LSE MSc Finance Offer - Help Needed

I got an offer there and really need help deciding on whether or not to go. I have a few questions as part of my due diligence process:

-Would I be in a good position for FT IBD recruiting if I already have an internship overseas at a top BB? I'm just paranoid that most analyst classes will be full with summers and that few banks will be hiring for FT (playing devil's advocate somewhat). Is the job market robust in London nowadays? Are top BBs common MSc recruiters?
-What about VC/PE/HFs?
-Do banks ever recruit for their New York offices out of LSE's MSc Finance? If so, how frequently?
-Is the curriculum redundant for someone who already has an undergraduate degree in finance?
-As a follow-up to the previous question, would I be allowed to take a course or two that are not listed among the official core/elective courses if I submit a special request (I'm interested in quantitative finance and econometrics especially)?
-Is there anything Americans/Canadians who want to study there and then work in London should know? (Are we looked favorably upon by recruiters, is obtaining a visa to work in the UK difficult afterward?)
-How does the program compare to Oxford's MFE solely in terms of recruitment (I'm familiar with the curriculum already)?
-Any other useful info?

Thank you very much! I just hope to know what I'm getting into before committing 10 months and 33k pounds of tuition.

(edited 9 years ago)

Bump

Original post by fred777

1. Yes, BB recruit MSc. I also believe that holding a postgraduate degree will help you standout. Yes, there is FT recruiting. Friend of mine, doing the MSc in Finance, got FT IBD offer in non-american BB. However, some people still apply for summer analyst positions, although they are in their last year. You are right, a lot of places are filled by former SA. Espacially in top-notch US BB. Job market in London is doing fine (as the entire country at the moment), but hiring spree from a few years ago is certainly over.

2. No idea about VCs etc. You will be competing against more experienced analysts anyways.

3. Not aware of this. Banks tend to recruit for London. Morgan Stanley also does a lot of recruiting for Germany (Frankfurt). Recruiting for NY would be at the many US business schools.

4. Cant help you on Visa issues. I luckily do not need one.

5. Curriculum redundancy: Now I had thought the same thing, and I was terribly wrong. Altough the curriculum might be overlapping with some undergraduate courses (and for instance compulsory reading books are the same), the application to LSE postgraduate content is really quite harder than what you may have done during undergraduate studies. So beeing familiar with some key concepts of finance will actually help just to cope with the tricky application. Do not be put off by this.

6. LSE Finance vs Oxford MFE. Two top notch programs. If you break it down, it is more of a choice between two different cities. Really taugh call haha. You cant go wrong :wink:

7. Paying money for your education is the most sensible investment you can make. If you really want to come to LSE, do not let money stop you. It is super expensive, but it is still cheaper than a middle-class car.

Best of luck.

Reply 3

fred777

Thank you for your response! So if I understand correctly, hiring is very limited from US BBs? Do you have an approximation as to 1) the number of students who get IB offers at a BB (US or European) out of the ~50 in the most recent cohort and 2) the number of students actually aiming for IB? Do you have the numbers for consulting?

Sorry to probe you on this, it's just I couldn't find this info anywhere. Thanks again!

Reply 4

sj27

It would seem odd for a US BB, with so many qualified applicants literally on its doorstep (eg a NYC based bank is within spitting distance of Columbia, NYU, Princeton, Yale, Harvard, MIT, and others ...) to go across the pond and interview at a school where most of the graduates are probably not able to work in the US anyway?

Reply 5

Ducar111

Original post by fred777

hello. you did not understand correctly. US BBs hire A LOT (Summer Analysts and Fulltime), but only for London Office (and maybe to some extent Frankfurt and Paris, as LSE is PACKED with German and French Postgraduates).

for all your other questions: impossible to answer. Noone keeps track on who applied. In Finance, I would immagine the majority aiming for BBs etc. You will find graduates willing to enter banking in any course at LSE.

London is super competitve. With good work experience and a nice undergraduate degree you should be able to gain interviews in a lot of companies (as long as you apply before october and do not screw up any online tests/CVs/Cover letters). You will see some of your friends ending up in the same ACs as you, and not everybody will be made an offer. There will be people ending up with 3-4 offers, and people ending up with none.

Once you reach Interview stage, everybody starts at Zero. If the guy from Birmingham or Lyon is stronger than you, he/she will get the job and not you.

LSE MSc Finance Offer - Help Needed

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