LSE vs NYU Stern

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Reply 60

Hughski

You should be able to get into accomodation early; you nearly always can but it does depend on the hall. You might have to pay a few pounds for each night you are in early but it's not much really. I came about a week early and was booked in at about the same time.

For the Stern Business vs LSE International Relations: LSE IR course at undergrad level leaves quite a lot of choice and one of my friends on it is doing quite a few economic modules on the course as well as political. He's actually doing Public International Law as well, which is a pretty popular one because the course is very good and the professors are excellent.

For job prospects immediately after graduation it would depend on what you wanted to go into. Bismarck says that you'll most likely need a masters to go into a good IR job, which is most likely true. You would be able to get a masters and do the undergrad in 4 years so in terms of time there is little difference. Plus LSE should really be considerably cheaper, although travelling back/forth from USA could be quite expensive, but the prices aren't so bad anymore.

Going to Stern, however, would allow you to go straight into a job in business, which would give you a good job from the start. Incidentally you can go into a job in business after IR from LSE, at least in the UK. So I think it depends mainly on which course would be most enjoyable and which location is preferable to the person deciding.

London School of Economics

London

Reply 61

thebrittzditz

Thanks guys! (I'm shocked this thread actually went back to the main topic :P)

Hughski - If I change my mind and decide I want to go into business after IR at LSE, what kind of job prospect would I have (starting salaries?) I'd imagine its nowhere near as good as someone coming out of Stern.

I still can't stand the idea of staying in NY for 4 more years to study business. But I don't want to look back at this decision years from now and be stuck wishing I had come out with a degree from Stern and had been making really good money already.

**sigh**

Reply 62

Bismarck

Hughski

I'll look into it. I should know which hall I'll be staying at by July.

Going to Stern, however, would allow you to go straight into a job in business, which would give you a good job from the start. Incidentally you can go into a job in business after IR from LSE, at least in the UK. So I think it depends mainly on which course would be most enjoyable and which location is preferable to the person deciding.

I don't know about Britain, but the best way to get a job in the US (at least in New York City) is to do an internship. You usually do a paid internship during the summer of your junior year, at which point you usually get a job offer pending your graduation. This is the easiest and most efficient way to get a job. Looking for a job after you graduate can take a long time, and you usually don't get paid as much if you find one. If one was to get their undergrad degree in Britain, they'd have trouble finding a job right away in the US for that reason. If someone wants to get a Masters, this would be irrelevant though, since they wouldn't be looking to get a job right out of college.

Reply 63

Hughski

Well it depends quite heavily on your degree classification and where you want to work. With a first your job prospects after IR at LSE would be huge.. With good extra-curricular stuff etc. you could work for an investment bank, become a lawyer, go into business...all kinds of things. After training these jobs would be somewhere around 100K+ dollars per year starting salary; more for investment banking. No idea what the prospects would be like in the USA. (Bear in mind you'd be going into employment 1 year earlier with a degree from the UK).

For jobs in IR, if that's what you enjoy, you would probably need a masters. These jobs can be very well paid as well: in-house advisers etc; and also at think-tanks.

Anybody with a good classification from an LSE degree would be able to find a well-paid job if they wanted to. (Unless they are really boring and have no interpersonal skills lol).

Reply 64

Hughski

Bismarck

Agreed. Internships are very important for getting a job quickly in the UK. So it would depend on whether you wanted to work for a US or British company and in which country. There are US companies in the UK which pay equivalent salaries and internships for these can be found while you're studying here. Although I would've thought that for getting a job in NY coming out of an NY university where you'd be on the doorstep, and getting internships would be easy, might be an advantage.

If you are looking to do a masters then LSE would set you up well for that, (although they don't give any advantage to previous undergrads when applying for masters course).

Reply 65

anonymity

no offense but most people who go into business don't have an IR background just cruise through the "our people" profiles on ibanks websites. it's possible but very unlikely and you'll need to brush up on financial theories and models on your own which isn't necessarily easy.
competition to get a job in the city is fierce, especially at bulge bracket ibanks. people with 2.1 degrees in accounting and finance from the LSE sometimes struggle so to say that you can do "anything" with IR is a bit naive. it's possible, certainly, but getting an internship is really competitive. people from wharton/chicago often end up working in the city so bear in mind that these are the people you're competing against.
sure, you can take outside options if you're doing IR but they'll hardly put you up to level with people who are taking 80% econ/finance modules.
basically, if you've got your mind set on business you can tailor your IR degree and extracurriculars to reach that goal... but if you have your mind set on business why would you turn down NYU stern with a scholarship for the LSE?

Reply 66

Hughski

Sure if you want to do business then Stern is the better choice. If you just want to make money then you could do the IR degree from the LSE and still get well paid job after graduation. I said 'first' exclusively for IBanking because I know competiton is very tough, but with a first it's a possibility. If you really want to go into IBanking then Maths or Econ. would be the best way anyhow. On the other hand with IR you can become a lawyer, and with a first you'd have a strong shot at the top firms. Even with a high 2.1 for that matter.

This is all presuming money is the primary criterion for the selection of course/university. Personally I see enjoyment of the subject as equally important, and cause I don't find business a particularly interesting subject I'd rather do something I enjoy for three years and just convert afterwards. Conversely, if you enjoy business, then it'd be a better idea to do business at Stern.

If money is the primary criterion then it's difficult to judge, Stern gives more guarantee of a well paid job after graduation. On the other hand, a first from LSE would give you a good shot at the v. well paid city jobs; high 2.1 and it's still a strong possibility. If you wanted to work in NY then I expect Stern would be the better choice; if London then LSE. Though neither choice would limit you to either the American or British sphere, and both would open up the possibility of working internationally.

In the UK it's possible to go into IBanking with a degree in History provided it's from a top institution and a good classification.

Reply 67

Chengora

I'm a little more cautious/skeptical than the other people in this thread. Let me start off with my background. I graduated from Wesleyan University for undergrad, worked for a couple years, then got my master's in IR from the LSE this past year.

I am a bit confused by your concerns, thebrittzditz. Are you saying you are going to Stern as an undergrad? What impact does this have on your major and non-major requirements? Could you double major or take a minor? What about opportunities to take classes in other NYC schools?

My thought is that you might be getting a little too wrapped up in the specialization aspect of Stern v. LSE. Would an NYU undergraduate program really require to forego the "pick and choose" feel of most other liberal arts colleges? A couple friends of mine did Wharton undergrad but didn't really have to deal with this issue too much. I would really go over the requirements carefully. I think the hallmark of US programs is that they don't ask you to specialize, very much unlike UK programs, which gives you a lot more freedom to tackel your interest in IR.

Also, it seems like your main concern, as Hughski remarks, is job prospects after graduation. I work in IR, and believe me, Masters, internships, or no, it's a difficult market, at least in DC. You'll be getting out in a minimum of three years, so the economy could change drastically, but just keep in mind that 1. IR jobs don't pay that well, 2. IR jobs don't necessarily require a Master's, and 3. This probably shouldn't be a significant criteria in deciding what school to go to. I agree with Hughski: go with what you think would be more fun. You sound like you really don't want to be at Stern studying business, but the scholarship is attractive, as well as the fact that Stern is well regarded. So, go over the requirements with a fine-toothed comb. Are the course requirements flexible enough that you can adjust things to how you like it? If not, why don't you go to LSE to pursue something you apparently really love? Just know that, at least in this economy, you might be putting yourself at some disadvantage if you decide to return to the US. But, that all depends on what you do with your time in school, and it's by no means insurmountable. It could very well be a solid springboard instead.

Reply 68

thebrittzditz

Thnanks everyone this has been unbelievably helpful!!!

I think Chengora culminatively put together the ideas that have been thrown around on this thread and gave me the final push towards LSE. I simply cannot see myself a) staying in NY, and b) studying business for 4 years while forgoing the chance to live in my favorite city for three years, study what I really love, and save a year of undergraduate education. It sucks that the job market isn't great for IR right now, and that there are no scholarships for me at LSE, but I can't let those two factors push me towards something I'm not gonna enjoy. And worst comes to worst I can always try for a master's in business or something if I need to switch out of the IR career track.

Thanks again to everyone!!!!

Brittany

LSE vs NYU Stern

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