LBS vs. American Schools

Question

I'm currently applying to LBS and I'd like to know what people think about LBS compared to American schools? In terms of ranking the program, how would you rank the school if you were ranking it with American schools? Also, what American schools is LBS on par with in terms of ease/difficulty of being admitted?

JoeMahmah · Answer

I would suggest reposting this thread on MBA - USA Schools, so you get a more diverse and varied response to your question. First of all, take ranking with a grain of salt. Know that LBS will get your foot in the door just about anywhere, but after a point it will be up to how you fare in networking, interviews, and on the academic/summer job performance that will determine your eventual success at realizing your goals. Please keep in mind that it will definitely be harder to recruit for say, Chicago positions, if you are set on working in Chicago post-graduation. In this case you are probably better off going to a US school in the Midwest like Kellogg or Booth. In terms of the students I met at LBS vs other top tier US institutions, I would say there wasn't a substantial differential in intellectual capacity and pre-mba accomplishments among students at Wharton, HBS, LBS, Kellogg, Columbia, and Chicago. Just about at all the M7 schools + LBS+INSEAD, you will be given the opportunity to pursue your chosen path.

With regards to LBS, make sure you know why you are applying and what you are seeking out of the MBA program. Don't rely on arbitrary rankings to make your decision. Check out how your target MBA program fares in your intended field. If you are interested in creative entertainment, then NYU may be even a better option than HBS. Do more research up front on the schools that interest you- it will pay major dividends later in the process. I suggest talking to as many students/alumni as possible in your intended field to see if LBS will help you achieve your career goals better than XYZ MBA program. Best of luck with the application process!

zuma45 · Answer

Thanks for the insight. I actually don't place a ton of weight on rankings, so I definitely know what you mean. The reason I'm really asking is that it's pretty difficult to gauge how people think of a certain UK school against US schools. I feel like some people feel LBS is right up there with H/S/W where as others view it more like a Yale/NYU/Cornell. Also, I'm also trying to gauge my odds of getting in, because LBS doesn't publish admission or yield rates.

I'll go ahead and post this in the US schools section though.

I'll go ahead and post this in the US schools section though.

asimov · Answer

Comparing European to American schools is like comparing peaches to nectarines – two similar fruits but with noticeable differences. It all comes down to preference.

As far as quality of education goes, I think all the elite MBA programs (US or European) are pretty similar. What distinguish the elites are the networking, and therefore job opportunities. For example, Haas may be a better ranked school than Stern, but when it comes to finance and Wall Street jobs, Stern will have an edge.

This brings me to the point about LBS. LBS is an elite European school, and will offer great opportunities in Europe, but it doesn’t have the same reach in the US. US is very insular country, we probably much only recognize our own schools. I cannot speak for how US degrees are viewed in Europe. I speculate that outside of Harvard/Stanford, it’s the same deal.

So where you decide to apply depends on where you want to work at. If you want to work in the US, apply to US schools. If you want to work in Europe, apply to European schools.

Looking at the application volume and the % interviewed, I would guesstimate the competitiveness for LBS is on par with the elite US programs (not H/S).

LBS vs. American Schools

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