<p>I'm interested in working in investment banking in America in the future. At the moment, I have an offer from London School of Economics for BSc Management Sciences. I was just wondering how LSE is viewed by the investment banking community in America and generally as well (compared to the likes of Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, etc).</p>
<p>Also, which would be more suitable for banking in America:</p>
<p>an undergrad from Brown/Cornell/Georgetown (in relevant field)
or BSc Management Sciences at LSE?</p>
<p>As said above, if you wish to work in the US, go to a US school. If you want to work in London however, either a US or UK school (being that its top ranked) shall do - i.e. going to a US school has a much greater advantage. </p>
<p>In terms of the reputation of the UK schools in the US, whilst Oxbridge is very well regarded in the UK, in the US they are not really seen as par with the top Ivy’s (they are just under them) - particularly for banking. LSE is thus likewise - although it would help if you were doing there more rigorous/tough course such as economics and/or mathematics and economics et al. </p>
<p>I think people from the UK (having personal experience on this myself), think that Oxbridge has a steller reputation all across the world (by steller I mean better than all other schools, or near the top) - whilst it may be the pinnacle in UK education, it most certainly doesn’t compare with the top US school’s in my opinion with regards to prestige.</p>
<p>The main problem with going to US school is the cost. It’s much cheaper for me to go to LSE, especially if US schools do not give me enough financial aid. </p>
<p>I agree that Harvard, Yale and Princeton are better than Oxford and Cambridge in terms of overall reputation. But from what I’ve heard, Oxbridge’s undergraduate teaching quality is slightly better because they focus on that a lot whereas the top Ivies usually focus research.</p>
<p>What about a transfer from an UK investment bank branch to an US branch?</p>
<p>Also, why is LSE not a target uni for banking in US? Are Oxford and Cambridge target unis for banking in US?</p>
<p>I want to emphasize that with regards to banking on Wall Street, which heavily depends on alumni relations, Harvard, Wharton, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, Stanford, MIT, Columbia, and quite a few others are seen as being much more prestigious than Oxford, Cambridge, and LSE. Overall across all academic disciplines, I would say Oxbridge is on par with the Ivies (all of them + Stanford, MIT, Duke, etc), not worse, though Oxbridge is graduate a lot of students each year compared to the Ivies (due the size of their undergrad populations and the fact that undergrads graduate in 3 years instead of 4).</p>
<p>Although Brown and Cornell are not as good for investment banking as Harvard, Wharton, Princeton, Dartmouth, etc., Brown and Cornell would still be a better choice than Oxbridge & LSE if you want to do investment banking on Wall Street.</p>
<p>Would a LSE degree provide a good background for postgraduate study at prestigious US unis like Ivies, Stanford, MIT? Also how is postgraduate study viewed by US banks?</p>
<p>You have to realize that there may be 1000X more applicants for IB jobs than open positions. Banks don’t have to go very far to recruit talent. However, IB banks in London may recruit at LSE, I don’t know. Why are you so insistent on US jobs? Job postings in London show that IB salaries in London may be higher.</p>
<p>@cbreeze: Yeah banks in London recruit a lot from LSE - it’s known as the breeding ground for bankers. I want to live in America in the future so I’m trying to find out as much information as I can.</p>
<p>Why not go to undergrad at LSE and work as an analyst in London for a couple of years. Then get a MBA from an Ivy, Stanford, MIT, NYU, etc. and then work in New York? MBA would help you get into a good position for investment banking. MBA, MD, and JD would get you a shot at management consulting. PhD, MA, or MS wouldn’t do you much good in banking or consulting.</p>
<p>London IB’s recruit very heavily from LSE - it is the most-recruited university in the UK, far outweighing that of Oxford and Cambridge recruitment. </p>
<p>Also, regarding undergrad teaching - yes Oxbridge may have a better intensive undergrad teachings, but that’s only great if you wish to go into graduate education etc. IB’s don’t care about this factor at all, and prefer the more liberal undergrad teaching of the US (as oppose to subject specific in the UK), as it makes for an all well-rounded professional. Even if one does a economcis major in the UK, 99.9% of it is not relevant to a job in IB, likewise in the US - you are taught everything about IB in training at the IB. </p>
<p>But b/c banks prefer the liberal arts style of education b/c of its advantages over the subject specific approach in the UK, and b/c the top Ivy’s have a FAR better reputation than that of Oxbridge, you can get a job in any location with a degree from an Ivy, where as from Oxbridge its only really London (or other European and perhaps some Asian offices) - even then the Ivy’s are still looked upon MUCH more favorably.</p>
<p>Oxbridge is comparable to the Ivy League as a whole. While Harvard, Yale, and Princeton is generally superior Oxbridge (HYP = best colleges at Oxbridge such as Trinity, etc.), Brown, Dartmouth, and Columbia, and perhaps Penn, is equal to Oxbridge in general (Brown, Dartmouth, Columbia, and Penn = typical colleges at Oxbridge); Oxbridge is better than Cornell overall (Cornell = below average colleges at Oxbridge).</p>
<p>I’d strongly consider the London Sch of Econ. If not for undergrad, then for a grad program. Their admit rate is only 2% and I believe they have graduated approx 26 leaders of foreign countries. The program is shorter than 4 years, but extends well into the summer and you would not get the benefits of many liberal ed classes. My 16 year old son has read every book by the founder and listened to every audio cast from LSE.</p>
<p>IvypBear - your comparison with regards to colleges in nonsense!</p>
<p>The college has no bearing on teaching WHAT SO EVER, nor its quality. Your tutorials in the first year are conducted by first-year professors at your college, which perhaps may lead to a difference in quality, but all in all, the professorship quality is maintained on an equal basis throughout the university during your first year (i.e. each first year professor is given a quality check etc).</p>
<p>During your second and third years, most of your tutorials aren’t even in your college, as often the professors covering the topic you are studying are in different colleges. Moreover, teaching (i.e. lectures etc) are done on university-wide basis. </p>
<p>Say HYP is equivalent to certain colleges at Oxbridge is nonsense; colleges like Trinity at Cambridge (and to be honest, only this college from the whole of Oxbridge) have perceived a reputation b/c they have the largest endowment (i.e. are rich) - but even this is dwarfed considering the endowments of top Ivy’s - which are at least 10x richer. </p>
<p>People think (particularly from the US) that the whole tutorial system at Oxbridge is so wonderful b/c you have an opportunity to have one-on-one sessions with world leading professors - THERE NOT. First, the tutors you are stuck with are not world leading professors, but they have to take part in tutorials to cover there stipends (i.e. expenses to live and work in a certain college). They don’t engage in turly astonishing intellectual debate - none more so than at HYP at least. Given the substantial underfunding problems at Oxbridge also, the tutorial quality is set to get even worse (from an already quite poor standing). This is coming from someone who has had experience of this first-hand before you ask.</p>
<p>SHawking - thanks for correcting me. I wrote that outrageous post hoping that someone would correct me with real facts. Although I noticed this trend at UWC, I guess the Ivy League (all of the eight schools) is really becoming the top destination of the world’s best students, especially those aspiring to go into the professional world.</p>
<p>IvyPBear: you should realise that on other threads SHawking has described himself as a UK high school student who is asking for details about SAT tests, so you should view his comments on Oxbridge, let alone his claims to first-hand knowledge of the teaching, with extreme scepticism.</p>
<p>everything I’ve said (from the extreme governmental budget cuts, to the universities endowment being in huge losses, to the potential impact this will have on the quality of teaching) is also articulated in various news articles. </p>
<p>And regarding personal experience, having spent 3 months over the summer (as part of summer school) and having an older sister who goes to ChCh and reads PPE, I think I am more adversed than you to do discuss these matters with experience :rolleyes:</p>
<p>On 25 February you said you were a UK high school student in your penultimate year, i.e. you are a lower sixth former.</p>
<p>On 16 March you claimed that you do maths at Trinity College, Cambridge. Note present tense so either that claim or your current claim that you were on a summer course is a fiction.</p>
<p>On 18 March, in your original response to my post above, you claimed: “I am not a UK high school student you moron, but someone who is hoping to do his second undergraduate degree in the US (and hence my enquiries about the SAT’s). I am currently studying PPE at Christ Church College, Oxford.” (I know that because College Discussion sends an e-mail alert about following posts.) Then in attempt to remove the evidence of those blatant inconsistencies you rewrite your post to say it was an older sister after all and imply that you are back in school again.</p>
<p>I also note that you, claiming to be at most a seventeen year old, posted your response at 4.45 a.m. UK time. In fact a number of your posts have been at that sort of time which makes me doubt that you are in the UK at all.</p>
<p>As to your claim to be more “adversed” (interesting non-existent verb) to discuss these matters with experience, I am an Oxford graduate; you on the other hand, by your most plausible story, went on a summer school in Cambridge when you were sixteen. So should we put any weight at all on what you say about teaching at Oxbridge, the relative merits of UK and US universities, or the recruitment practices of investment banks? Obviously not.</p>