE course
• Less known university (often confused with LSE)
• Program is being launched for the first time so (1) could be disorganized and (2) could be less known and established than the other ones
• There are no statistics and rankings because the course is just being launched
MIT Sloan, Master in Finance
PROS
• Best balance between applied and academic curriculum
• Best balance between quantitative and fundamental courses
• Possibility to take courses from all MIT departments
• Possibility to take courses at Harvard Business School
• Very high in rankings
• Features PE course
CONS
• Mad tuition costs
• Heard it's more targeted to trading than IB
In case anyone's interested in my background:
• Economics undergrad at secondary Italian university, graduating in June 2016
• GPA 4.0+
• Summer School at LSE, obtained an A
• GMAT 760 (Q:49, V:45)
• 4-month work experience at VERY small unknown Italian investment bank (but prestigious)
• Pretty good extracurriculars
Cant comment too much but if you are looking to work in Europe, or more specifically London, your list of cons for the two UK based courses should shrink to practically nothing.
LBS. I doubt anyone in London confuses it. PE doesn't need classes, it needs IB experience, and while the MFA is in its first year, I doubt that it will not be received well.
MIT is great and if you weren't able to work in Europe or looking for London I would say go there above all else. I'd forget the rankings at this point.
Thanks for the comments! I should probably also mention I'm both an EU and a US citizen, therefore I have no restrictions working in either UK or US
MIT > LBS > Oxford
Of course Oxford for Europe. I don't agree with TNA and Esuric. Amazing placements and brand, great curriculum.
LBS MFA curriculum is a joke. Same goes for LSE. They're IB powerhouses though. But Oxbridge brand is just better.
So you shit on LSE and LBS and then say they are IB powerhouses? I like the Oxford program, but Said doesn't have the same rep as Oxford overall. IMO, LSE and LBS are the two UK schools that are known for their business programs, whereas Cambridge and Oxford are known for other things. I am fairly sure the FT rankings confirm this, for whatever that is worth.
If you are a US citizen and are fine with working in the US, then do MIT. If you absolutely have to be in London, LBS is my choice with Oxford a close second. The MFA isn't a joke, it is simply filling out their offering. Their programs are kind of flipped in the sense that their MSF is for experienced professionals, same with their MBA. If you are junior, the only option you had was the MiM.
https://www.london.edu/education-and-development/masters-courses/master…
Their career impact is very similar to Oxford while being a general management program. I think it is reasonable to extrapolate that a degree in financial analysis, recruiting similar applicants as the MiM, will have similar, if not better placements because of the financial focus of the curriculum.
This is my thought process. Take it for what it is worth.
I didn't "shit" on them. They are just mediocre programs. Mainly because of their curriculum. Being IB powerhouse is not everything. What if someone wants AM or S&T? That's going to be very hard because they don't prepare you for that. LBS's curriculum is just a little better than LSE's because they have more electives. But the core courses are very basic.
This is why I prefer SSE and Imperial over LSE. You actually learn something.
Oxford's program is just great and they have the brand name which is a plus.
Where do you want to work and which one costs the least?
I have no preference for work location. LBS is che cheapest, Oxford slightly more expensive, MIT about a third more expensive.
OP clearly says he wants IB then PE. So AM and S&T are irrelevant. Oxford is fine, but Said isn't the same rep as Oxford overall.
OP, good luck. You've gotten into a number of great schools. You'll be fine no matter where you go.
Thank you TNA, your advice and that of everyone else has been very helpful!
Go for fit, you'll end up in IB regardless of where you go
How come u already got offer from MIT MFin? the program has only one deadline on 4th Jan, after which they start reviewing applications
That's what I'm thinking
You'll get into IB regardless of which one you go to by the looks of things. I'd choose MIT. Recruiters scarcely look into the courses and program structure. It's all about brand name.
MIT > Oxford > LBS in my opinion as a result. Oxford's history is obviously awesome, but for finance...MIT wins. Their alumni network is better than anyone else in the world: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIT_Sloan_School_of_Management#Notable_al…
For anyone wondering, I have decided to go to LBS (for many reasons I won't go into). MIT exceptionally made an early decision for me
I recognised your picture from the LBS MFA facebook group. I'm glad you chose LBS in the end as it has validated my decision to go. See you in September.
Sounds a little fishy that MIT made an early decision just for you......
Think what you want ahah
My opinion as an LBS MiM alumni is: Drumroll Go to MIT. I honestly think you can't go wrong with either because they all have great selling points.
LBS + Great Brand, great placement into IBD. Everyone with prior experience of any kind gets IBD offers. (assumption MFA = MiM in that regard) + London location + Fun year as it comes from an MBA vacation mindset and not academic mindset + great people, great networking with MBA and executive-MBA students who really open doors
MIT + Beter brand also outside of the business bubble. (mommy and daddy can brag better on parties) + Probably a lot more content, challenging etc. + Boston is sick!
Oxford + Probably best brand (at least in Europe) (mommy and daddy can brag better on parties) + Tough academics, great content + Very very selective + Probably places you into wherever you want to go.
This is only some points and I obviously can best speak to LBS. If it was me in your situation I would have went with MIT (I love the states) or Oxford. Out of all the three LBS might be the one that will throw some scholarship money your way so just ask about it. If you can get a 10k discount and money matters to you (although living in west london will probably still tally up LBS to being the most expensive in the end) it is worth considering.
LBS does get a couple of guys hired for PE right out of the MiM (and probably more so the MFA) I can't speak about the other schools in that regard.
I hope I could be of some help.
Thank you very much. As I already mentioned in a previous comment, I've already decided to go to LBS: I want to stay in Europe, it's the cheapest here and it has a great placement. You're certainly right about one thing: mom really wanted me to go to Oxford so she could brag at the hairdresser's ahahah!
Thank you very much. As I already mentioned in a previous comment, I've already decided to go to LBS: I want to stay in Europe, it's the cheapest here and it has a great placement. You're certainly right about one thing: mom really wanted me to go to Oxford so she could brag at the hairdresser's ahahah!
Thank you zewa for the very valuable insight
MIT
Hey guys, as you have chosen the LBS MFA could you perhaps help me out?
I have an offer from HEC for the MSc International Finance. It's a tough decision between HEC and LBS. I will probably start my own topic but I'd rather ask here as two of you already decided to go..
I feel like LBS has a bit better branding + proximity to banks + better lifestyle (hec campus is truly middle of nowhere). Also I feel like at LBS it's less academic and more practical. Finally, as LBS is truly a top Bschool of MBAs in Europe, the network you can create is better than at HEC.
On the other hand, HEC Paris costs 25k€ tuition + another 25k€ or so in living costs, while LBS is 55k€ tuition + another 50k€ or so in living costs. Do you think it's worth it to try to get a loan for 50-60k€ just to go to LBS?
Also on a side note, did you get any scholarships?
bro can u share your profile to better understand the kind of students HEC accepts. I'm just curious. I wanna apply there but heard its really selective.
Good continental Europe school; Decent grades ( think GPA 3.5 or so if I had to guesstimate an equivalent ); Two internships in consulting & financial services (think big4); many extracurriculars.
If you go to LBS or HEC you will be absolutely fine, you will be able to secure a good graduate placement from either. If you plan to work outside the UK I think HEC is probably the better choice as LBS is often confused with other schools by those who aren't necessarily 'in the know'.
I think you should probably base the choice on fit, and if relevant, cost. Try to visit both schools.
I haven't received any scholarships.
LBS confused with other / "worse" schools? My plan is to probably start in London, but then to move to NY/HK. I'm doing this degree not only for a better shot at IBD BB next year, but also for the opportunities and brand value down the line in 3-5 years, or even later as me and my fellow class gets into higher level positions.
I did visit both schools, HEC campus is isolated and not that inspiring; LBS was pretty nice but its location next to regent's park and just being in london is amazing.
hey there apuk i am in the exact same dilemma (plus Bocconi..) ! PPlease help me, what did you decide?? :) (i do not know any french, i know some german, and of course there is the Brexit to complicate things even more (i am an EU national, but not British))
del
Thanks for the elaborate reply. I feel like this confirms a couple of issues I had, correct me if I'm wrong.
I was planning approx. 100k€ for the full year, meaning tuition (55k€) + housing + living costs + networking + ...
It seems as the total cost might balloon; Those global immersion trips do sound like a blast, however it would be crazy of me to pay double for next year's schooling just because it will be more "fun".
Also, you say "there's only so many one school can place", this makes me think that setting yourself apart will be even harder at LBS than at HEC.
All in all my choice will depend on the amount of scholarships I can get, because LBS currently is just too expensive.
LBS recently started the MFA program. The website says that it being a new program, no career stats are available. Any idea about how the program is? MFA guys landing a good job?
I'm not sure where you're getting the 55k euro tuition figure from...
I pay 850£ a month in rent and live off around 500-600eur a month. Tuition was 27500GBP or around 35000eur
Wow, last time I checked the conversion GBP 310000 = EUR 55000 .. Right now it's EUR 40000. That's quite a huge difference.
In terms of living standards/location, what does GBP 850 get you realistically?
Also, EUR 600 per month, does that include all food/dinners/drinks/parties/events?
Maybe I'm completely off with my calculations, right now I approximated the all-in cost for LBS around EUR 100k. That would include immersion trips as well. Note that it was based on EUR 55k tuition vs EUR 40k, the pound really fell hard in the last months.
Sorry for all the questions this might really change the decision I will have to make in the coming weeks.
del
The MFA's inaugural class enters this Fall. They have not entered yet.
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