Stockholm School of Economics Q&A

Hej

I am a former graduate from the University of Birmingham, and a current student at Stockholm School of Economics, where I study the Master in Finance. As many students are now considering where to pursue their postgraduate education, and less is known about the opportunities available abroad, I would love to answer any questions people may have about SSE and the courses available.

I spent a long time deciding where to apply to study my Masters and could not be more happy with my choice. Not only does SSE offer a top class education with close ties to the business and banking communities, but it does so free of tuition fees and in one of Europe's most attractive and cool cities.

Please feel free to ask any questions either here or in my inbox

I know you're doing your masters in finance but do you know about the destinations of Msc Economics alumni of SSE in terms of academia? Ie where do students get accepted for PhDs afterwards? I am thinking really seriously about applying for an Economics degree there but I am not sure of SSEs reputation in academic circles... Also, how is the accommodation? And are there many other UK students in Stockholm? Thanks!

Hi There,

Can you receive free accommodation too?

I cant decide between the Msc Finance offered in Stockholm school of Economics and Grenoble Graduate school. Which one is more reputable and recognized globally? your response will be highly appreciated, Thanks.

Hi, I was in a similar position last year so I think I can offer some advice. Having seen your other thread just now I understand that you used the FT Ranking quite a bit, and that was where I started too when looking for the best schools and courses, however you are right to say that the rankings there do not match up with reputation and recruitment. I applied to Grenoble based on the rankings, but soon discovered that it is behind several business schools in France let alone across Europe, and as such does not have a strong reputation, nor is it highly recruited in London for example.

I learned Stockholm School of Economics, however, to be very reputable, and although you may consider me to be biased now as a current student, these are things I learned before applying. Among European business schools it is one of the most reputable and recruited in London. Now, from being here, I can confirm that, based on the number and quality of companies that constantly visit the school to recruit students for positions.

Hope that helps. If you have any other questions please ask!

Yeah, this rank is a bit misleading. I have one concern about SSE though, i have been told that GMAT is their only criteria for admission. My Gmat score is really low (550) But the rest of my Profile is good. My Bachelor degree transcript is full of advanced courses in Finance and Economics (Derivatives, Econometrics, Portfolio Management, ETC.... ) and i am currently working as a Market Risk Officer at one of the largest 5 Banks in the world. Do you think i should try applying?

I'm not sure where you have been informed about SSE only considering the GMAT? Like all business schools SSE does take it into consideration and use it as a guide to a candidate's ability. 550 is on the low side, however by the sounds of it the rest of your profile is quite strong (what was your final degree classification?), so may be enough to make up for the score. It is definitely worth applying in my opinion as unlike most schools, there is no application fee, so there is no harm in trying.

May I ask how long ago you took the GMAT? By the sounds of it you have quite a numerical background, so with some more preparation maybe you could score quite highly and really boost your profile?

I Completed my Online application and i will start preparing my Documents to be sent. I was going to Include the Following Documents:

1- BSc Management With double core Majors (Finance & Economics) graduation certificate
2- Transcript
3- Toefl IBT Score Report (104/120)
4- Motivational Letter
5-8 Months Internship Certificate
6- Letter of Appointment

But i dont know if universityadmissions.se or SSE accept any Documents related to work experience ( Not mentioned anywhere on their websites).

If my Application gets Refused i have 2 Options:
- Go to Grenoble
- Postpone any plans to take any Masters for another Year to Prepare for the GMAT ( as i am not a EU Resident and all application deadlines are within 1 month).

Hey, it's great you offer to share your experience. I'm actually considering SSE for masters degree. I'm a Bocconi student and we also have a double degree program with SSE, so it is one of my options.
Could you tell me more about your general experience, what were the problems you encountered and would you recommend SSE.
I think Bocconi is a very good university and I am not sure if it would be better to stay here, or to apply for SSE. I think they're pretty close in terms of reputation.

Also, I've seen SSE offers exchange programs, but there not that many details. Do you maybe know what opportunities are there, like which schools and how many students are selected.

I'm interested in finance, particularly in IB, so it would be useful to know what are the chances to get an internship after SSE, are there banks recruiting on campus, career service?

Thanks!

I also have a question about SSE...since I'm applying for the 2013 intake, I'd like to know how important is GMAT AWA score. Mine is really low, but I also have a 106 TOEFL (25 writing) and studying experience in english-speaking countries, so I hope it won't be a reason for exclusion...My overall GMAT score is 700...

Hi,

Thanks for sharing with us. I plan on applying to SSE for this upcoming year and it would be great to hear from someone within the program.

Regarding finance internships in the UK, are there a lot of opportunities (BB, MM and boutiques) posted or available through SSE? And if so, do the firms only interview the ones with previous BB/ finance internships or is it a mixed bag? I currently only have non-finance related internships and am worried about not being able to secure a decent internship (not necessarily BB IBD but markets related). And is it also true that most students (>80%) in the program tend to focus on finding a job in Sweden?

And just one last side question , how diverse is the student population for the MSF (are there students from outside Europe like US/Canada)?

Thanks for the insight, I really appreciate it.