Bocconi or Rotterdam School of Management?

How do they compare?

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Both are excellent schools with good career prospects. The reason u probably see fewer RSM grads in "good positions" is because they tend to stay and work in Holland (I'm Dutch n know plenty of people at Erasmus Uni). Having said that, all the major banks from the City recruit from RSM.

I kno this will sound cliche: but try to find the subtle differences in the programs, i.e. in terms of courses offered, teaching. And most important: just try to imagine where u see urself studying n where u wuld be most happy

Reply 2

Aistian

I would choose RSM because its cheaper, one year long and is higher in FT business school rank. But both schools are very good :smile:

just make sure Bocconi is worth the money and additional year

Reply 3

sercanni

As I know the MSc in Finance at Bocconi (taught in english) is probably their best course, the program is very competitive and very well respected amongst top investment banks and finance-related firms.

Reply 4

Nick0

I am trying to decide between these 2 plus ESADE, Tilburg and St.Gallen.

In terms of value, I believe RSM is the way to go. And I will probably drop Tilburg, as I don't think it's very well known. :woo:

Reply 5

sercanni

Hey Nick, I'll be in ESADE next year, let me know if you decide to go there.

Reply 6

sadwing

Nothing to see here... ranking? what ranking?

Reply 7

Nick0

Sercanni, are you going to ESADE for sure?
After talking to a friend from Barcelona, I'm a bit concerned with the whole Catalan issue. Seems that the regional government has been trying to give Catalan more relevance, and it is now very widely used. I would much rather be on on just Spanish environment.

I have also some concerns regarding the Spanish labour market. All these unis (Bocconi, Rotterdam, ESADE, St. Gallen...) have to rely more on the local job market than UK or US schools.

By the way, here is a good table with information on all European Masters in Finace. I found it useful.
ttp://media.ft.com/cms/7c5f60de-3b89-11dd-9cb2-0000779fd2ac.pdf

Reply 8

Aemilius

If its finance and IB you're interested in then Bocconi all the way. its very respected in the city and will give you the same opportunities as a degree from LSE.

Reply 9

sercanni

Yes, I'm going there for sure. I'm still waiting for results from Bocconi and EDHEC but I already made up my mind since I wanna do management I prefer going to BCN that seems to be more respected in this fields.

Regarding CATALà, i don't think this will ever be a problem, since Barcelona is a very cosmopolitan city, I think you'll be just fine with English alone, and with the basic spanish/català you will learn if you decide to go at ESADE.

However as Aemilius said if you aim to get jobs in the finance sector i would reccomend bocconi, not only for its reputation in the field (by the way that ranking refer to SDA Bocconi which is the Executive Business school of the university, the MSc is offered by the Graduate Business School which has different learning methods and faculty as far as i know, but it's still very respected, probably in the top 5 finance postgrad programs in europe) and because ESADE's course in finance is brand news since this year's will be the first edition of the master.

So as I said if you like finance you should go to Bocconi if you manage to get an offer, as far as i know the competition is very hard, but at least the have a large intake since they offer 2 classes per year in the MSc Finance taught in english.

If you have any more doubt about ESADE or anything just ask, i'll be very glad to help.

Reply 10

sercanni

still waiting for their decision on the grant. crossing fingers :smile:

Reply 11

rsingh

Guys, let me just make a point regarding the rankings mentioned here. RSM doesnt appear on it (at least not for as far as i could see) because they dont offer a msc finance! What they offer you is msc business admin, with many tracks available one of which is finance. As such, their program wouldnt be considered for the rankings mentioned here.

A second point, if the ranking here is for a large part based on academic papers published (as the vast majority of rankings are) then it should be quite irrelevant for taught masters students. After all, you wont notice much from their research unless you do a phd or actually work there urself. I kno plenty of examples of professors who r so called "brilliant in their field" yet who are absolutely crap at teaching. Econ and fin research at Erasmus Uni (mother uni of RSM) is not conducted at the uni itself but at the affiliated Tinbergen Institute (where all the mphil and phd students go), which is very often not considered in rankings! (TI itself says that if included in an econ ranking it would rank 2nd in europe after lse).

Note i am not saying rsm or bocconi is better, just DO NOT trust rankings!

Reply 12

sadwing

You are right rsingh, rankings are the lazy solution to not doing the proper research. That's why they are so attractive! :wink:

Reply 13

Swe

Hi, I'm considering applying to RSM MScBA Finance & Inv. for the 2010 intake.. could you tell me a bit more about what your classmates thought of it? Would be very helpful. Thanks

ReverseConvertible

I have some classmates who have done the MScBA Finance & Investments at Rotterdam and others who went to Bocconi for the MSc Finance.

From their experience, if you are prepared to challenge yourself go to Bocconi... hard stuff. If you are more of a relaxed/enjoy life type, go to RSM.

I also know people who have gone to ESADE, and their master would be somewhere in the middle in terms of difficulty.

In terms of getting a job, ESADE's careers service is the best to land in a good job. Bocconi's is also quite good, particularly for internships, and RSM is pretty average (at the level of Cass, for example). Of course, any of these unis will allow you to get a good job without much help of the careers service if you know your way around applications/interviews.

Good luck!

Reply 14

Musicolo

Definitely RSM. Bocconi is good but Italian's general attitude to work and study can be quite frustrating. RSM is also much highly ranked then Bocconi. The only thing going for Bocconi is its location.

Reply 15

aggelos22

Hi guys. I am going to RSM on September for the msc Finance & investments.
What I do not know however is how is RSM regarded in the city's investments banks and finance related enterprises.

Reply 16

tentop6521

I've got an RSM offer and Bocconi. Am leaning towards Bocconi, but not exactly sure though. Why u going to Rsm??

Reply 17

aggelos22

I am holder of RSM and Cass offers and decided RSM. RSM has an international reputation in contrast to Cass. It is by far better business school.
It has a great name in the market internationally.
What I am not sure about is what kind of name has in the BRITISH market specifically.
How is RSM regarded in the city's investments banks I do not know and we have to find out dude.

Reply 18

tentop6521

I've been able to get in touch with current and former students of that program, and they've assured me that people have a decent opportunity at IB through that program. Obviously, if you speak dutch then your opportunities go from decent to good. Also lot of big name consulting firms (i.e. mckinsey, bcg) also come there, so that might be something you want to think about as well. I definitely agree with you on the Cass vs. RSM comparison. So, if you have a good profile I think you'll have a good shot at IB after RSM. The reason I am leaning more towards Bocconi (could still very well choose RSM) is because I could probably use that extra year given I don't have an IB related internship exp. Anyways, I hope this helps a little.

Reply 19

tentop6521

Also check out their carer service website, the link for which you can find one the program page. You can access posted job openings and internships and should give you some idea about prospects.