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LSE vs Nottingham

LSE is the better option but will it be a huge difference? I originally wanted to go to LSE but then I visited Nottingham and fell in love with the campus, the city and have decided Nottingham is the place for me. No doubt about it I want to go Nottingham over LSE, I did always desire to go LSE but now after visiting Nottingham the only thing keeping me with the thought of still going to LSE is the ranking and it being known as the number 1 university for IB. Will I regret not going LSE, will this decision greatly impact the chances of me becoming an investment banker at BB firms? Nottingham is still a great university to me though! Top 15 UK and top 75/1% in the world. The only problem is, I have spoken to firms like JP Morgan and they have said that they do host many recruiting events at LSE but they do not offer anything at all at Nottingham, but applicants from all universities are welcome to apply. Something along the lines of that. So what's everyones thoughts?

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Original post by Natek18
LSE is the better option but will it be a huge difference? I originally wanted to go to LSE but then I visited Nottingham and fell in love with the campus, the city and have decided Nottingham is the place for me. No doubt about it I want to go Nottingham over LSE, I did always desire to go LSE but now after visiting Nottingham the only thing keeping me with the thought of still going to LSE is the ranking and it being known as the number 1 university for IB. Will I regret not going LSE, will this decision greatly impact the chances of me becoming an investment banker at BB firms? Nottingham is still a great university to me though! Top 15 UK and top 75/1% in the world. The only problem is, I have spoken to firms like JP Morgan and they have said that they do host many recruiting events at LSE but they do not offer anything at all at Nottingham, but applicants from all universities are welcome to apply. Something along the lines of that. So what's everyones thoughts?


Nottingham undergrad here. We get places like Barc, Citi, BAML, Mitsubishi, HSBC, GS, UBS coming into uni for the odd campus event at least (the annual business fair). Seems most of those have bought in a rep from front office as well. You have the Econ and Finance Soc which has sponsorship from Barc, Deutsche, HSBC and Credit Suisse. Overall it's a decent place to be if investment banking is what you want to go into but it doesn't compare to LSE. Also, in London, there are so many opportunities to make the social scene good, the only thing you'd be missing is the campus feel.
Reply 2
Hey, that has made me much more happier with my decision to go for Nottingham! I will be joining that society in that case! Are you interested in IB? If so have you had any internships? Also if you could have the choice between them both judging by your experience so far would you have chosen LSE? Yeah London 100% has a great nightlife but I think the campus feeling plays an influencing part of the uni choice, but that's just me.
Reply 3
I don't go to either LSE or Nottingham, but going to LSE would stand you in a much, much better position. Take a look at https://www.linkedin.com/edu/rankings/gb/undergraduate-investment-banking which ranks UK unis for IB. While not perfect, target unis definitely place better.
If IB is what you want, you would regret not choosing LSE come recruiting season. Saying that if IB is just a casual interest, Nottingham may be the better choice if you prioritise the campus 'feel'
Reply 4
Original post by stevey123
I don't go to either LSE or Nottingham, but going to LSE would stand you in a much, much better position. Take a look at https://www.linkedin.com/edu/rankings/gb/undergraduate-investment-banking which ranks UK unis for IB. While not perfect, target unis definitely place better.
If IB is what you want, you would regret not choosing LSE come recruiting season. Saying that if IB is just a casual interest, Nottingham may be the better choice if you prioritise the campus 'feel'


Thanks! That is a useful link. I really am unable to decide, I do think you're right that whilst the 3 years studying will be more enjoyable at Notts, after the 3rd year it would be far better at LSE. It's a tough decision. I am interested in JPM, simply because the training they offer on the graduate scheme has a great incentive (training at NY) who wouldn't want to fly out to NY for free and get paid? So I do think LSE will give me a higher chance to get in with the fierce competition however with the previous comment about other BB firms coming to events at Notts, and sponsorships is still appealing.
Reply 5
Original post by Natek18
LSE is the better option but will it be a huge difference? I originally wanted to go to LSE but then I visited Nottingham and fell in love with the campus, the city and have decided Nottingham is the place for me. No doubt about it I want to go Nottingham over LSE, I did always desire to go LSE but now after visiting Nottingham the only thing keeping me with the thought of still going to LSE is the ranking and it being known as the number 1 university for IB. Will I regret not going LSE, will this decision greatly impact the chances of me becoming an investment banker at BB firms? Nottingham is still a great university to me though! Top 15 UK and top 75/1% in the world. The only problem is, I have spoken to firms like JP Morgan and they have said that they do host many recruiting events at LSE but they do not offer anything at all at Nottingham, but applicants from all universities are welcome to apply. Something along the lines of that. So what's everyones thoughts?


Nottingham final year here.

As tomatochuckers mentioned, we do get a fair few big names visit on campus, though admittedly not to the extent that LSE or Warwick do, although a lot more firms have started holding regular events in the last few years (BlackRock started last year for the first time, HSBC and Deutsche starting this year) however I'd say the biggest difference between Nottingham and LSE is that the students at the latter are more driven - I imagine much more apply for SWs and Summers at IBs than do here.

Those that do come here and are themselves driven and apply, and do ECs do very well for themselves - I've got a grad offer in AM, and I have friends with offers in PE, IBD, Research, and trading and know a lot who have [big 4] consultancy offers, so it's not as if your chances here of getting somewhere decent are that low. I'd say the big difference is that at Nottingham, you'll have to keep on top of applications and events yourself whereas at LSE everybody else will always be talking about applying/going to events daily, so you'll be much more aware.
Reply 6
Original post by FDR
Nottingham final year here.

As tomatochuckers mentioned, we do get a fair few big names visit on campus, though admittedly not to the extent that LSE or Warwick do, although a lot more firms have started holding regular events in the last few years (BlackRock started last year for the first time, HSBC and Deutsche starting this year) however I'd say the biggest difference between Nottingham and LSE is that the students at the latter are more driven - I imagine much more apply for SWs and Summers at IBs than do here.

Those that do come here and are themselves driven and apply, and do ECs do very well for themselves - I've got a grad offer in AM, and I have friends with offers in PE, IBD, Research, and trading and know a lot who have [big 4] consultancy offers, so it's not as if your chances here of getting somewhere decent are that low. I'd say the big difference is that at Nottingham, you'll have to keep on top of applications and events yourself whereas at LSE everybody else will always be talking about applying/going to events daily, so you'll be much more aware.


Yeah I can understand your point! How would you feel the help/advice you get is? My friend who currently is in his second year for UCL said they help you with the application/cover letters/motivation paragraphs and practice interviews etc.. to get you as close to perfect to get the offer/invite for the interview. He says if it wasn't for them he doesn't think he would have got the internship at one of the MC law firms. I'd assume it would be the same at LSE. How is it at Notts? Did you receive good support when you applied for e.g. AML?
Reply 7
Original post by Natek18
Yeah I can understand your point! How would you feel the help/advice you get is? My friend who currently is in his second year for UCL said they help you with the application/cover letters/motivation paragraphs and practice interviews etc.. to get you as close to perfect to get the offer/invite for the interview. He says if it wasn't for them he doesn't think he would have got the internship at one of the MC law firms. I'd assume it would be the same at LSE. How is it at Notts? Did you receive good support when you applied for e.g. AML?


The careers service here are very good, and they'll help you with stuff like writing cover letters and CVs, but they won't come to you to do it - you'll have to use your initiative to go to them. Mock interviews on campus with employers are fairly regular too as I seem to get emails all the time, but I've never been to one so can't speak about how good they are.

I managed to get my grad offer off the back of a spring week,so didn't really need to use the careers service beyond first year, but I had help formatting my CV to make it look more professional (as it was a typically bad high school CV when I started uni), but other than that didn't use the careers service as much, but rather went to finance society events, which are far more helpful in actually learning about the industry.
Reply 8
Yeah that is all I can ask for really! Thank you! What division will you be in and which office is your offer based at?
Original post by Natek18
Yeah that is all I can ask for really! Thank you! What division will you be in and which office is your offer based at?


Hey, I'm a first year maths student at LSE and I can tell you this, there is literally a career event EVERY day, sometimes 2,3 or even 4 (like tomorrow). But things do get overwhelming at times and you do need to have the motivation to study as well so it's all about keeping that balance here at LSE. Campus wise, the new Saw Swee Hock building kind of gives it that campus feeling as a 'go to place' for support, careers help, gym, faith Centre etc. Btw, I heard from quite a few people that Nottingham was one of those uni's that the students get 100% employment or something like that :redface:
Reply 10
Original post by Natek18
Yeah that is all I can ask for really! Thank you! What division will you be in and which office is your offer based at?


AM (Asset management) in London
Original post by Natek18
Hey, that has made me much more happier with my decision to go for Nottingham! I will be joining that society in that case! Are you interested in IB? If so have you had any internships? Also if you could have the choice between them both judging by your experience so far would you have chosen LSE? Yeah London 100% has a great nightlife but I think the campus feeling plays an influencing part of the uni choice, but that's just me.


Ultimately it's 3 years of your life. Go to the place where you feel you will have a better all round experience. There is no doubt on the investment banking front though that LSE is a lot better, not slightly, a lot better than Nottingham.

However, as FDR says, if you're proactive from UoN there isn't a whole lot stopping you. I have friends with Citi, Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, BAML offers for front office roles.

I myself have done non-IB internships. I'm applying for IB internships this year and came close with a final round for one of the large ibanks.
Reply 12
Original post by Tomatochuckers
Ultimately it's 3 years of your life. Go to the place where you feel you will have a better all round experience. There is no doubt on the investment banking front though that LSE is a lot better, not slightly, a lot better than Nottingham.

However, as FDR says, if you're proactive from UoN there isn't a whole lot stopping you. I have friends with Citi, Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, BAML offers for front office roles.

I myself have done non-IB internships. I'm applying for IB internships this year and came close with a final round for one of the large ibanks.


Thank you! I may come to regret it when applying for jobs who knows. But I feel I would enjoy myself more at Nottingham with the campus feel, possibly the only person that would decline LSE? Although I would 100% enjoy the accommodation LSE offer (UKC) would make you feel like an IB. The craziest thing is that Nottingham actually want one grade higher as well. Yes I will 100% stay ahead and take advantage of anything relating to to the possibility of increasing my chances. Oh I see, did they provide you with any feedback as to why you was unsuccessful? Was it an AC day you failed on or an interview?
Reply 13
Original post by #Unknown
Hey, I'm a first year maths student at LSE and I can tell you this, there is literally a career event EVERY day, sometimes 2,3 or even 4 (like tomorrow). But things do get overwhelming at times and you do need to have the motivation to study as well so it's all about keeping that balance here at LSE. Campus wise, the new Saw Swee Hock building kind of gives it that campus feeling as a 'go to place' for support, careers help, gym, faith Centre etc. Btw, I heard from quite a few people that Nottingham was one of those uni's that the students get 100% employment or something like that :redface:


That does sound extremely appealing with all them career events! Yeah I went to visit and took a look at the new SSH building! It looked really nice and modern I liked it! One of my worries as well would be social wise at the university as I was wondering whether the people there would be friendly or simply all sticking to themselves to revise constantly? How are all your flatmates? As when I went to visit they all seemed to stick to themselves, I didn't feel the fun side of things. (congrats on your placement though). Oh that is good news for me then! I'll be happy as long as I can secure a FO role within at least a middle market IB. Otherwise I would most likely try go for the big four accounting firms to do CF as I heard quite a few from there go onto being FO IBs for the BB.
Original post by Natek18
Thank you! I may come to regret it when applying for jobs who knows. But I feel I would enjoy myself more at Nottingham with the campus feel, possibly the only person that would decline LSE? Although I would 100% enjoy the accommodation LSE offer (UKC) would make you feel like an IB. The craziest thing is that Nottingham actually want one grade higher as well. Yes I will 100% stay ahead and take advantage of anything relating to to the possibility of increasing my chances. Oh I see, did they provide you with any feedback as to why you was unsuccessful? Was it an AC day you failed on or an interview?


Other people will tell you that you should have picked LSE, but ultimately you know what you want, and it seems like you have taken all the appropriate factors into account. University life is a time to develop your character, and what I will say is that UoN offers all of the facilities to help you get the most of your time there; and build up a strong CV. I quite like the atmosphere at the university, whereby there isn't an investment banking obsession however if you are interested in the field there are ways to get involved. Then again, you could argue such an atmosphere is also a negative. I know the odd person who turned down LSE and other similar universities for UoN. It's not unheard of.

Make sure when you get to UoN you get a strong mark in your first year, be heavily involved in the Econ and Finance Soc, go to career events, do extra curriculars, and apply to spring weeks with a professional CV, on time.
Reply 15
Original post by Tomatochuckers
Other people will tell you that you should have picked LSE, but ultimately you know what you want, and it seems like you have taken all the appropriate factors into account. University life is a time to develop your character, and what I will say is that UoN offers all of the facilities to help you get the most of your time there; and build up a strong CV. I quite like the atmosphere at the university, whereby there isn't an investment banking obsession however if you are interested in the field there are ways to get involved. Then again, you could argue such an atmosphere is also a negative. I know the odd person who turned down LSE and other similar universities for UoN. It's not unheard of.

Make sure when you get to UoN you get a strong mark in your first year, be heavily involved in the Econ and Finance Soc, go to career events, do extra curriculars, and apply to spring weeks with a professional CV, on time.


Thank you again for all the advice! You are very understanding unlike my parents who were at first not exactly impressed with my decision but they came around in the end! Yes I can agree with that, but I won't let the environment allow me to drift too far away from being proactive (hopefully). I will most definitely follow your advice! Good luck to you when it comes to applying for the IB internships. If you come across anything that you feel I can benefit from please don't hesitate to message me! I would appreciate anything at all relevant.
Original post by Natek18
Thank you! I may come to regret it when applying for jobs who knows. But I feel I would enjoy myself more at Nottingham with the campus feel, possibly the only person that would decline LSE? Although I would 100% enjoy the accommodation LSE offer (UKC) would make you feel like an IB. The craziest thing is that Nottingham actually want one grade higher as well. Yes I will 100% stay ahead and take advantage of anything relating to to the possibility of increasing my chances. Oh I see, did they provide you with any feedback as to why you was unsuccessful? Was it an AC day you failed on or an interview?


You are almost certainly right about enjoying Nottingham more than LSE. LSE is ****. It is full of foreign students, post grads and you are in the centre of London (which if you don't have money, is awful).

Nottingham on the other hand is great banter, generally much friendlier people and you can afford things.

The key to IB (or any competitive industry) is to be first. If you get on Spring Weeks, which you can do from any uni, then you stand a very good chance of getting into IB.
Reply 17
Yeah I agree! Plus I can always do that, go for a masters at LSE if I am unsuccessful at Nottingham, that is providing I'm lucky enough to gain another offer from them for it. I feel like I am turning down one of the greatest opportunities of my life so far especially for this career, but I feel it will open more doors especially with what tomatochuckers said about how university is a time to develop our character.
Original post by Natek18
Yeah I agree! Plus I can always do that, go for a masters at LSE if I am unsuccessful at Nottingham, that is providing I'm lucky enough to gain another offer from them for it. I feel like I am turning down one of the greatest opportunities of my life so far especially for this career, but I feel it will open more doors especially with what tomatochuckers said about how university is a time to develop our character.

Dude, cost wise, it's not that expensive if you stay on campus for most of the day since they have a sandwich shop which sells a regular box of chips for 95p!! and a big tuna/egg mayonnaise baguette for only £1.30 whereas greggs sell them for £3 as a meal deal but much less filling lol. There are definitely ways around the cost but the atmosphere here at LSE is great since you're in the city. Did you know, we're having the CEO of Credit Suisse to come network with us at the LSE after he is interviewed by the senior head of investment in his company on our campus. Events like these are very common but I would admit that they do get in the way of studies. But I just came back from 2 events today; PwC Business game and a 1 hour lecture about all the tips and tricks of getting into IB...one of the things this guy said (he's mentored 25,000 people over 10 years) is that you need to have at least 25 applications for spring weeks and he means it lol. He also showcased salary differences and how he was an 'underperformer' but still earned millions and his boss called him an idiot when he wanted to leave and become the vice president of a charity that mentors students like those at the LSE because his boss told him that he had "nothing", aka no private island, no private jet, LOL :'). If you want good contacts and networks I would definitely recommend LSE. :smile:
Dude go for LSE without question. You are only thinking about the next three years of your life. If IB is what you want to do, LSE is hands down the best option here. I went to Nottingham and yes the campus feel is great, but if I had the option you have, I wouldn't have gone. Nottingham grads do get recruited for FO roles at BBs, but being an LSE grad will be sooo much easier for you. Take the sacrifice now and you'll be laughing to the bank for the rest of your life......

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