The "Is this university/course good enough for banking/consultancy?" thread

If you go to York or Manchester, I would advise doing straight Econ their, more respected than PPE.

Not true. Stop giving bad advice on IB&C. You aren't even in uni yet.

Help me out people, Business Management @ KCL vs. IFRM/BIF @ Cass - best career prospects?

Help me out people, Business Management @ KCL vs. IFRM/BIF @ Cass - best career prospects?

Is this for undergrad? If so I'd say Kings.

Yah, undergrad, any particular reasons?

Kings has a much higher rep for undergrad courses and is visited by more firms for presenations and such. For example:

http://www.mckinsey.com/locations/UK_Ireland/Recruiting_Events.aspx

Although consultancy may not be your desired field, that gives an accurate picture of the most targetted unis. Apart from the inexplicable exclusion of Warwick.

Kings has a much higher rep for undergrad courses and is visited by more firms for presenations and such. For example:

http://www.mckinsey.com/locations/UK_Ireland/Recruiting_Events.aspx

Although consultancy may not be your desired field, that gives an accurate picture of the most targetted unis. Apart from the inexplicable exclusion of Warwick.

Can't believe Durham isn't there either.

I'm quite surprised by the big representation of Irish unis.

Yeah when I first saw it I asked why Durham wasn't there but bath and bristol were but just got negged the hell out of by people saying I was making Durham students look bad...part and parcel of the IB sub-forum I suppose. As for why Durham/Warwick aren't there, it can only be because they can't be bothered coming up that far north in England. Seems a bit odd that they would go to St. Andrews by that logic though as there are no offices up in Scotland and St.Andrews is quite a distance from Edinburgh. Its a mystery.

I've contacted Nottingham and Oxford and they said they didn't mind at all.

I'm quite surprised by the big representation of Irish unis.

Cambridge say it shouldn't be same or similar course.

Oxford don't accept transfer students. I don't know about applying for the same course though, maybe you are right. I guess you'd have to explain why you want to abandon your current course.

I was under the impression that big consultancy firms recruit from oxbridge and almost nowhere else. Why do they go to all of those unis then? Just to widen their circle just in case a top-student shows interest?

Even if what you say is true, my guess is that there are less oxbridge graduates willing to work at consultancy firms than there are places, so the companies somehow have to fill the remaining places. Just an anecdote to illustrate this -- I spoke to some Oxford final year physicists lately. They had no clue what to do after they finish but they told me they passionately hate business and would never consider working in the City.

Also, while I don't know for sure, I think a consultancy would want to have a diverse workforce, having only oxbridge graduates may put off some clients. I would even argue it could create a bad culture in the organization. Diversity is good.

And final point - a lot of (if not most) Oxbridge academics have their degrees from a different university. Ergo, there is a lot of bright people at other universities.

what degree would be suitable for consultancy? or is it like IB-where it does matter to some extent, but possible to get there with any degree.

I did some consulting on my own and also worked for an IT consultancy. I don't know much about management and financial consultancies.

I would say a degree that gives you a combination of quantitative and "soft skills" - essay writing, debating, persuading, etc. Something like "Physics and Philosophy" or "Mathematics and Philosophy", "Economics and History/Philosophy" would be the best starting point in my opinion.