Booth Or INSEAD For A Career In Finance? : MBA Archive

PlastMan

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Re: Booth Or INSEAD For A Career In Finance? [#permalink]

12 Mar 2015, 02:37

BrainFog wrote:

WakeUpCallPal wrote:

I have not read the whole post (too long) but here are my c2

Booth = serious, finance, 2yr program thus more appropriate for career switchers.

INSEAD = party, consulting, 1yr program thus you have to hit the ground running (less appropriate for career switchers).

Posted from my mobile device

Thanks for your reply buddy. I read some of your responses in other threads and I'm glad you replied. But do you think age can play a role in post-MBA career opporunities knowing that I'll be in my early 30s at matriculation next year? In addition, I'm an international student so I will need a work permit. BTW I love finance, even the topic areas which can be hard I'm able to put in extra effort compared to other fields and I also have a CFA Level 2.

Age tends to be a proxy for how likely you are to have children, thus less inclined to do demanding jobs (long hours + travelling/flying). 30 would be slightly above average but still doable (provided you don’t have kids).
In terms of post-MBA I would remain flexible in terms of locations (that work permit might not come through).
CFA signals a good commitment to finance, though its usefulness applies for the most part, IMO, to equity research and portfolio management. Having said this I would urge you to have conversations (if you haven’t already) with people already working in the industry (IB, AM, etc.) you’d like to go to. How’s an average day, what’s the culture, etc. Alternatively you can get a good idea by reading posts in the internet.

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Re: Booth Or INSEAD For A Career In Finance? [#permalink]

12 Mar 2015, 09:25

Thanks Wakeup. I don't have kids and I'm not married either. So long hours travelling/flying doesn't seem to be a concern right now. I understand your point of being flexible in terms of location but location post-MBA is an important consideration. I would like to work in either the U.S. or Europe post MBA. I can get in the investment industry of UAE with my current profile. I have a good network there but I were to return to the Middle East or South Asia post MBA I might as well not invest that much on MBA. This is making the decision harder.

I have started talking to INSEAD and Columbia graduate I will contact others too and try to gather as much information as I can.

Thanks again, really appreciate your input.

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Re: Booth Or INSEAD For A Career In Finance? [#permalink]

17 Mar 2015, 18:43

I think it comes down to location, and obviously the difference in time and financial commitment between the 10.5-month Insead MBA and the 21-month Booth MBA.

IMO, Booth beats the European schools hands down across the globe outside of Europe, possibly except for Insead in SE Asia (but you know this aspect better than me). I'm talking about recognition of the Booth/Chicago GSB brand. Within Europe, particularly the City of London, I think Booth is competitive with the European schools. However, the European schools are hardly known at all in the states. US News, the most important ranking, doesn't even include non-US schools.

One final point that I don't hear a lot of people making: compare the endowments. Booth's is over $1B, Insead's is in the EUR 200M range, and LBS is around GBP 150M. Obviously, money is by no means everything, but you have to see that Booth can afford more of the best faculty, students, and facilities. Even though the sizes of the schools are different, and Booth is the largest, Booth has a lot more money per student.

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Re: Booth Or INSEAD For A Career In Finance? [#permalink]

17 Mar 2015, 22:33

One word for career in finance:

Wharton

n03

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Re: Booth Or INSEAD For A Career In Finance? [#permalink]

09 May 2015, 21:46

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BrainFog wrote:

Hello all,

Lets for the purpose of discussion assume I get into both these schools.

I'm a non-EU (South Asian) student
WE: 6+ years (including 1 years with a Fortune 500 Financial Firm)
GMAT: 700 (though it can be improved as I have a relatively low score in Quants, but I'm not Indian so that 730 average profile doesn't apply)
CFA Level 2 Pass (If I start my MBA in Sep 2016, I plan to sit in Level 3 exam in June next year and I'm really hopeful I'll pass it)
Undergraduate from a top 10 British Uni

For the past five years I have been involved in family business at important managerial positions but now I want to switch to a career in Finance & Investments, in particular fund management. Even if I do not go into fund management straight after MBA, I'm open to taking a long route but investment management is what I see myself doing in the long-run. In addition to my regular work life I have been doing some freelance equity research for over 2 years now. I'm good in financial modeling. So I would like to think that I have acquired at least minimum skills required for a career in finance. I believe MBA can help me with this transition and I would like to work in Europe or the U.S. post MBA at least for a few years. At the moment I'm considering INSEAD (Jan 2016 intake) and Booth, Wharton, Stern, Columbia, Kellogg and LBS (for Sep 2016 intake).

I really like INSEAD's program and its diversity. I highly value INSEAD's experience and I think its the most international MBA program. But I have strong reservations about its placement in finance especially for career switchers and Non-EU students who require work authorization. This factor is very important for me. INSEAD has its advantages too, especially its one year format as age is a factor for me. If I start MBA in 2016 at Booth or at any other top Finance school I'll be in my early 30s at matriculation, so I don't know how adversely it can affect my chances of landing a job in the U.S. post-MBA. On the other hand I can start INSEAD in January 2016 and finish in December 2016. About LBS, I have a feeling that age might not be that big a factor.

I'm sort of in a research/confusion phase, so I'm looking for some valuable inputs. I would really appreciate expert opinions, especially those who have been in my shoes. Even if you're not I would really like to read your opinion. Any finance industry placement statistics for international students who require work authorization would be great.

Thanks!

Hey,

I was in a similar position last year. I got into both, Booth and INSEAD, and had a hard time deciding between the two (you can search for my old posts). I thought i might want to try a career in finance, but I wasn't completely committed to it. I also really wanted to work in Europe post-MBA, but I had the same concerns as you - that INSEAD is questionable at placing students that require work authorization. I think what speaks to the power of Booth is that I've never seen a financial statement before coming here, and I successfully secured a summer internship in investment banking, and on top of that it's going to be in London! As of right now I'm hitting all the points I was hoping to hit coming in. Booth is very serious academically, more so than I was expecting, and you can find very advanced finance courses here. If MBA-level courses are not enough for you, you can always take a PhD-level course too.

You should be aware, though, that recruiting for investment management is incredibly competitive even at a place like Booth, and a summer internship does not always translate to full time offers (I actually heard the conversion rate is something like 30%). There were definitely people with suitable backgrounds that couldn't get an internship in IM this year. I think it may also be a bit harder for international students to get an internship in the US too due to the intangible cultural differences...

Also, if you want to expedite your studies there's a possibility to graduate Booth in 18 months if you take 4 classes each quarter, and if you don't want to do an internship and keep studying through the summer I suppose you can even finish in 15 months. Still not quite the 10-12 months of INSEAD, but Booth is a higher quality experience, I think.

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Re: Booth Or INSEAD For A Career In Finance? [#permalink]

10 May 2015, 23:18

n03 wrote:

BrainFog wrote:

Hello all,

Lets for the purpose of discussion assume I get into both these schools.

I'm a non-EU (South Asian) student
WE: 6+ years (including 1 years with a Fortune 500 Financial Firm)
GMAT: 700 (though it can be improved as I have a relatively low score in Quants, but I'm not Indian so that 730 average profile doesn't apply)
CFA Level 2 Pass (If I start my MBA in Sep 2016, I plan to sit in Level 3 exam in June next year and I'm really hopeful I'll pass it)
Undergraduate from a top 10 British Uni

For the past five years I have been involved in family business at important managerial positions but now I want to switch to a career in Finance & Investments, in particular fund management. Even if I do not go into fund management straight after MBA, I'm open to taking a long route but investment management is what I see myself doing in the long-run. In addition to my regular work life I have been doing some freelance equity research for over 2 years now. I'm good in financial modeling. So I would like to think that I have acquired at least minimum skills required for a career in finance. I believe MBA can help me with this transition and I would like to work in Europe or the U.S. post MBA at least for a few years. At the moment I'm considering INSEAD (Jan 2016 intake) and Booth, Wharton, Stern, Columbia, Kellogg and LBS (for Sep 2016 intake).

I really like INSEAD's program and its diversity. I highly value INSEAD's experience and I think its the most international MBA program. But I have strong reservations about its placement in finance especially for career switchers and Non-EU students who require work authorization. This factor is very important for me. INSEAD has its advantages too, especially its one year format as age is a factor for me. If I start MBA in 2016 at Booth or at any other top Finance school I'll be in my early 30s at matriculation, so I don't know how adversely it can affect my chances of landing a job in the U.S. post-MBA. On the other hand I can start INSEAD in January 2016 and finish in December 2016. About LBS, I have a feeling that age might not be that big a factor.

I'm sort of in a research/confusion phase, so I'm looking for some valuable inputs. I would really appreciate expert opinions, especially those who have been in my shoes. Even if you're not I would really like to read your opinion. Any finance industry placement statistics for international students who require work authorization would be great.

Thanks!

Hey,

I was in a similar position last year. I got into both, Booth and INSEAD, and had a hard time deciding between the two (you can search for my old posts). I thought i might want to try a career in finance, but I wasn't completely committed to it. I also really wanted to work in Europe post-MBA, but I had the same concerns as you - that INSEAD is questionable at placing students that require work authorization. I think what speaks to the power of Booth is that I've never seen a financial statement before coming here, and I successfully secured a summer internship in investment banking, and on top of that it's going to be in London! As of right now I'm hitting all the points I was hoping to hit coming in. Booth is very serious academically, more so than I was expecting, and you can find very advanced finance courses here. If MBA-level courses are not enough for you, you can always take a PhD-level course too.

You should be aware, though, that recruiting for investment management is incredibly competitive even at a place like Booth, and a summer internship does not always translate to full time offers (I actually heard the conversion rate is something like 30%). There were definitely people with suitable backgrounds that couldn't get an internship in IM this year. I think it may also be a bit harder for international students to get an internship in the US too due to the intangible cultural differences...

Also, if you want to expedite your studies there's a possibility to graduate Booth in 18 months if you take 4 classes each quarter, and if you don't want to do an internship and keep studying through the summer I suppose you can even finish in 15 months. Still not quite the 10-12 months of INSEAD, but Booth is a higher quality experience, I think.

Thanks a lot your reply n03. It was very helpful. In fact I read a few of your old posts and they helped further. I think I can take a lot of positives out of your story. I have sent you a PM.

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Re: Booth Or INSEAD For A Career In Finance? [#permalink]

24 Mar 2016, 04:15

BrainFog wrote:

n03 wrote:

BrainFog wrote:

Hello all,

Lets for the purpose of discussion assume I get into both these schools.

I'm a non-EU (South Asian) student
WE: 6+ years (including 1 years with a Fortune 500 Financial Firm)
GMAT: 700 (though it can be improved as I have a relatively low score in Quants, but I'm not Indian so that 730 average profile doesn't apply)
CFA Level 2 Pass (If I start my MBA in Sep 2016, I plan to sit in Level 3 exam in June next year and I'm really hopeful I'll pass it)
Undergraduate from a top 10 British Uni

For the past five years I have been involved in family business at important managerial positions but now I want to switch to a career in Finance & Investments, in particular fund management. Even if I do not go into fund management straight after MBA, I'm open to taking a long route but investment management is what I see myself doing in the long-run. In addition to my regular work life I have been doing some freelance equity research for over 2 years now. I'm good in financial modeling. So I would like to think that I have acquired at least minimum skills required for a career in finance. I believe MBA can help me with this transition and I would like to work in Europe or the U.S. post MBA at least for a few years. At the moment I'm considering INSEAD (Jan 2016 intake) and Booth, Wharton, Stern, Columbia, Kellogg and LBS (for Sep 2016 intake).

I really like INSEAD's program and its diversity. I highly value INSEAD's experience and I think its the most international MBA program. But I have strong reservations about its placement in finance especially for career switchers and Non-EU students who require work authorization. This factor is very important for me. INSEAD has its advantages too, especially its one year format as age is a factor for me. If I start MBA in 2016 at Booth or at any other top Finance school I'll be in my early 30s at matriculation, so I don't know how adversely it can affect my chances of landing a job in the U.S. post-MBA. On the other hand I can start INSEAD in January 2016 and finish in December 2016. About LBS, I have a feeling that age might not be that big a factor.

I'm sort of in a research/confusion phase, so I'm looking for some valuable inputs. I would really appreciate expert opinions, especially those who have been in my shoes. Even if you're not I would really like to read your opinion. Any finance industry placement statistics for international students who require work authorization would be great.

Thanks!

Hey,

I was in a similar position last year. I got into both, Booth and INSEAD, and had a hard time deciding between the two (you can search for my old posts). I thought i might want to try a career in finance, but I wasn't completely committed to it. I also really wanted to work in Europe post-MBA, but I had the same concerns as you - that INSEAD is questionable at placing students that require work authorization. I think what speaks to the power of Booth is that I've never seen a financial statement before coming here, and I successfully secured a summer internship in investment banking, and on top of that it's going to be in London! As of right now I'm hitting all the points I was hoping to hit coming in. Booth is very serious academically, more so than I was expecting, and you can find very advanced finance courses here. If MBA-level courses are not enough for you, you can always take a PhD-level course too.

You should be aware, though, that recruiting for investment management is incredibly competitive even at a place like Booth, and a summer internship does not always translate to full time offers (I actually heard the conversion rate is something like 30%). There were definitely people with suitable backgrounds that couldn't get an internship in IM this year. I think it may also be a bit harder for international students to get an internship in the US too due to the intangible cultural differences...

Also, if you want to expedite your studies there's a possibility to graduate Booth in 18 months if you take 4 classes each quarter, and if you don't want to do an internship and keep studying through the summer I suppose you can even finish in 15 months. Still not quite the 10-12 months of INSEAD, but Booth is a higher quality experience, I think.

Thanks a lot your reply n03. It was very helpful. In fact I read a few of your old posts and they helped further. I think I can take a lot of positives out of your story. I have sent you a PM.

I agree with what n03 wrote there. Booth has very good reputation in finance surpassed by only Wharton maybe. INSEAD, on the other, is more known as a school for management consultants.
I have two friends studying at Booth and both said almost everyone going for investment banking found a job. Investment Management is more tricky, but breaking into investment management is tricky to break into from any other school as well, including HWS. Especially, if you do not have strong prior experience. Overall, it would seem to me, Booth is a better place to go for finance.

Disclaimer: i am admitted to Booth.

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Re: Booth Or INSEAD For A Career In Finance? [#permalink]

19 Dec 2017, 04:08

i think career in finance is good idea. this sector has shown good growth in past few years and there are many consultacy firm in london who help you in this.