lse or imperial

i don't know know which uni to go for, I have an offer from lse maths and econ and an offer from imperial for mathematics with stats for finance. will my future prospects be greater if i go for imperial or lse? And in terms of how easily i can get a job which uni is better

Reply 1

Anonymous #2

Either will be great- which do you like better? I'd say that's how to decide.

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post by Anonymous #2

Either will be great- which do you like better? I'd say that's how to decide.

i like lse but i think the finance sector is quite unstable whereas if i chose imperial i will have a degree which can be applied into ,multiple other jobs such as engineering

Reply 3

JamieJacks

8

Imperial. One of the best mathematics schools in the world and maths undergrads from there are targetted for some of the highest paying finance jobs (quant). Also I wouldn't say finance is unstable, many of these roles pay 100k+ right out of university. Imperial is a gem for quant jobs which pay more than any other undergraduate job in the world out of university (300k etc). Search up Jane Street, Optiver quant trading...

Can't stress enough how well reputed Imperial is for Maths, LSE really isn't...

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 4

M_m_m03

10

Maths at Imperial will be significantly more difficult than maths and econ at LSE. Also, the above comment about quant jobs is true, but only those near the top of the imperial maths cohort get those jobs usually.

Reply 5

Anonymous #3

Strange you come onto an Imperial forum asking which to recommend out of Imperial and LSE?

Both are strong and both will give you excellent networking and career opportunities.

Personally though? I would pick Imperial purely because of the more academic approach to the subject and its subjects in general. Imperial as a university overall is consistently in the top 10 worldwide. Obviously LSE trips up on this front because the world rankings are skewed to those with a large research output. Nevertheless LSE tends to rank well inside the top 50.

Both are excellent but for me Imperial just about edges it.

Reply 6

Anonymous #4

Original post by Anonymous #3

Strange you come onto an Imperial forum asking which to recommend out of Imperial and LSE?
Both are strong and both will give you excellent networking and career opportunities.
Personally though? I would pick Imperial purely because of the more academic approach to the subject and its subjects in general. Imperial as a university overall is consistently in the top 10 worldwide. Obviously LSE trips up on this front because the world rankings are skewed to those with a large research output. Nevertheless LSE tends to rank well inside the top 50.
Both are excellent but for me Imperial just about edges it.

All you points a valid but for context I’d add that qs (the main source of uni rankings) places high weighting on scientific output/department prestige and with Lse being a specialised social science institution it’s heavily penalised by the ranking algorithm!

Reply 7

Anonymous #3

Original post by Anonymous

All you points a valid but for context I’d add that qs (the main source of uni rankings) places high weighting on scientific output/department prestige and with Lse being a specialised social science institution it’s heavily penalised by the ranking algorithm!

I think I alluded to that point already did I not?

Nevertheless for me with Imperial being an udisputed top ten global university and that has a brand in itself, for me that's a big draw. LSE also has a big brand name worldwide. Both will teach to a high standard. But from a strictly academic and intellectual point of view, Imperial tends to have a more "academic prestige" feel to it whereas LSE tends be a more would be bankers and politicos dumping ground.

Reply 8

Anonymous #5

Original post by M_m_m03

Maths at Imperial will be significantly more difficult than maths and econ at LSE. Also, the above comment about quant jobs is true, but only those near the top of the imperial maths cohort get those jobs usually.

When you say significantly more difficult do you meat content wise or the amount of work you have to

Reply 9

Anonymous #6

Original post by JamieJacks

Imperial. One of the best mathematics schools in the world and maths undergrads from there are targetted for some of the highest paying finance jobs (quant). Also I wouldn't say finance is unstable, many of these roles pay 100k+ right out of university. Imperial is a gem for quant jobs which pay more than any other undergraduate job in the world out of university (300k etc). Search up Jane Street, Optiver quant trading...
Can't stress enough how well reputed Imperial is for Maths, LSE really isn't...

LSE is, as you emphasised, not reputed for Maths. First and foremost, they don't offer Maths programme alone. They only offer maths with economics - Imperial does offer pure maths though. That said, LSE is known for - as self-explanatory in the name, London School of ECONOMICS - economics.

LSE and Imperial I'd say are on par in breaking into finance or IB sectors. LSE's economics department is one of the best in the world and many combinations of economics or finance undergrads at LSE are targeted by many high paying finance jobs.

Reply 10

Anonymous #6

Original post by Anonymous

i don't know know which uni to go for, I have an offer from lse maths and econ and an offer from imperial for mathematics with stats for finance. will my future prospects be greater if i go for imperial or lse? And in terms of how easily i can get a job which uni is better

As you ask this in the Imperial forum, it might skew the answers. I advise you ask somewhere less biased so that you can get an unbiased answer for your sake (e.g. Quora or in a different student room forum)

My answer though would be that:
LSE and Imperial are on par, and your future prospects won't be affected by either choice in breaking into finance or IB sectors. They will both get your feet infront of the doors, but you will be the one knocking and opening that door. At the end of the day, what really matters is the university's culture and how you will thrive therein. Courses wise, LSE trumps imperial in Economics or finance while the opposite is true for Mathsmatics or stats.

I hear a lot of biased voices in this forum that Imperial being in top 10 as per the QS rankings will provide them a better brand name than the LSE, which is ranked much lower due to it being a smaller institution without STEM base. However, I must contend this thought. Due to LSE being a smaller institution - meaning less number of courses - the institution has much less courses to focus on and fund. As a result, their courses are all top quality, taking top spots in any ranking tables by subject. In other words, the employers in Finanace would've all heard of LSE since its courses are regarded as world-class... In the national rankings, LSE always takes the 3rd spot and Imperial 4th (The Complete, etc.). For these reasons, I strongly argue that they are on par.

So, for your future prospects, if you are to break into the glass of finance industry, what matters most is yourself. In which university and in which course are you more likely to do better? (At Imperial, you will be surrounded by STEM students, while at LSE, you will meet students coming from social and political science backgrounds). You can't really compare the two courses face to face in that LSE'S Economics and finance courses has its own edges as Imperial's maths/stats do. LSE's maths and econ course will centre around economics for obvious reasons. On the other hand, Imperial course would be more attentive to mathematics. We can't really compare apples to oranges, Oxford to Cambridge. This is the most realistic answer I can provide you. Hope it helped.

Reply 11

Anonymous #6

Original post by Anonymous

i don't know know which uni to go for, I have an offer from lse maths and econ and an offer from imperial for mathematics with stats for finance. will my future prospects be greater if i go for imperial or lse? And in terms of how easily i can get a job which uni is better

I just found another similar forum about finance courses at LSE vs Imperial 6 months ago. And there, it says LSE has a better international recognition and brand name.

So at the end of the world, I think people's opinions and views actually don't matter much. But what is true is that employers in finanace sectors in London would all have heard of LSE and Imperial. The decision is yours!

Reply 12

Anonymous #6

Original post by Anonymous

i don't know know which uni to go for, I have an offer from lse maths and econ and an offer from imperial for mathematics with stats for finance. will my future prospects be greater if i go for imperial or lse? And in terms of how easily i can get a job which uni is better

Sorry, this will be a last post. Forgot to add the link to the said forum in my previous answer

https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/school/choosing-between-lse-and-imperials-msc-finance-programs

Reply 13

Anonymous #6

Original post by Anonymous

I just found another similar forum about finance courses at LSE vs Imperial 6 months ago. And there, it says LSE has a better international recognition and brand name.
So at the end of the world, I think people's opinions and views actually don't matter much. But what is true is that employers in finanace sectors in London would all have heard of LSE and Imperial. The decision is yours!

The forum I found was: Choosing Between LSE And Imperial's MSc Finance Programs from Wall Street Oasis

Reply 14

Anonymous48

15

Original post by Anonymous

i don't know know which uni to go for, I have an offer from lse maths and econ and an offer from imperial for mathematics with stats for finance. will my future prospects be greater if i go for imperial or lse? And in terms of how easily i can get a job which uni is better

Hi, well done for getting the offers. which uni did u end up going for? also, i was looking to do the same courses as you (i am currently in year 12). if you don't mind me asking, what subjects did u take for a level and what grades did you achieve in gcse? (as lse places emphasis on it) thank you.

Reply 15

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post by Anonymous48

Hi, well done for getting the offers. which uni did u end up going for? also, i was looking to do the same courses as you (i am currently in year 12). if you don't mind me asking, what subjects did u take for a level and what grades did you achieve in gcse? (as lse places emphasis on it) thank you.

i chose LSE, i took maths, Fm , chem and physics. I got 9x9's 1 8 and 1 7. I chose LSE as i believe it would help me getting into IB. The courses at imperial and lse are good for different reasons and they are alse quite different courses. Imperial is better at pure maths and teaching you the fundamentals and theories, whereas lse focuses on the application of maths.

Reply 16

Anonymous #7

Original post by Anonymous

i chose LSE, i took maths, Fm , chem and physics. I got 9x9's 1 8 and 1 7. I chose LSE as i believe it would help me getting into IB. The courses at imperial and lse are good for different reasons and they are alse quite different courses. Imperial is better at pure maths and teaching you the fundamentals and theories, whereas lse focuses on the application of maths.

Hi do you mind sharing your TMUA/mat scores if you say them?

Reply 17

Anonymous #8

Original post by Anonymous

Hi do you mind sharing your TMUA/mat scores if you say them?

Are you interested in applying to the same course? If so, what r ur stats?

Reply 18

Anonymous #7

Original post by Anonymous

Are you interested in applying to the same course? If so, what r ur stats?

Im predicted 3A*. My GCSEs/TMUA are both mid-high but wont help u much as I had serious extenuating circumstance for both. Got a LSE Financial Math and Stats offer already and waiting on Imperial and UCL

Reply 19

Anonymous #8

Original post by Anonymous

Im predicted 3A*. My GCSEs/TMUA are both mid-high but wont help u much as I had serious extenuating circumstance for both. Got a LSE Financial Math and Stats offer already and waiting on Imperial and UCL

Wow, congratulations. When did you receive the offer from LSE? and did you get above 4 in the TMUA? The reason why I am asking is because I applied to LSE for Maths and econ so I was wondering what sort of TMUA score is needed? Also, if you don't mind me asking, what is the preference of your university choices?

lse or imperial

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