Imperial College London vs Bocconi (MSc International Management)
Hi guys!
I'm wondering which programme would be a better choice - MSc International Management at Imperial College London (already have a preliminary offer) or International Management at Bocconi?
About me: I already have bachelor and master degrees in economics-related subjects from the leading university in my home country - Ukraine (although not known outside it) + 1 year of professional experience in Big-4 (audit, fin. advisory)
Goal: management consulting (MBB, boutique firms) role in UK / Western Europe; plan B - other strategic/financial/investment banking/other high profile and well-paid job in the same geographic region
The key concern for me is the fee, which is significantly higher in London and, of course, career opportunities after Imperial College London. In terms of MIM rankings, those two programmes (at Imperial and Bocconi) are very close to each other. But by searching info on forums and blogs, I get a feeling that employers in London tend to give preference to candidates from LBS, LSE (I got rejected there) and Cambridge. So, it seems to me that the relation between price and opportunity may be better for Bocconi.
Here are my thoughts regarding Imperial and Bocconi:
Imperial
- higher price (need to take a loan for the amount of tuition fees) + living expenses
- 1 year (another key differentiator for me, since I hope my education to be more like an instrument to find a dream job outside my country + I already studied a lot of economic subjects)
- more consulting (and non-consulting) job opportunities
- no language barrier
- great course reputation and a lot of practical tasks, consulting project abroad
Bocconi
- significantly lower prices and fees
- potential for a partial/full scholarship
- 2 years
- career opportunities after Bocconi are much worse (as I understand management and other careers in Milan are quite limited + not sure in which other countries I will be able to work after graduation)
- double-degree opportunities
- Italian language around (I already have A2-B1 level; this point is both positive and negative - I may experience some difficulties first, but it is also a chance to learn one more language for my career)
I would be extremely grateful for any kind of advice and/or corrections to my understanding of the situation.
Thanks in advance,
Vlad.
Bump
I wish I could be of more help for you man. It seems like you’re trying to do all the right things. One point I would make is that Bocconi is represented very well in London in the finance scene at least. And so I would ask people with more continental European exposure (Italians preferably) to chime in on this. Because 8/10 of you Italian guys went to Bocconi I know for a fact lol.
If it is true that the MiM can provide you this sort of placement on par with the undergrad program, then I think that may be the best move for you. Set your sights on London and have that in mind when you go. I don’t think you’ll get stuck in Milan.
Now please someone who is named Gianluca or Luigi or Alessandro please confirm or refute.
Hey, if you want to end in London makes sense to study in London. I mean try LBS MiM, Oxford or to a certain extent HEC.
Going to Bocconi will clearly reduce your chances compared to ones I mentioned. It is a decent option but several levels below the ones I mentioned. Also, 9 or even 9.5 out of 10 alumni of Bocconi in London are Italian and since few Italians speak English (you can already give up finding a job in Milan).
Good luck!
Would go Imperial for sure in this case. The business school isn’t as strong as the College, and Bocconi is a better business school IMO for finance, but Imperial crushes MBB/T2 consulting recruiting even from the Business School (better than LSE, fwiw). This is a no brainer given your goals.
Did a master's at Imperial (ICBS), so bear that in mind. I would say go to Imperial.
You want to work in London and in consulting, so go to school in London and go to a school with strong consulting placement. I agree Bocconi is likely better for finance, but if you want MBB, I would do Imperial every time. Additionally, the fees/costs are going to be much closer with the added opportunity cost of completing a 2-year degree vs a 1-year at Imperial.
Well, just to be clear if you pick Imperial (which is a new business school compared to the others) you will be behind LBS, LSE, Oxbridge in all positions you will apply to... I would go to Bocconi if I had to choose just to avoid being in 6/7th position compared to other London schools.
For finance, yes, but this simply isn’t true for MBB. Imperial has better MBB placement than LSE, although Oxbridge still does confer an advantage.
And consulting rarely recruits from continental European schools at the graduate level, unlike finance. This is a no brainer to me.
Is Saïd actually that good tho? Undergrad aside obviously I think the business school is pretty mediocre no?
Oxford MSc in Financial Economics is even better than LSE I would say. My top pick is LBS MiM, lower workload, top career service team and great location in London.
Maybe Imperial has better placement but it certainly would not come from the business school but from STEM candidates.
I think people are selling Imperial short. The straight masters in finance certainly aren't as strong as Oxbridge or LSE's equivalent programs, but OP wants to do consulting. Speaking from experience at ICBS in a masters other than Finance, there are a lot of good opportunities. Most people had jobs by the end of the first term across the different MSc programs from my anecdotal time there.
Additionally, I would add that there are a lot of Italians at Imperial, which I found interesting. For them, they felt Bocconi was fairly useless outside of Italy/overrated, and they valued top UK unis significantly higher than Bocconi. I think it makes sense, there aren't many IB or MBB jobs in Milan relative to London, and despite Bocconi having better prestige, the visa + ease of applying when attending Imperial (or another UK Uni) makes up for it.
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