Exeter vs. Aston vs. Southampton vs. Sheffield

For a postgrad in business/finance/economics, which of these is the best in terms of employability?

I guess i'll have to visit soon in case i get offers from all, although aston at least from the aesthetic point of view is not that pretty.

Exter looks beautiful sheffield ok southampton too, but judging from pics ona computer screen is not that reliable.

Reply 1

evilcitizen

In terms of employability it's hard to say. They're all about equal except for Aston and maybe Southampton, those two might be a little lower.

In terms of overall school reputation I would personally say:
1. Sheffield
2. Exeter/Southampton
3. Aston

But other people might say they're all the same except for Aston, which is only supposed to be good in business.

What kind of job are you looking to do after? That would help alot to know in making an opinion.

Reply 2

aureliotiziano

I want to get into trading or investment management specifically. Also considering Reading for the ISMA programme.

Reply 3

evilcitizen

Hmm, well for trading I've heard Reading ISMA is good, very practical courses.

In terms of investment management, if you're wanting to work for a big commercial or investment bank, the top investment managers mostly recruit at the top schools (Bristol, Imperial, LSE, etc) however they always take some people from Sheffield and Exeter, and maybe Southampton.

Aston is still seen as being kind of vocationally-oriented, doesn't get the same respect at the big firms. It's a fine school, but investment management is very competitive, EVERYONE i meet in my masters program thinks they're going to be an investment manager, and 99% will have to do something else.

Better to go with the other three for their reptutation, although Southampton is debatable and even Exeter is basically living off its old reputation and the alumni network to attract recruiters. Sheffield and Exeter probably safest overall, Aston probably no.

Reply 4

aureliotiziano

Thankyou for the info. I also had an offer from Birmingham and Southampton, but I reckon Soton is oriented on other subjects. Bham however is high on the rankings, do you know if its reputable among employers? BTw, what masters do you attend

Reply 5

evilcitizen

Well, Birmingham probably has an edge, usually recruited more than Southampton in the financial industry.

I'm doing taught Masters in Finance, concentrating on corporate finance and real estate finance and investment classes.

Reply 6

aureliotiziano

So in the end:

Exeter/Reading ISMA
Sheffield
Birmingham
Southampton
Aston

as financial employability ranking goes? what uni are you attending

Reply 7

evilcitizen

To be fair, I think I would say:

Sheffield, Birmingham, Exeter, Reading ISMA
Southampton
Aston

The reason I would put those first four on the same level is that they are each targetted by SOME top firms, not none of them of them are recruited by MOST top firms. So it's difficult to separate them fairly.

I'm at University of New South Wales. I turned down Imperial, Warwick and LSE to come here and regret it! UNSW has the best reputation in the asia-pacific for finance so that's the main reason I came here. I thought I was going to work in sydney or hong kong after I graduated, but it turns out I don't like Australia and the hong kong job market has really dropped, everyone is moving to shanghai for the kind of work I want to do.

Reply 8

aureliotiziano

thanks for the info. I actually thought Aston was pretty high up!
I'm betting on either Reading or Exeter, i will go visit soon and check them, althouhg Exeter looks aesthetically very good.

BTW, turning down Warwick and LSE? :eek: