Nimaldes wrote:
Hi All,
I am an aerospace engineer looking to switch career to MBB consulting. I have received offers for LBS, Judge and Said. I am really struggling to choose between LBS and Judge and would appreciate your thoughts. The caveat is that I already have an MBB final round interview lined up during the MBA program. Here are my views so far:
Lbs:
+ More McK hires (10% of class) but this is skewed by a lot of McK employees coming to do an MBA
+ better chance for other MBB firms (25% of class)
+ London location potentially better for job search
+ bigger post MBA network but likely can’t leverage 500 connections
- London living costs
- 2 years out of work
- Fees 100k
- London life not great as a student
- 2 year course could be dull
Judge:
- less McK hires (4% of class)
- Less recognised in business circles
+ more recognised outside of business circles if I shift careers in future
+ where I ‘want’ to go
+ better life
+ 10k bursary
+ fees 50k
+ collegiate system to network with broader range of people
+ smaller cohort of 200 may allow more meaningful connections
+ consulting focus with three projects
My heart is telling me to go for Cambridge but my head is telling me to follow the stats and go to LBS. Thanks in advance for your advice.
Posted from my mobile device
First of all congratulations!!
Now for your dilemma, you need to set your own priorities. Everyone will have a different answer to this conundrum and there is no right or wrong choice. Both the schools are amazing and ultimately depends on whether they can provide you with what you are seeking.
I feel like you are basing your decision on 3 factors-
1) Job in MBB after MBA
2) Cost (both financial and time)
3) Campus experience and peer group
Breaking them down one by one-
MBB Job: As you rightly pointed out, LBS will more likely get you there (based on stats). But Judge also places students in MBB and since you already have almost cracked an MBB job, I would say that trust in yourself that you'll be able to land that job. If your absolute top priority is getting an MBB placement and you are ready to sacrifice other points for this goal, then choosing LBS makes sense.
Cost: No doubt cost of the programs differs a lot and that is something you'll have to factor into your decision based on how much you weigh it against the other points. Is the higher chance of landing an MBB job more important to you or you'd much rather save cost on your program, while still having a chance at an MBB placement and getting a more diverse campus experience.
Campus experience and peer group: I don't know how different the peer group interaction will be between the schools, but London life is definitely hectic though way better for corporate connections. Whereas, if you want to be part of a larger university ecosystem, Cambridge is the way to go.
Finally, a point which you mentioned-
LBS is more recognised in business circles while Judge is less so, but Cambridge is more recognised outside business circles.This point shouldn't be a very big consideration in my opinion, since both of them are excellent institutions and in any case an MBB tag will provide recognition across industries. There is no denying that LBS is very highly ranked and will continue to remain so, but if it does not fit your needs you should definitely consider Judge (as I mentioned, there is no right or wrong choice in this age-old "Rankings" vs "Fit" debate).
Hope this was useful.