Queen Mary, University Of London

London

Queen Mary Postgraduate Applicants 2016

Scroll to see replies

Hey there, I have an offer to study at QMUL for the MSc Marketing.
However, not sure yet since I have an offer from City University - Cass Business School for the Msc Marketing Strategy and Innovation.

Hello, actually I had an offer for MSc Financial Economics at City. I chose QM, because of its higher overall reputation, although I really like City and prefer its location. It definitely wasn't an easy decision, but I hope I made the right choice. I recommend you to make a list of pros and cons for both of them and choose the right university for you. :smile:

Queen Mary, University Of London

London

Reply 21

username2435925

Hi Kristin nice to meet you - hopefully see you in September!

The whole league table thing is a quagmire. Every university chooses the best statistic for themselves which of course is inconsistent between league table compiler, department, research vs teaching etc. Choosing a university is almost an impossible choice, but at the same time I don't think it is as life changing as people make out.

People will be equally employable with a good grade from QM and City. City is a funny one because of the high reputation of the business school. I am still tempted by SOAS, its got a great reputation and high student satisfaction...but the reputation probably isn't related to the quality of the education!

Reply 22

username2435925

Also, when I was at the open day, I found out that the MSc Behavioural Finance was a new course started last year. I think its currently only got high single digit students on, which they want to grow.

My suspicion is that its a good spring board for doing a PhD, all your usual private sector roles, plus actually a lot of public sector ones.

Reply 23

kristin.zangova

Original post by yuenlo

Hey, nice to meet you, too!

Unfortunately, I don't live in UK, so I had to choose my university based on league tables and my friends' (who study in UK) opinions. However, I really liked QM's Mile End campus. My best friend is doing his MSc there now and as far as I know, he finds the quality of the education really satisfying. The main reason for me to choose MSc Behavioural Finance is that this is what I'm really interested in.

So, did you accept the offer of QM or you are still thinking? :smile:

Reply 24

username2435925

I'm leaning strongly to Queen Mary :smile:

EDIT: Btw it's great that you know someone there who can give you inside knowledge

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 25

Oilfreak1

Original post by MFilip

Choose Cass, this shouldn't even be a question Cass far exceeds QM in finance, particularly for front office, Cass is a solid Semi-target - just after the 6 targets. QM isn't even a semi-target or well regarded.

When applying to MScs, I applied to ICL,LSE,UCL with Cass/Edinburgh as backups QM was not even in the equation, this rings true for all top students the rejects from targets go to Cass. Please be pragmatic with your masters choice.

I'm not a Cass student as I got into all 3 of the targets I applied to but it is literally the next best thing after the 6 targets.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 26

username2435925

He he he! I agree with Oilfreak that IF you want to get into banking or finance, you SHOULD go for Cass. I touched on this earlier, the reputation of the business school is very useful. However I would avoid finance unless you are networked or top 3% of your class. The industry is on a huge shrink and you are betting on a turnaround. Competition is through the roof.

I did BSc Economics at the LSE and my background is in investment management. My siblings attended UCL and Imperial. They are all great bits of paper, but I can confirm the student satisfaction components all most of the league rankings - the students mostly come out NOT enjoying their time at these universities, due to overloaded staff and poor support.

I met with an old stockbroker of mine and we had a good joke about graduate recruitment. He said he was on a bank access session for UK students from Imperial. He named one to HR as the most promising. 3 months later he asks them about him, at which point they say they didn't even interview him! The joke was that everyone they recruit now seems to have done hyper math courses from French Grande Ecoles.

Its possible to get into Finance, pay is still great, but just be aware you better be bloody good.

Reply 27

username2435925

Sorry I can't give any inside info on Cass, no connections there

Reply 28

Oilfreak1

Original post by yuenlo

Sorry I can't give any inside info on Cass, no connections there

People who undertake masters in marketing generally want to break into finance. Even if it's just corporate marketing, Cass is still superior due to links with the city. QM has literally no advantage over Cass and has always been the "meh" member of UoL.

The course i'm about to undertake at Imperial has about 95% of its alumni in IBD/Consulting, so not entirely sure that it's pointless going for finance, if you go to a target, you have an excellent chance at getting into finance (maybe not IBD which has always been incredibly competitive, but certainly S&T, Equity Structuring, Strategy Consulting etc.).

Regarding UCL and LSE I have very close friends at both and are enjoying themselves immensely. I have even more friends at QM who are absolutely miserable/dropping out (or on the verge of dropping out). It's down to the individual in the end of the day but from my experience QM has the least support.

Edit: I totally agree with you that student satisfaction is the most important factor on domestic tables (I received abuse from sixthformers for stating this fact) but the prestige of the university is beyond any domestic league tables and I feel that NSS score should supplement prestige and not be used despite poor reputation.

e.g. it is undeniable that Oxbridge, LSE, Imperial, UCL are regarded as the best despite where any league table places them, but if we were comparing Birmingham to QM then I would put alot of investment into NSS and the surrounding area.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 29

kristin.zangova

Original post by Oilfreak1

So which do you think is better - MSc Financial Economics at City University (but not in Cass) or MSc Behavioural Finance at QM?

Reply 30

username2435925

He he he! Not sure why I keep writing that. That 90% number seems like quite selective use of statistics
http://www.imperial.ac.uk/careers/exploring-your-options/destinations/postgraduates/

University should be the best time of your life. The oddity is when it isn't. I'm going to name drop here. Not only was the conversation with my stockbroker the head of international equity sales at a investment bank, I am actually acquainted with Marc Olivier from UCL Chemical Engineering!

I totally agree that university name makes a big difference to employability. But a big difference in employability likely counts as 10% higher chance of getting an interview. To clarify I'm saying one in ten goes to one in five, so some might argue double. The course itself is important but less so. As soon as you start your course you get stuck in and quickly discover who is hiring. To quote the adverts, you have to be in it to win it.

Oh but I would make one point, if you do MSc Banking at Cass, and you don't get into banking, you are on very risky ground. If someone has MSc Banking versus MSc Engineering at any Russell group university, for any occupation that isn't banking, you'd probably take the Engineer.

Reply 31

Oilfreak1

Original post by yuenlo

I was talking about a very particular course that takes 25 students per year.

https://workspace.imperial.ac.uk/earthscienceandengineering/Public/MSc%20Postgraduate/OpenDay%202016.pdf

closer to 70-80% guess I was using outdated info. So per cohort, on average 17/25 students will end up in finance with the bulk of the remaining 8 going into engineering positions in energy/metals, this is not for a lack of opportunities in finance, but rather people who apply, apply with the intention of consulting for energy firms (they likely could have got into finance but decided to choose something more relevant to the masters they spent 12 months studying for).

40% of all respondents is staggeringly impressive for an institute of science and technology btw (finance is clearly over represented compared to other sectors, this is not including those in MO/BO)

MSc Banking Cass vs Msc Engineering at Nottingham/Manchester/Bath? yes the engineers have a clear advantage.

MSc Banking Cass vs Engineering at QM? it's more down to the individual than the university.

Doesn't matter who you claim to know (lets be serious here you have 7 posts and in 3 of those you're making claims about brothers sisters and who you know on a QM thread), I know actual students from all three institutions - QM gets the worst reviews from its own students. We're also talking a Masters not Bachelors, Masters are by and large career choices student life means very little what will give you an edge against competitors means far more.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 32

Oilfreak1

Original post by kristin.zangova

So which do you think is better - MSc Financial Economics at City University (but not in Cass) or MSc Behavioural Finance at QM?

Why is it not in Cass? If it's not in Cass, then i'd say let personal preference take precedence, not much between City and QM, so choose where you would enjoy.

The real pull of Cass is that you will be studying with a large contingent of professionals with tonnes of experience already (networking opps) and being a semi target you'd get greater exposure to the industry while QM is pretty much ignored, if you can still get some of the benefits of Cass by attending City i'd go City without a doubt.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 33

username2435925

I know that you are deadly serious, so please take everything I am about to say as politely as possible.

I have no idea where you are getting your 70-80% statistic from. I look at a pie chart of 95 organisations, and I would guess 60% under financial services, consulting and accounting. I note that almost all the consultants listed are industry specific consultants, which is cool. My honest thought is 9 out of 25 on this course go into finance. I'm sure its deadly employable, but primarily for energy and materials. Irrespective I would agree with you, 9 / 25 is pretty good.

This pie chart has no line for unemployed, which reiterates that it is a chart of employers, not outcomes. One thing I will give you is that there are some interesting placements listed. You want to know the truth about industry cycles? Hiring happens 3-4 years after the bottom. We haven't seen the bottom in finance and we have probably just seen the bottom in energy. This is just bad luck and because of that, somewhat irrelevant.

One specific thing about MSc Banking. You go to an employer like a tech start up or Proctor and Gamble, and they will be looking down at you as a failed banker. 3 years at Goldman Sachs, fair enough, you must be sh/t hot, but a masters in Banking...Finance is out of fashion. It won't last but its risky ground for a few years yet.

The conundrum around City / Cass is that, Cass has an excellent reputation in finance, and City has a weak overall reputation. When it comes to employability, you are totally dependent on whether the recruiter is thinking Cass or thinking City. I think its a fair sketch for the rules of thumb that happen. You want another piece of info? Most people inside a firm would no longer get past the criteria used to hire graduates.

Reply 34

Oilfreak1

Original post by yuenlo

.6*25 = 15. Not sure there are any unemployed graduates, nothing is guaranteed but this course is notorious for getting graduate placements with only 25 students a year it's not too difficult. A large proportion of students get first placements, in energy/metals finance - it's the name of the course, these are still FO roles in BB banks and it's ridiculous to dismiss them just because they're industry specific.

Where I get my 70-80% from? look at the petroleum/utilities professionals - a large contingent are still financial analysts/consultants just for BP instead of GS.

WRT MSc Banking I agree generally but a QM engineering degree would be of no more use, QM is not even on the spectrum for finance, so can't compete with Cass graduates in that regard. The only other time the two would meet is if both failed in their respective fields; where both are equally useless. Going to a reputable business school for a highly specialist course is as hazardous as going to a poorly regarded engineering school (although if you want to work in engineering the university doesn't really matter at all).

Again agree with your last point City is by no means Cass but as the person asking the question asked about two finance courses, if there is even a slight chance of inheriting some of Cass' links/networking opportunities it would be better to go to no-name City than it is to go to no-name QM. If the course means that they are totally removed from Cass, then it goes down to preference.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 35

username2435925

Hey yea sounds like we're just talking job tiles re your course, glad to get to the bottom of it.

Re course titles, not sure if you noticed that UCL has changed their Engineering titles around. So Chemical Engineering is now Engineering (Chemical). The latter is much more employable.

Now that I've looked at the City / Cass thing, I notice that both offer Masters. A Cass MSc is fairly premium (and reflected in the price tag), a City MSc is more upper middle. Queen Mary is likely somewhere in between. To put anything other than the issuing institution down would be false representation so I'd guess that's how it would fall out with recruiters.

Again, employability is one important aspect to a degree. There are many others.

Reply 36

EGalea1993

Maltese student reading for a MSc in either Management or International Business at QMUL! Very excited to start. Any of you have an idea on the reputation of the Business School at QMUL as compared to UCL or LSE?

Cheers :smile:

Reply 37

afife

I just received an offer to study MSc cancer and therapeutucs. Anyone else applied ?