The Student Room Group

Bocconi Undergrad 2020 Onwards

Hey, I thought I'd make this new thread for all Bocconi 2020 applicants.

A lot of the info on Bocconi seems very outdated so I thought a new discussion page to get new info would be a good idea. I read quite a few chats in which people seemed to have negative experiences in the uni and where the most positive responses seemed to come from fake accounts made by Bocconi staff, but those were from some 5-7 years ago.

Recent responses seemed more mixed/positive and youtuber "indePENNdence" made some great videos explaining more about the uni and helping out with applications, which made me get a more positive vibe from the uni. Other than that my school counselor (that I consider amazing when it comes to knowing about unis) visited Bocconi recently and complimented it. Other than that Bocconi has also jumped recently in international rankings (well... QS ranking is the only one I checked) and I think their teaching and acceptance standards have probably risen a lot for that reason, I'm hoping that at this point there is at least no major issue of language barriers with Italian teacher.

I myself am currently applying for the BIEM and BESS course and would personally like to know people's experiences with those courses, how the other students are, what the teaching quality is like, and whether there is a large quality-gap between the more well-regarded economics and business courses and the other ones. Finally, I heard from an Italian friend who has friends in Bocconi that the people there tend to be spoiled and "scummy". Could people who are currently enrolled in the uni comment on all of this?

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Reply 1
Hi I'm thinking of applying for the BIEM and BIEF course although its like a week before the winter application window closes. The "fake" responses make the university seem kinda iffy. There's not much info online about Bocconi though I've talked to one of those school counsellors who seemed pretty knowledgable on the topic of tertiary education and he recommended Bocconi as a decent option for economics in Europe. I have also spoken to a Bocconi student here on an exchange programme and she seemed to have a pretty positive experience there though again, I do not know if it was biased since I spoke to her at a university fair.

Hope to hear some responses from current or past international Bocconi undergrads too!!
I'm a current Bocconi student. I'll start with the positives: Milan is a nice city, fairly vibrant and active, and very well connected to everywhere else in Europe with some very cheap flights. The university has a very good reputation within the continent, and within banks and consultancy firms in the UK. They have lots of opportunities for internships and international exchange agreements with some top-tier universities.

The bad: lots of the teachers are quite bad, and merely expect you to memorise useless facts for the exam. In fact overall the teaching seems more geared towards memorisation than understanding or proper learning. Additionally some of them speak rather terrible English. A lot of the courses are very much maths oriented. Overall I think it is very much inferior to a top-tier university in the UK, but it's not a bad university.

Please feel free to ask any questions you might have!
Reply 3
Original post by Anonymous
I'm a current Bocconi student. I'll start with the positives: Milan is a nice city, fairly vibrant and active, and very well connected to everywhere else in Europe with some very cheap flights. The university has a very good reputation within the continent, and within banks and consultancy firms in the UK. They have lots of opportunities for internships and international exchange agreements with some top-tier universities.

The bad: lots of the teachers are quite bad, and merely expect you to memorise useless facts for the exam. In fact overall the teaching seems more geared towards memorisation than understanding or proper learning. Additionally some of them speak rather terrible English. A lot of the courses are very much maths oriented. Overall I think it is very much inferior to a top-tier university in the UK, but it's not a bad university.

Please feel free to ask any questions you might have!

Thanks for the heads up!

If you have time, I have a few questions...
1) What course are you enrolled in and do people in different courses (primarily BIEM or BIG) have similar experiences?
2) Would you say there's a common Bocconi student profile, and if so what is it?
3) Does Bocconi have good guests and events for the social sciences at least?
4) Do you know if the teaching quality has been improving in the last few years or not?
5) Is there a big Italian to non-Italian division between students?
6) Are all teachers Italian or is it more diverse?
7) Are you encouraged to do interesting projects, internships, etc. in your courses and by the uni in general?
Original post by topasloko
Thanks for the heads up!

If you have time, I have a few questions...
1) What course are you enrolled in and do people in different courses (primarily BIEM or BIG) have similar experiences?
2) Would you say there's a common Bocconi student profile, and if so what is it?
3) Does Bocconi have good guests and events for the social sciences at least?
4) Do you know if the teaching quality has been improving in the last few years or not?
5) Is there a big Italian to non-Italian division between students?
6) Are all teachers Italian or is it more diverse?
7) Are you encouraged to do interesting projects, internships, etc. in your courses and by the uni in general?

1. I think most criticisms are common between courses. For BIEM the modules are mostly relatively logical and related to Econ & Management. For BIG there is a lot of economics, 1 module per semester for the first two years. You can check the whole detailed study plan on the Bocconi website (Click "Program Structure" and then "Study Plan" for the more detailed version). I also recommend checking the individual module details. For BIG courses like International Relations are actually heavily maths-based.

2. As I've said I think Bocconi is a very maths-oriented university. Most students are primarily interested in business, economics and finance.

3. Every so often there's a very high-profile guest speaker who comes in to give a speech. Whether you can get tickets or it's actually a good talk is another matter.

4. Yes, I think it probably has improved over the past few years, but I haven't been here for that long so I can't speak first-hand.

5. Yes, most certainly.

6. I'd say it's generally about 75% Italian, 25% international. It can vary by course, but almost always majority Italian.

7. There are a lot of internship opportunities, but as always they're not the easiest to get. If you do BIG then you get guaranteed an exchange slot in the 3rd year. Most of the courses don't involve much coursework, predominantly exam-based assessment.
Original post by Anonymous
1. I think most criticisms are common between courses. For BIEM the modules are mostly relatively logical and related to Econ & Management. For BIG there is a lot of economics, 1 module per semester for the first two years. You can check the whole detailed study plan on the Bocconi website (Click "Program Structure" and then "Study Plan" for the more detailed version). I also recommend checking the individual module details. For BIG courses like International Relations are actually heavily maths-based.

2. As I've said I think Bocconi is a very maths-oriented university. Most students are primarily interested in business, economics and finance.

3. Every so often there's a very high-profile guest speaker who comes in to give a speech. Whether you can get tickets or it's actually a good talk is another matter.

4. Yes, I think it probably has improved over the past few years, but I haven't been here for that long so I can't speak first-hand.

5. Yes, most certainly.

6. I'd say it's generally about 75% Italian, 25% international. It can vary by course, but almost always majority Italian.

7. There are a lot of internship opportunities, but as always they're not the easiest to get. If you do BIG then you get guaranteed an exchange slot in the 3rd year. Most of the courses don't involve much coursework, predominantly exam-based assessment.

Is it possible in Bocconi to switch courses (for example from BIG to BIEM) once I am enrolled?
Original post by Anonymous
Is it possible in Bocconi to switch courses (for example from BIG to BIEM) once I am enrolled?

Yes, entirely possible, at the end of the first year. You can normally convert most exams as most courses are the same for the first year but you might have to retake a few.
Reply 7
Original post by Anonymous
I'm a current Bocconi student. I'll start with the positives: Milan is a nice city, fairly vibrant and active, and very well connected to everywhere else in Europe with some very cheap flights. The university has a very good reputation within the continent, and within banks and consultancy firms in the UK. They have lots of opportunities for internships and international exchange agreements with some top-tier universities.

The bad: lots of the teachers are quite bad, and merely expect you to memorise useless facts for the exam. In fact overall the teaching seems more geared towards memorisation than understanding or proper learning. Additionally some of them speak rather terrible English. A lot of the courses are very much maths oriented. Overall I think it is very much inferior to a top-tier university in the UK, but it's not a bad university.

Please feel free to ask any questions you might have!

For internships and career opportunities within Europe, would you say as an international student whose not from the EU, it's much harder to get a job in the EU despite Bocconi's rep?

Thanks for answering!!
Original post by tapoica
For internships and career opportunities within Europe, would you say as an international student whose not from the EU, it's much harder to get a job in the EU despite Bocconi's rep?

Thanks for answering!!

I'm not really sure to be honest. Of course you'll have issues with visas - although it's easy to get an Italian work permit after finishing university here - but I don't know if companies will actively discriminate based on that. I know a lot won't hire non-EU interns as they won't want to go through the visa hoops.
Reply 9
Hey guys I'm planning to apply to Bocconi University in their spring deadline. any chance they'll accept a SAT score of 1290( 680 in maths 610 in English). I've already gotten 6 A*s 3 As in O level/IGCSE and 3 As in As Level. I can also come up with good recommendations and motivation statement. Is the spring deadline harder in terms of admission as compared to the winter one??
(edited 4 years ago)
It is definitely harder to be accepted if you apply for the spring deadline, they say so themselves. They might still consider you with a 1290 SAT score, especially with those grades, it's probably just very unlikely.
Reply 11
Thanks for the reply. Do you have any idea of the minimum SAT score required to get in the spring deadline because I may just give it again in March in hopes for a better score.
My friend did his exchange there and he raved on and on, but alas his marks suffered. They take an overly numerical approach to business education, really pushing the boundaries for management which is usually far less math's based (or optional).

Don't know more than that.
Original post by ATS01
Thanks for the reply. Do you have any idea of the minimum SAT score required to get in the spring deadline because I may just give it again in March in hopes for a better score.

No idea. I just know the minimum required in general tends to be 1300, and the math section is more important than the rest
Original post by ATS01
Hey guys I'm planning to apply to Bocconi University in their spring deadline. any chance they'll accept a SAT score of 1290( 680 in maths 610 in English). I've already gotten 6 A*s 3 As in O level/IGCSE and 3 As in As Level. I can also come up with good recommendations and motivation statement. Is the spring deadline harder in terms of admission as compared to the winter one??

Based on what I have heard from a person who studies there, I would say that it is harder to be accepted in the spring deadline because only 10% of the places are available. In addition, during their Webinar in November, they said that a score above 1300 on SAT is recommended but you still have a chance with 1290 if you can compensate it with a good variety of extracurriculars, excellent grades, and compelling motivational letter. My advice is to apply for a less competitive course in order to boost your chances of admission. Retaking the SAT is definitely a good idea in your case.
(edited 4 years ago)
Reply 15
Hmm thanks for the reply guys appreciate it. I do have an overall 8 in IELTS and am predicted 2A*s 1 A in alevel. Plus extracurriculars shouldn't be a problem attended many MUNS and president of student council, taken part in business related competitions as well, also the president of the basketball club in school and other things. Got teachers who'll write stellar recommendations if needed and should be able to produce a good motivation letter as well. Only problem is SAT wish I was serious when giving it in December but never thought I'd apply to Bocconi at that time.
Hello, I am currently applying to the undergraduate BIEF program at Bocconi University. What are my chances for getting a merit scholarship with 1400 SAT (620 R&W; 780 Math), perfect grades, and a decent number of awards, extracurriculars, and youth exchanges?
what would be my chances of getting a merit scholarship (tuition waiver Boarding) with 1560 SAT, 92.3% 10th year grade and 86% 11th year grade, along with okay ECs and Motivation letter?
Reply 18
Hi - I've been admitted into the BIEBM (business management course) and was wondering on the basis that there is a divide between Italian students and non-Italian students - which housing should I go for? As an international (canadian italian but live in the UK) I've heard that internationals tend to stick together when going into housing. Can anyone shed light on this or maybe I am wrong?
Original post by Giekos
Hi - I've been admitted into the BIEBM (business management course) and was wondering on the basis that there is a divide between Italian students and non-Italian students - which housing should I go for? As an international (canadian italian but live in the UK) I've heard that internationals tend to stick together when going into housing. Can anyone shed light on this or maybe I am wrong?

I'm not sure about this but congratulations on being accepted....... can you tell your sat score and were ur academics as well as extracurriculars very strong?

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