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LSE (London), HEC (Paris), IE (Madrid) ?
So I got accepted at LSE for the MSc in Finance and Accounting. My older brother went there for a bit, and absolutely loved it. Also it seems that LSE has more panache than the other two schools.
I would like to work at a bulge bracket firm right after my MSc most likely in London (can't stand New York...), and I was wondering if LSE would be better to get me into I-banking rather than HEC or IE.
Oh and also I will be getting my undergraduate degree in Finance this june from the University of Washington (Seattle).
I would like to work at a bulge bracket firm right after my MSc most likely in London (can't stand New York...), and I was wondering if LSE would be better to get me into I-banking rather than HEC or IE.
Oh and also I will be getting my undergraduate degree in Finance this june from the University of Washington (Seattle).
At Madrid it would be the Master in financial management, and for HEC it is just their regular Master in Management program 
In the US everybody knows LSE, but I know that HEC has a really good reputation, so I am slightly confused. Especially if I want to go into I-banking in London.
In the US everybody knows LSE, but I know that HEC has a really good reputation, so I am slightly confused. Especially if I want to go into I-banking in London.
Disjoint
At Madrid it would be the Master in financial management, and for HEC it is just their regular Master in Management program
In the US everybody knows LSE, but I know that HEC has a really good reputation, so I am slightly confused. Especially if I want to go into I-banking in London.
In the US everybody knows LSE, but I know that HEC has a really good reputation, so I am slightly confused. Especially if I want to go into I-banking in London.
Eliminate Madrid. HEC is great for management, but that's not really that IB related - and after all you can always do an MBA. So LSE seems to be the right choice of the three.
Thank you Jan and Who; Overall everybody has been telling me to go to LSE, I'll go ahead and get started on my loan applications for LSE now At least the program is only a year as opposed to two at HEC, and I can customize my track at LSE so as to take as much classes on derivatives as possible 
At least the program is only a year as opposed to two at HEC, and I can customize my track at LSE so as to take as much classes on derivatives as possible 
Disjoint, see you at the LSE. I'll be doing A&F, too.
sorry to kill the party DISJOINT, but based on what i've been hearing, the Msc in A&F isnt exactly cut out for "practical" stuff, or practical application, if you may. The degree, i heard, is not as bankable/attractive to employers as an ACA qualification. And LSE, as an institution, is more tailored for pre-work grad studies, than post-work grad studies. so if your aim is to network, meet people from various industries, etc etc., then you're better of going to sloan or wharton or harvard.
just playing devil's advocate here. like you i also have an uncond offer for the Msc in A&F. like you i'm also stumped as to why i have to pay 17K gbp for a 9month course. like you i also favor europe more than the US. like you i'm also excited about checking out london and its dizzying nightlife. but unlike you i'm slightly more grounded about the shortcomings of this degree
just giving you some constructive feedback anyone who thinks otherwise- please, contradict me. prove me wrong! as there is nothing i'd want to hear more. as a matter of fact, if employment opps and money were no issue, i'd choose LSE over all other schools in the world combined.
A
just playing devil's advocate here. like you i also have an uncond offer for the Msc in A&F. like you i'm also stumped as to why i have to pay 17K gbp for a 9month course. like you i also favor europe more than the US. like you i'm also excited about checking out london and its dizzying nightlife. but unlike you i'm slightly more grounded about the shortcomings of this degree
just giving you some constructive feedback
anyone who thinks otherwise- please, contradict me. prove me wrong! as there is nothing i'd want to hear more. as a matter of fact, if employment opps and money were no issue, i'd choose LSE over all other schools in the world combined.A
The problem that people have with LSE is really perception vs. reality. LSE is a very academic university. It realizes that many of its graduates want City jobs, but the professors are not there to give you a proxy for IB training. They are serious academics and most of them are at the top of their field.
Go to LSE if you want a masters and are interested in the subject. If you want a business degree, go to a business school.
Go to LSE if you want a masters and are interested in the subject. If you want a business degree, go to a business school.
well, facts are facts huh? i am not the least bit happy about what Shady wrote, but i got to hear what i got to hear.
dont get me wrong. i'm not being fatalistic here. in fact, I am still convinced that, what you do with your degree is largely up to you (i'm sure there are no more unemployed LSE students out there than there are employed and successful ones).
but..facts are facts. and for someone EXTREMELY KEEN on doing business and establishing a career in corp fin (yup, talking to you DISJOINT)- i wouldnt recommend LSE as the best school for that endeavor.
Me, i just love learning. i dont dream of becoming CFO or Finance VP. If I had a golden ticket to any university, I'd submit that ticket straight to LSE Graduate Admissions.
and hey - it's London after all. I have very very high expectations for this city. better not disappoint.
(IF i do get there)..
Anyone got inputs about the possibility/impossibility/practicality/reasonability of maxing out the 20 hours work allowed for non-EU students with student visas? Is an LSE Msc workload so heavy as to render physically impossible, doing work and study both at the same time?
dont get me wrong. i'm not being fatalistic here. in fact, I am still convinced that, what you do with your degree is largely up to you (i'm sure there are no more unemployed LSE students out there than there are employed and successful ones).
but..facts are facts. and for someone EXTREMELY KEEN on doing business and establishing a career in corp fin (yup, talking to you DISJOINT)- i wouldnt recommend LSE as the best school for that endeavor.
Me, i just love learning. i dont dream of becoming CFO or Finance VP. If I had a golden ticket to any university, I'd submit that ticket straight to LSE Graduate Admissions.
and hey - it's London after all. I have very very high expectations for this city. better not disappoint.
(IF i do get there)..
Anyone got inputs about the possibility/impossibility/practicality/reasonability of maxing out the 20 hours work allowed for non-EU students with student visas? Is an LSE Msc workload so heavy as to render physically impossible, doing work and study both at the same time?
Disjoint
So I got accepted at LSE for the MSc in Finance and Accounting. My older brother went there for a bit, and absolutely loved it. Also it seems that LSE has more panache than the other two schools.
I would like to work at a bulge bracket firm right after my MSc most likely in London (can't stand New York...), and I was wondering if LSE would be better to get me into I-banking rather than HEC or IE.
Oh and also I will be getting my undergraduate degree in Finance this june from the University of Washington (Seattle).
I would like to work at a bulge bracket firm right after my MSc most likely in London (can't stand New York...), and I was wondering if LSE would be better to get me into I-banking rather than HEC or IE.
Oh and also I will be getting my undergraduate degree in Finance this june from the University of Washington (Seattle).
The LSE Finance department is one Im very familar with. I would say LSE, but I think you also need to think about where you want to study. LSE and HEC are great schools, dont know much about IE (Internet Explorer?).
Instituto Empresa, I believe.
I'm also interested in pursuing MSc in Finance degree... main objective is to get into i-banking/client management roles in london so far i've been offered these programmes:
1) Maastricht University - MSc Financial Economics (Banking) (unconditional)
2) Warwick MSc Accounting and Finance (conditional)
3) Cass MSc Banking and International Finance (conditional)
4) HEC Paris MSc Finance (unconditional)
5) Stockholm School of Economics - MSc Business and Economics (Banking) (unconditional)
given that most schools are expecting a reply within the next 2 weeks, i'm torn between warwick, cass and hec paris.
pls correct me if i'm wrong, but given that i would like to work in london after graduation, warwick has the best name amongst the 3 to get me a job in london. however, i am afraid that the accounting degree will relegate me to some middle office position which i do not want. it's also a conditional offer- i have to attain 4.5 GPA- this creates a lot of uncertainty.. if i don't maintain my GPA i am fcked.
cass' programme looks interesting but i think it has the worst name amongst the 3 but it's in LONDON baby. also conditional offer, similar to warwick's.
HEC Paris seems like a good school. have also been awarded a scholarship there... the only thing is i don't know a word of french except "bonjour". i have heard that HEC Paris is good with job placements in the french market. but what about in london?
please advise, anyone. especially if you have done similar programmes in these schools!
much appreciated xxx.
1) Maastricht University - MSc Financial Economics (Banking) (unconditional)
2) Warwick MSc Accounting and Finance (conditional)
3) Cass MSc Banking and International Finance (conditional)
4) HEC Paris MSc Finance (unconditional)
5) Stockholm School of Economics - MSc Business and Economics (Banking) (unconditional)
given that most schools are expecting a reply within the next 2 weeks, i'm torn between warwick, cass and hec paris.
pls correct me if i'm wrong, but given that i would like to work in london after graduation, warwick has the best name amongst the 3 to get me a job in london. however, i am afraid that the accounting degree will relegate me to some middle office position which i do not want. it's also a conditional offer- i have to attain 4.5 GPA- this creates a lot of uncertainty.. if i don't maintain my GPA i am fcked.
cass' programme looks interesting but i think it has the worst name amongst the 3 but it's in LONDON baby. also conditional offer, similar to warwick's.
HEC Paris seems like a good school. have also been awarded a scholarship there... the only thing is i don't know a word of french except "bonjour". i have heard that HEC Paris is good with job placements in the french market. but what about in london?
please advise, anyone. especially if you have done similar programmes in these schools!
much appreciated xxx.
I think you are failing to consider a really important aspect, that is the length of the program. LSE is a one year program, whilst HEC is two-year (IE I gather it's one as well?). Having a two year program allows you to apply comfortably for internships, which is the easiest way to get into an IB graduate program. Without a top internship it is difficult (albeit not impossible) to make it to a grad program.
In terms of reputation, it really depends how you look a it. In terms of MBA - ie. top masters-, it would be IE>HEC>LSE, whilst for graduate studies it's HEC(if you're in the Grand Ecole program)>LSE>IE. If, as it is your case, you are not in the über-competitive Grand Ecole program, HEC and LSE are pretty much tied.
However, there is a crucial difference: HEC and IE are business schools, LSE is not. LSE is a university in the most strict of terms and is very academic. IE and HEC are much more practical and focus much more on developing skills sets that will be useful in your career. Depends what you want to get out of your masters. One last thing is that IE's Finance masters is CFA accredited, whilst I believe the other two are not - which would come in extremely handy if you want to tilt towards Asset Management or M&A.
In terms of recruiting, all three are really good. LSE's masters is not really banking biased but in the end it's not your master's what will get you a job, it's your perfomance during the assessment process. HEC has crazy recruitment fairs on par with LSE and IE has a network of contacts and alumni in top positions through it's MBA that dwarfs the other two: HEC is king of the road in France and in many Trading/Quant positions in IB's in London and LSE is very strong in the UK but both are relatively weak outside their home countries. IE on the other hand has a stronger foothold in a wider array of nations.
I would think about it mate. You have a really good set of offers in front of you.
In terms of reputation, it really depends how you look a it. In terms of MBA - ie. top masters-, it would be IE>HEC>LSE, whilst for graduate studies it's HEC(if you're in the Grand Ecole program)>LSE>IE. If, as it is your case, you are not in the über-competitive Grand Ecole program, HEC and LSE are pretty much tied.
However, there is a crucial difference: HEC and IE are business schools, LSE is not. LSE is a university in the most strict of terms and is very academic. IE and HEC are much more practical and focus much more on developing skills sets that will be useful in your career. Depends what you want to get out of your masters. One last thing is that IE's Finance masters is CFA accredited, whilst I believe the other two are not - which would come in extremely handy if you want to tilt towards Asset Management or M&A.
In terms of recruiting, all three are really good. LSE's masters is not really banking biased but in the end it's not your master's what will get you a job, it's your perfomance during the assessment process. HEC has crazy recruitment fairs on par with LSE and IE has a network of contacts and alumni in top positions through it's MBA that dwarfs the other two: HEC is king of the road in France and in many Trading/Quant positions in IB's in London and LSE is very strong in the UK but both are relatively weak outside their home countries. IE on the other hand has a stronger foothold in a wider array of nations.
I would think about it mate. You have a really good set of offers in front of you.
This is coming from an LSE MSc Finance student.
One important thing to note is that the accounting and finance programme does not strictly belong to the finance department, but rather the accounting department. This plays a huge difference. The top courses at LSE (from an IB perspective) are Finance, Finance & Private Equity and Finance & Economics. With these you fully benefit from the Finance department's connections, events and alumni network and students on these courses really are getting top jobs. These are the target degrees for employers and your chances of getting to interview stage are very high. Past that, it's up to you.
So bear this in mind when comparing with other European universities. I think no course at HEC or any other European business school (excluding MBAs) holds a light to the above mentioned LSE courses in terms of getting a job in IB/PE in London. They may hold some advantage in their home country but clearly, given the choice, London is a far superior place to work.
With the A&F course, you will benefit from the LSE brand, but will generally be limited to school-wide resources (which are very good anyway).
Just to shed some perspective on LSE masters
One important thing to note is that the accounting and finance programme does not strictly belong to the finance department, but rather the accounting department. This plays a huge difference. The top courses at LSE (from an IB perspective) are Finance, Finance & Private Equity and Finance & Economics. With these you fully benefit from the Finance department's connections, events and alumni network and students on these courses really are getting top jobs. These are the target degrees for employers and your chances of getting to interview stage are very high. Past that, it's up to you.
So bear this in mind when comparing with other European universities. I think no course at HEC or any other European business school (excluding MBAs) holds a light to the above mentioned LSE courses in terms of getting a job in IB/PE in London. They may hold some advantage in their home country but clearly, given the choice, London is a far superior place to work.
With the A&F course, you will benefit from the LSE brand, but will generally be limited to school-wide resources (which are very good anyway).
Just to shed some perspective on LSE masters
Original post by student87
The top courses at LSE (from an IB perspective) are Finance, Finance & Private Equity and Finance & Economics.
I actually thought that it is the university that matters not the course you are doing. How are Finance/Finance & PE/MFE courses different from Acc&Fin in the eyes of the employer/HR? I guess it is the quality of applicants that makes the difference. The first three courses are much more selective, hence, the students there have better profiles before even joining LSE.
How are the events for MSc Finance different from those for MSc Acc&Fin?
I am also having hard time deciding b/w LSE/HEC/ESADE/RSM, but I think LSE's Finance and P&E is my best option.
(edited 13 years ago)
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