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Cambronne
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Schools: UniBocconi MFin "23 (A) LBS MFA "22 (D) ESCP MiM "23 (A) ESADE MFin "22 (A) HEC MFin "23 (D) LSE MFin "22 (M)
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Schools: UniBocconi MFin "23 (A) LBS MFA "22 (D) ESCP MiM "23 (A) ESADE MFin "22 (A) HEC MFin "23 (D) LSE MFin "22 (M)
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MSc Finance - Esade vs. Bocconi 29 Apr 2021, 23:35
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Hi everyone,

I’m a 21-year-old French male graduating from a Canadian university in one month, and I have the chance of having received offers from Bocconi and Esade for their MSc in Finance (as well as ESCP for its MiM PGE).

I must accept one of the offers by the end of next week; however, I really cannot make up my mind.

Overall, I feel strongly attracted to Bocconi’s culture and community; joining Bocco has long been a dream of mine. However, it's a 2-year program, and as I am leaving my girlfriend in Canada, I would rather pursue a 1-year program.

Regarding Esade, it came up on my radar fairly recently (3-4 months ago). The program seems pretty interesting, especially with its Big Data track, and I have had a great impression of the school through its staff. But mainly, as you guys might have guessed, it’s a 1-year program...

Back to back, I’ve heard a lot that Bocconi places more students in IB and AM than Esade does. Moreover, Bocconi seems to be a bigger brand name than Esade overseas, something very important as I wish to start my career in North America (Canada/U.S.). Regarding their ranking, it's pretty much the same: Esade's MSc in Finance usually outrank Bocconi's, but it seems that Bocconi has taken the lead this year*.

Lastly, I have heard bad experiences from former Esade students, something pretty rare for Bocconi. And the price is also a significant aspect: Bocco is roughly €28,000 for 2 years (€14,000/year) while Esade is €31,000 for 1 year only.

Anyway guys, I would love to hear your opinion about all this, and know what you would do in my situation! Honestly, if it was only up to me, I would pick Bocconi; but I love my GF, and I gotta make the wifey happy haha + Esade is still a top-tier school with wonderful opportunities, so I feel there are no bad choices...

* I always refer to QS's ranking rather than FT's one as I believe that a ranking that places Skema #2 and EDHEC #5 while placing MIT #8 and Oxford #10 should not be trusted.

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CArbitragePM
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MSc Finance - Esade vs. Bocconi 29 Apr 2021, 23:45
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That is the strangest question I have ever encountered 😂 The answer is so obvious.

Although Bocconi is a target school, some professors are wild and stupid. I have friends attending their MSc Finance program, and a lecturer said the following: "You are good, but you are a woman" during a class. So yeah, although Bocconi is a joke, it is still top tier in Europe.

However, ESADE is not what you are describing. Assuming you were bombed with emails by Sara and their newsletter, they are overexaggerating. ESADE is no near a top school in Europe. Calling it a top tier school is seriously the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Only their MBA can be considered good. You should not base what is good and what is bad based on only rankings. That is faulty and stupid.

To restore faith in humanity, for gods sake, choose Bocconi. If not, well, it will only harm you.

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MSc Finance - Esade vs. Bocconi 30 Apr 2021, 00:07
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If your girlfriend truly loves you, and wants you to succeed in life, she wouldn’t mind whether it takes two years or five years. Life is a long journey, after all. To share the fruits of life, some sacrifices are inevitable, and you guys gotta be willing to make them. May the love win! 💕

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MSc Finance - Esade vs. Bocconi 30 Apr 2021, 00:35
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Cambronne
Hi everyone,

I’m a 21-year-old French male graduating from a Canadian university in one month, and I have the chance of having received offers from Bocconi and Esade for their MSc in Finance (as well as ESCP for its MiM PGE).

I must accept one of the offers by the end of next week; however, I really cannot make up my mind.

Overall, I feel strongly attracted to Bocconi’s culture and community; joining Bocco has long been a dream of mine. However, it's a 2-year program, and as I am leaving my girlfriend in Canada, I would rather pursue a 1-year program.

Regarding Esade, it came up on my radar fairly recently (3-4 months ago). The program seems pretty interesting, especially with its Big Data track, and I have had a great impression of the school through its staff. But mainly, as you guys might have guessed, it’s a 1-year program...

Back to back, I’ve heard a lot that Bocconi places more students in IB and AM than Esade does. Moreover, Bocconi seems to be a bigger brand name than Esade overseas, something very important as I wish to start my career in North America (Canada/U.S.). Regarding their ranking, it's pretty much the same: Esade's MSc in Finance usually outrank Bocconi's, but it seems that Bocconi has taken the lead this year*.

Lastly, I have heard bad experiences from former Esade students, something pretty rare for Bocconi. And the price is also a significant aspect: Bocco is roughly €28,000 for 2 years (€14,000/year) while Esade is €31,000 for 1 year only.

Anyway guys, I would love to hear your opinion about all this, and know what you would do in my situation! Honestly, if it was only up to me, I would pick Bocconi; but I love my GF, and I gotta make the wifey happy haha + Esade is still a top-tier school with wonderful opportunities, so I feel there are no bad choices...

* I always refer to QS's ranking rather than FT's one as I believe that a ranking that places Skema #2 and EDHEC #5 while placing MIT #8 and Oxford #10 should not be trusted.

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Hi dude,

I'm Italian an even though I'm not a fan of Bocconi and I understand your whole point, especially the difference in the length of the courses, I would strongly suggest you Bocconi, hands down.

There is no reason to prefer ESADE, just only if you want to work for your entire life in Spain, and even in this case I would have some doubts.

Despite the ridiculous answer of some folks here, the MSc in Finance at Bocconi is probably one of the most rigourous program in the world, but just because is Italian and here the Uni system is probably the most challenging in the world, at least as much as that in France.

The only drawback, just in my perspective, is the kind of environment you would find; not all for sure, but most of the students there are extremely snob and think to be Jordan Belfort just because they know what a CDS is. All jokes aside, trust a "native", pick Bocconi.
Good luck!!
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MSc Finance - Esade vs. Bocconi 30 Apr 2021, 00:40
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Nik11
Cambronne
Hi everyone,

I’m a 21-year-old French male graduating from a Canadian university in one month, and I have the chance of having received offers from Bocconi and Esade for their MSc in Finance (as well as ESCP for its MiM PGE).

I must accept one of the offers by the end of next week; however, I really cannot make up my mind.

Overall, I feel strongly attracted to Bocconi’s culture and community; joining Bocco has long been a dream of mine. However, it's a 2-year program, and as I am leaving my girlfriend in Canada, I would rather pursue a 1-year program.

Regarding Esade, it came up on my radar fairly recently (3-4 months ago). The program seems pretty interesting, especially with its Big Data track, and I have had a great impression of the school through its staff. But mainly, as you guys might have guessed, it’s a 1-year program...

Back to back, I’ve heard a lot that Bocconi places more students in IB and AM than Esade does. Moreover, Bocconi seems to be a bigger brand name than Esade overseas, something very important as I wish to start my career in North America (Canada/U.S.). Regarding their ranking, it's pretty much the same: Esade's MSc in Finance usually outrank Bocconi's, but it seems that Bocconi has taken the lead this year*.

Lastly, I have heard bad experiences from former Esade students, something pretty rare for Bocconi. And the price is also a significant aspect: Bocco is roughly €28,000 for 2 years (€14,000/year) while Esade is €31,000 for 1 year only.

Anyway guys, I would love to hear your opinion about all this, and know what you would do in my situation! Honestly, if it was only up to me, I would pick Bocconi; but I love my GF, and I gotta make the wifey happy haha + Esade is still a top-tier school with wonderful opportunities, so I feel there are no bad choices...

* I always refer to QS's ranking rather than FT's one as I believe that a ranking that places Skema #2 and EDHEC #5 while placing MIT #8 and Oxford #10 should not be trusted.

Posted from my mobile device

Hi dude,

I'm Italian an even though I'm not a fan of Bocconi and I understand your whole point, especially the difference in the length of the courses, I would strongly suggest you Bocconi, hands down.

There is no reason to prefer ESADE, just only if you want to work for your entire life in Spain, and even in this case I would have some doubts.

Despite the ridiculous answer of some folks here, the MSc in Finance at Bocconi is probably one of the most rigourous program in the world, but just because is Italian and here the Uni system is probably the most challenging in the world, at least as much as that in France.

The only drawback, just in my perspective, is the kind of environment you would find; not all for sure, but most of the students there are extremely snob and think to be Jordan Belfort just because they know what a CDS is. All jokes aside, trust a "native", pick Bocconi.
Good luck!!
Show more

Bocconi will drop down in ranking this year because of covid. Only reason Bocconi is a target is because it is conventional that the MFin is the hardest out there. Nothing else, just that.
So glad I got admits from LBS and Imperial. Bocconi is overhyped, but yeah still a target. If you can’t get into real UK top tier schools, HEC or Insead, ofc choose the schools that comes second, i.e. Bocconi😂
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MSc Finance - Esade vs. Bocconi 30 Apr 2021, 01:04
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CArbitragePM
Nik11
Cambronne
Hi everyone,

I’m a 21-year-old French male graduating from a Canadian university in one month, and I have the chance of having received offers from Bocconi and Esade for their MSc in Finance (as well as ESCP for its MiM PGE).

I must accept one of the offers by the end of next week; however, I really cannot make up my mind.

Overall, I feel strongly attracted to Bocconi’s culture and community; joining Bocco has long been a dream of mine. However, it's a 2-year program, and as I am leaving my girlfriend in Canada, I would rather pursue a 1-year program.

Regarding Esade, it came up on my radar fairly recently (3-4 months ago). The program seems pretty interesting, especially with its Big Data track, and I have had a great impression of the school through its staff. But mainly, as you guys might have guessed, it’s a 1-year program...

Back to back, I’ve heard a lot that Bocconi places more students in IB and AM than Esade does. Moreover, Bocconi seems to be a bigger brand name than Esade overseas, something very important as I wish to start my career in North America (Canada/U.S.). Regarding their ranking, it's pretty much the same: Esade's MSc in Finance usually outrank Bocconi's, but it seems that Bocconi has taken the lead this year*.

Lastly, I have heard bad experiences from former Esade students, something pretty rare for Bocconi. And the price is also a significant aspect: Bocco is roughly €28,000 for 2 years (€14,000/year) while Esade is €31,000 for 1 year only.

Anyway guys, I would love to hear your opinion about all this, and know what you would do in my situation! Honestly, if it was only up to me, I would pick Bocconi; but I love my GF, and I gotta make the wifey happy haha + Esade is still a top-tier school with wonderful opportunities, so I feel there are no bad choices...

* I always refer to QS's ranking rather than FT's one as I believe that a ranking that places Skema #2 and EDHEC #5 while placing MIT #8 and Oxford #10 should not be trusted.

Posted from my mobile device

Hi dude,

I'm Italian an even though I'm not a fan of Bocconi and I understand your whole point, especially the difference in the length of the courses, I would strongly suggest you Bocconi, hands down.

There is no reason to prefer ESADE, just only if you want to work for your entire life in Spain, and even in this case I would have some doubts.

Despite the ridiculous answer of some folks here, the MSc in Finance at Bocconi is probably one of the most rigourous program in the world, but just because is Italian and here the Uni system is probably the most challenging in the world, at least as much as that in France.

The only drawback, just in my perspective, is the kind of environment you would find; not all for sure, but most of the students there are extremely snob and think to be Jordan Belfort just because they know what a CDS is. All jokes aside, trust a "native", pick Bocconi.
Good luck!!

Bocconi will drop down in ranking this year because of covid. Only reason Bocconi is a target is because it is conventional that the MFin is the hardest out there. Nothing else, just that.
So glad I got admits from LBS and Imperial. Bocconi is overhyped, but yeah still a target. If you can’t get into real UK top tier schools, HEC or Insead, ofc choose the schools that comes second, i.e. Bocconi😂
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Oh dude, I'm with you on this, but there are plenty of factors.
First, it's true Bocconi is highly overated on the whole, but not for the MSc in Finance, for sure. If you compare just to mention a LSE MSc Finance with that of Bocconi, Bocconi wins hands down on curriculum and if you say the contrary you are crazy. But the LSE program is tailored for who has already great internships or 1-2 years of good working exp. Most importantly, you should also think in a Pan european perspective, EU it's going to be very strong and probably the best place to live in the world and the Uk choice to leave has still not shown all its drawbacks.
Having said that, there are other reasons to chose LBS or HEC, and indeed is what I did.
Most importantly, it all depends by what kind of working perspective you have. Do you aim to work in Italy, all around Europe, or maybe outside?, what's your native language/s and so on.
Don't be the UK guy/fan please, because that time is gone.
Good luck
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MSc Finance - Esade vs. Bocconi 01 May 2021, 12:27
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I agree with you. Bocconi is the best school in Europe in terms of curriculum. That is a conventional opinion every employer has, and that is the reason why it is a target. However, the reason why I chose Imperial and LBS over Bocconi is because it is «easier», if you know what I mean. It is much easier to get A-s in UK schools than Bocconi. They both have the same prestige, but I would rather not work my ass off to get A-s on Bocconi.

It is so biased of you if you claim that Bocconi is the best school in Europe. Their curriculum is of course the best, but also the most comprehensive and advanced.

Target schools are always subjective, but I have worked for Blackstone Private Equity and JP Morgan, and this is my opinion on the list of schools recruiters are headhunting (investment banking and private equity firms):

Top tier schools Masters in Finance:
UK: LSE, LBS, Oxbridge, Imperial
Europe: HEC Paris, Bocconi, ETH Zurich

Listen, all rankings have many factors that plays in, and ranking does not really mean anything. Rather, focus on where the analysts from bulge bracket banks come from.

For instance, ETH Zurich is unranked in the Finance rankings, and is always like top 30, but since ETH is Europe’s answer to MIT in USA, it is prestigious and top tier. Ranking does not mean ****.

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MSc Finance - Esade vs. Bocconi 01 May 2021, 21:18
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CArbitragePM
I agree with you. Bocconi is the best school in Europe in terms of curriculum. That is a conventional opinion every employer has, and that is the reason why it is a target. However, the reason why I chose Imperial and LBS over Bocconi is because it is «easier», if you know what I mean. It is much easier to get A-s in UK schools than Bocconi. They both have the same prestige, but I would rather not work my ass off to get A-s on Bocconi.

It is so biased of you if you claim that Bocconi is the best school in Europe. Their curriculum is of course the best, but also the most comprehensive and advanced.

Target schools are always subjective, but I have worked for Blackstone Private Equity and JP Morgan, and this is my opinion on the list of schools recruiters are headhunting (investment banking and private equity firms):

Top tier schools Masters in Finance:
UK: LSE, LBS, Oxbridge, Imperial
Europe: HEC Paris, Bocconi, ETH Zurich

Listen, all rankings have many factors that plays in, and ranking does not really mean anything. Rather, focus on where the analysts from bulge bracket banks come from.

For instance, ETH Zurich is unranked in the Finance rankings, and is always like top 30, but since ETH is Europe’s answer to MIT in USA, it is prestigious and top tier. Ranking does not mean ****.

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Ahaha for the first part I completely got your point, that's it.
It's the same reason for which I not even applied to Bocconi, especially because I had the same experience for the 3 years before.
I also understand your second point, however I think you should also consider what specific kind of person you want to become in terms of skills and knowledge you offer. For example, ETH is surely a target in you perspective, that's true. But for what kind of roles? If not quant, heavy quant that's sure.

Overall, I've tried to give a tailored opinion for the guy who asked the question. Honestly, and most importantly, personally, I would never suggest Bocconi to my son🤣. I know it's mostly a tossic and bad environment at a level probably not reached anywhere. But this is also very subjective. Talking about curriculum, opportunities and prestige, for this guy Bocconi should be hands down the best choice, hoping that he is really aware where he is going. However, if he applied I assume he knows.
With this perspective, it is still the same debate... let's put aside subjective perceptions: Bocconi is good and probably great especially if you are italian. If you are not, in general the Tier classif you defined is pretty real.
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MSc Finance - Esade vs. Bocconi 01 May 2021, 21:24
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Nik11 May I ask what schools you are attending next semester? Would be something if we both ended up in the same class😂

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MSc Finance - Esade vs. Bocconi 01 May 2021, 21:28
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Nik11 Without Albert Einstein, ETH would honestly be a fourth-tier school😂 Yeah, their quant finance is hella advanced, but they fall short in terms of e.g derivatives and capital market theory.

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MSc Finance - Esade vs. Bocconi 01 May 2021, 21:43
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CArbitragePM
Nik11 Without Albert Einstein, ETH would honestly be a fourth-tier school😂 Yeah, their quant finance is hella advanced, but they fall short in terms of e.g derivatives and capital market theory.

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Ahaha lashh to ETH!

Yes sure, I send you a PM