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I want to become an investment banker - Should I go to Oxford or LSE?

I want to become an investment banker and I can either study maths at Oxford or an economic/finance degree at LSE. Initially, my first choice was to choose Oxford as I’ve always loved the idea of it, however I’ve heard LSE has a good reputation of breaking into investment banking. I know that LSE is obviously a school that mainly surrounds economics and finance, so it would make sense that more LSE students would get investment banking jobs. Many LSE students get into top investment banks such as Goldman sachs and JP Morgan. Also, LSE has the advantage on location as investment banks are situated there. I’ve also heard it’s great at providing first year students with careers advice, information about spring weeks and internships.

So the question I have is would I have the same chance of getting into investment banking if I went to Oxford? Keep in mind that I’d be studying maths there (not economics) - I preferred the look of mathematics there and I didn’t want to study a course that didn’t interest me much which is why I chose maths. Also, does Oxford give first year students advice about internships and spring weeks for investment banking? Do Oxford students also get into places like Goldman Sachs as well as LSE students?

Thank you for any advice!
Reply 1
Original post by Bubblegummiessss
I want to become an investment banker and I can either study maths at Oxford or an economic/finance degree at LSE. Initially, my first choice was to choose Oxford as I’ve always loved the idea of it, however I’ve heard LSE has a good reputation of breaking into investment banking. I know that LSE is obviously a school that mainly surrounds economics and finance, so it would make sense that more LSE students would get investment banking jobs. Many LSE students get into top investment banks such as Goldman sachs and JP Morgan. Also, LSE has the advantage on location as investment banks are situated there. I’ve also heard it’s great at providing first year students with careers advice, information about spring weeks and internships.

So the question I have is would I have the same chance of getting into investment banking if I went to Oxford? Keep in mind that I’d be studying maths there (not economics) - I preferred the look of mathematics there and I didn’t want to study a course that didn’t interest me much which is why I chose maths. Also, does Oxford give first year students advice about internships and spring weeks for investment banking? Do Oxford students also get into places like Goldman Sachs as well as LSE students?

Thank you for any advice!

From my view point oxbridge and LSE will have their fair share of investment bankers and are both good schools for getting into banks, id be inclinded to say the location of LSE presents itself as a notch higher as oxford isnt in London... nonetheless oxford shouldnt hurt your chances...
Original post by Bubblegummiessss
I want to become an investment banker and I can either study maths at Oxford or an economic/finance degree at LSE. Initially, my first choice was to choose Oxford as I’ve always loved the idea of it, however I’ve heard LSE has a good reputation of breaking into investment banking. I know that LSE is obviously a school that mainly surrounds economics and finance, so it would make sense that more LSE students would get investment banking jobs. Many LSE students get into top investment banks such as Goldman sachs and JP Morgan. Also, LSE has the advantage on location as investment banks are situated there. I’ve also heard it’s great at providing first year students with careers advice, information about spring weeks and internships.

So the question I have is would I have the same chance of getting into investment banking if I went to Oxford? Keep in mind that I’d be studying maths there (not economics) - I preferred the look of mathematics there and I didn’t want to study a course that didn’t interest me much which is why I chose maths. Also, does Oxford give first year students advice about internships and spring weeks for investment banking? Do Oxford students also get into places like Goldman Sachs as well as LSE students?

Thank you for any advice!

To keep the option of consulting and 'quant' trading open as well as IB, go for Oxford.
If you're solely interested in IB, either one will do. Though I'm not sure whether LSE's mathematics department is as strong as Oxford's. Plus, if you're doing mathematics, especially at Oxford, UCL, Warwick and Imperial, wouldn't you want to be a quant instead of an investment banker?
Original post by ebam_uk
From my view point oxbridge and LSE will have their fair share of investment bankers and are both good schools for getting into banks, id be inclinded to say the location of LSE presents itself as a notch higher as oxford isnt in London... nonetheless oxford shouldnt hurt your chances...

Being in London makes literally 0 difference. All of recruiting for BBs/EBs happens online.

To OP: The incremental difference in perceived prestige between Oxford and LSE is not going to affect your chances at all. I don't go to either school and have multiple spring offers, including Goldman Sachs; I also study a completely irrelevant degree so what you study doesn't matter at all. Economics and maths will be perceived the exact same, the only problem is that a lot of economics and maths students will be applying and most (even oxbridge and LSE students) won't get top springs so you need to work doubly hard to make yourself stand out. Imo, universities are not helpful when it comes to career advice; if you want to land springs you should use WSO and some threads on this website to prepare yourself and make yourself a strong candidate. To get the best odds of landing some offers, you're going to want to apply before university even starts and most societies will have mentoring programs so apply to those. If you're eligible for SEO London, 10000 Black Interns and Rare Recruitment/Upreach I'd apply to those too as they're very, very useful in landing springs and summers.

Finally, something worth considering: If you're bright enough to land maths at Oxford, there are plenty of other, more lucrative, and interesting jobs out there to look into than investment banking. You will never utilise your maths degree in the investment banking division; the job revolves around formatting powerpoints and Excel spreadsheets and building models for clients. The hours are rough and the compensation for analysts, whilst a lot, don't sum up as high as you think when related to the hours you work. Although, the exit opportunities are quite broad. You might be interested in prop trading/quant research at firms like Jane Street and Citadel Securities - the hours and money are better than any investment bank and you'd actually use your maths degree. Definitely achievable with an oxford maths degree. Sales and trading might be interesting to you as well.
Reply 4
Original post by Bubblegummiessss
I want to become an investment banker and I can either study maths at Oxford or an economic/finance degree at LSE. Initially, my first choice was to choose Oxford as I’ve always loved the idea of it, however I’ve heard LSE has a good reputation of breaking into investment banking. I know that LSE is obviously a school that mainly surrounds economics and finance, so it would make sense that more LSE students would get investment banking jobs. Many LSE students get into top investment banks such as Goldman sachs and JP Morgan. Also, LSE has the advantage on location as investment banks are situated there. I’ve also heard it’s great at providing first year students with careers advice, information about spring weeks and internships.

So the question I have is would I have the same chance of getting into investment banking if I went to Oxford? Keep in mind that I’d be studying maths there (not economics) - I preferred the look of mathematics there and I didn’t want to study a course that didn’t interest me much which is why I chose maths. Also, does Oxford give first year students advice about internships and spring weeks for investment banking? Do Oxford students also get into places like Goldman Sachs as well as LSE students?

Thank you for any advice!

Of the 15 maths/joint schools students who graduated from my son's Oxford college this past year, 1/3 went to work at trading shops. None went to work for traditional IB corp fin departments.
Reply 5
Original post by leviticus.
Being in London makes literally 0 difference. All of recruiting for BBs/EBs happens online.

To OP: The incremental difference in perceived prestige between Oxford and LSE is not going to affect your chances at all. I don't go to either school and have multiple spring offers, including Goldman Sachs; I also study a completely irrelevant degree so what you study doesn't matter at all. Economics and maths will be perceived the exact same, the only problem is that a lot of economics and maths students will be applying and most (even oxbridge and LSE students) won't get top springs so you need to work doubly hard to make yourself stand out. Imo, universities are not helpful when it comes to career advice; if you want to land springs you should use WSO and some threads on this website to prepare yourself and make yourself a strong candidate. To get the best odds of landing some offers, you're going to want to apply before university even starts and most societies will have mentoring programs so apply to those. If you're eligible for SEO London, 10000 Black Interns and Rare Recruitment/Upreach I'd apply to those too as they're very, very useful in landing springs and summers.

Finally, something worth considering: If you're bright enough to land maths at Oxford, there are plenty of other, more lucrative, and interesting jobs out there to look into than investment banking. You will never utilise your maths degree in the investment banking division; the job revolves around formatting powerpoints and Excel spreadsheets and building models for clients. The hours are rough and the compensation for analysts, whilst a lot, don't sum up as high as you think when related to the hours you work. Although, the exit opportunities are quite broad. You might be interested in prop trading/quant research at firms like Jane Street and Citadel Securities - the hours and money are better than any investment bank and you'd actually use your maths degree. Definitely achievable with an oxford maths degree. Sales and trading might be interesting to you as well.

Whilst the recruitment process happens online, dont forget being in the investment clubs/ societies in unis and surrounding yourself with positive people! Being in London could make it easier to be in the zone for banking vs oxford...
Original post by Bubblegummiessss
I want to become an investment banker and I can either study maths at Oxford or an economic/finance degree at LSE. Initially, my first choice was to choose Oxford as I’ve always loved the idea of it, however I’ve heard LSE has a good reputation of breaking into investment banking. I know that LSE is obviously a school that mainly surrounds economics and finance, so it would make sense that more LSE students would get investment banking jobs. Many LSE students get into top investment banks such as Goldman sachs and JP Morgan. Also, LSE has the advantage on location as investment banks are situated there. I’ve also heard it’s great at providing first year students with careers advice, information about spring weeks and internships.

So the question I have is would I have the same chance of getting into investment banking if I went to Oxford? Keep in mind that I’d be studying maths there (not economics) - I preferred the look of mathematics there and I didn’t want to study a course that didn’t interest me much which is why I chose maths. Also, does Oxford give first year students advice about internships and spring weeks for investment banking? Do Oxford students also get into places like Goldman Sachs as well as LSE students?

Thank you for any advice!

To introduce myself I'm Joao. In my final year studying BSc Economics at Surrey University, I am working as a Campus Ambassador for JP Morgan. I recently finished my one-year industrial placement as an Economist for the British Government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). I also had the opportunity to work as a Private Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Biosecurity.

The truth is there's more than one way of getting a graduate job at an investment bank. The route you choose will depend partly upon the area of the bank you want to get into. My advice is to apply for internships during your bachelor's degree and get an offer of a full-time job when you graduate. Also, if I were you, I would consider doing a placement year. The placement provides students with a unique opportunity to gain skills specific to their subject or industry of choice and the employability skills required for real-life work, so I would suggest applying for a sandwich degree.

This is the standard method of getting the first job in an investment bank. While you're at university, you need to complete as many investment banking internships as you conceivably can, starting in your first year. In Europe, these first-year internships are known as 'spring weeks.' Suppose you impress the banks' recruiters during these short first-year internships. In that case, you will often be guaranteed a place to come back for ten weeks during the summer holiday of your second year (a so-called "summer internship" or "summer analyst program.") And if you impress again during these summer internships, you should be offered a full-time job when you graduate.

Joao
Economics
Original post by Bubblegummiessss
I want to become an investment banker and I can either study maths at Oxford or an economic/finance degree at LSE. Initially, my first choice was to choose Oxford as I’ve always loved the idea of it, however I’ve heard LSE has a good reputation of breaking into investment banking. I know that LSE is obviously a school that mainly surrounds economics and finance, so it would make sense that more LSE students would get investment banking jobs. Many LSE students get into top investment banks such as Goldman sachs and JP Morgan. Also, LSE has the advantage on location as investment banks are situated there. I’ve also heard it’s great at providing first year students with careers advice, information about spring weeks and internships.

So the question I have is would I have the same chance of getting into investment banking if I went to Oxford? Keep in mind that I’d be studying maths there (not economics) - I preferred the look of mathematics there and I didn’t want to study a course that didn’t interest me much which is why I chose maths. Also, does Oxford give first year students advice about internships and spring weeks for investment banking? Do Oxford students also get into places like Goldman Sachs as well as LSE students?

Thank you for any advice!

Yes either are fine.

I hear people say more people from LSE proportionally end up in IB versus Oxbridge, but I think a lot of this is Oxbridge attracts people with a more diverse array of career interests. No one is going to snub a CV for IB/finance on the basis someone attended Oxbridge or LSE.
Oxford 100% for breadth of options. LSE places well in IB but is not regarded nearly as highly as Oxford outside of IB (and maybe law).
To state the bleeding obvious - this is not a choice you need to worry about at this point. Apply to both. Only worry about choosing if you get offers from both.

(If you're going for snob value, remember that LSE is the "joke" university in Yes Minister. I wouldn't personally suggest picking your university based on snob value, but if you want to then Oxford wins hands down.)

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