Hi Bsd. Well I hope to join you in London in 2009, altough as we all know its a far cry from wishing to actually getting admitted.
I am putting together my app for R1. I must say, having visited the school a couple of times, it has really become my top choice.

Come-on London bound folk, register your interest here!

-buff

tuetonic - I haven't seen the campus at all. I don't think that the visit would influence the admit decision. In fact LBS pride themselves in the number of different countries and international students represented. Although I remember buffdaddy mentioning that he lives in London, so he may be able to provide some more inside info

I'd expect to see a LOT of finance industry applicants - even IT guys from finance.

Sales pitch for LBS
LBS has a class size of about 330 (they are going to bump it up to about 400 this year), so it is smaller than most top tier b-schools - hence strong community feel despite being in London. Think about it, only 400 students to fill MBA needs of the entire London megacity; no wonder they hire a lot from the US in London. But at LBS we'll have the first pick of jobs and the best networking opportunities.

LBS respects strong WE - and its students tend to be slightly older. The alum community is extremely tight. My interview was with a PE guy in Sydney. Not only did he gave me a fantastic recommendation (probably the reason why I was in the WL), he also introduced me to some of his class mates in London. I was able to call his colleagues on phone directly. These guys are seriously high up - Executive director level at top tier IBs (ones that are still around), HF guys etc. Some of these people turned down schools such as Wharton, HBS and Columbia to attend LBS. But all of them were so incredibly humble.

Last year, The average GMAT hovered around 690, which is rather low when you think about it. But, I feel that LBS deliberately prefers strong WE over strong GMAT etc. Although I'd say the average GMAT may go slightly higher in the next few years. LBS is truly international. Most American schools admit around 30-35% international students. LBS has way above 70% internationals. From Oceania (my region), most American schools admit 1% of its class compared with LBS, which admits 4-5% Aussies / Kiwis.

I only consider 2-3 b-schools in the world better than LBS. So, once I got the early admit, I dropped most of the schools I was doing to app to this year in R1. Last year I apped to LBS in R1, but I'm sure R2 will be no problems (LBS has 4 rounds).

I've personally seen many success stories come out of LBS. My class mate from school went there and is in Mckinsey now. My ex boss (and one of my recommendors) went there and is the country head of a multinational now. They had engineering backgrounds and were career switchers.

Oh, I nearly forgot to mention. You can finish the whole thing in 15 months if you so wished to. And, I've heard that you can work two internships while being at Uni. How's that for flexibility

I am sorry to say this, but 45K in London is "chump change".

Most analysts starting salaries is 45K. Yes the school is expensive, but remember, you have to pay the local fare.

Just caught this gem : http://mbablog.london.edu/mbablog/mba_tv/index.html. The video shows orientation of the class of 2010. Pretty good insight for those who are unable to visit the place.

Also found a very funny blog by prof. Vermeulen from LBS : http://freekvermeulen.blogspot.com/

ps. Tamsin, the host, also sends admission and ding emails - just puts a face to a name

Wow, no takers except for Teutonic and BSD (who's already an Admit!) so far for LBS.

There was even more interest for Oxbridge.

Very true -- I couldn't see it being a dealbreaker either, given the distance for many prospective students. Plus, the campus is somewhat small from what I vaguely remember -- it's up against the border of Regent's Park and it's definitely not the type of expanse one would see at Oxford or Harvard. I imagine buying a few plots of land in central London is not an easy proposition.

I'm actually moving to Australia in a few weeks for my next consulting project, so I guess I won't be visiting the campus for a while anyway.

LBS Submitted 12/10.

goodluck all!

2 down 1 to go for R1.

I am in the same boat as you Teutonic. And Oxford essays aren't an easy proposition (essay 2)!

Good luck! Just putting the last touches on mine, and I'll be done in an hour or two. My first recommender still hasn't submitted his LOR yet, though...

EDIT: Just submitted! And my recommender is finishing up his right now as well. Close call...

Hi bsd_lover,

I am a deferred admit to the class beginning in August 2009 as well. Congrats on your admit. Looking forward to meeting you in London. Lets keep in touch - you can email me at lbs.aspirant2010@gmail.com

Cheers
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AppMentor - accepted students' advice