The London Business School 2010 thread

I'm still deciding on schools , I wish I had more visibility into the future i.e., more time - a lot of things depend on my wife's job prospects in London.

Has everyone paid the commitment fee yet? Anyone who has yet to do so?

Has anyone here got an invite or heard of an invite for round 2? I think I read a reference to a conversation with the admissions team that invites will start going out from Jan 21

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Someone on this thread made a comment that interview invites would be sent on 21/01, but he is a Master in Management applicant.

For the MBA R2 applicants, as long as I know, we all have to wait until 09/02 (2 weeks left!)

how much is the commitment fee? u may have to gamble...

yea... feels kinda aimless during this wait after spending so much time on GMAT and APPS....

anyone wanna share tips on interview preparations? helps to kill time

LBS up to #1 in FT ranking. This is an excerpt from one of the blogs:

"LBS’s strong showing was due in great part to the broad educational experience it offers, according to the FT. “One of the best decisions of my life was to go to LBS for a full-time MBA,” one alumnus reported. “[It] has enriched my life, from education to career development, to making new friends and gaining new perspectives.”

Another added: “You not only learn from the school curriculum but from the deep cultural diversity of the student population. There is no place else that can offer this advantage to the extent that London Business School does.”

In a statement announcing its second consecutive top ranking, LBS Dean Sir Andrew Likierman pledged that the school will maintain its international diversity and global reach."

Ah, this just further validates LBS as a top MBA destination. Here's hoping that all of us make it in this year!

If I apply for R3, is there still any chance for me to get a good scholarship? I am female, 700 in GMAT, 3.75 (GPA) originally from the Eastern Europe. I received my undergraduate in the US and I have 2.5 years of experience in public accountancy (and 2.5 experience in restaurant management while in school).

I did not consider LBS at first because I thought that I could not afford it. I would like to go for to school where I can get at least partial scholarship. Should I apply for LBS or is it too late and I missed the boat?

I would appreciate any advice.

I realize this thread is primarily for the MBA program, but there doesn't seem to be much activity in the MiM thread. I just submitted my application for R3 (was aiming for R2 but one of my referees was on holiday from Dec to early Feb) I'm 23/F/USA with a 750 GMAT score. I graduated from Boston University in 2008 Magna cum Laude with a Film degree and while in school interned at MTV in NYC. I also spent my last semester in Los Angeles taking entertainment business classes and interning at a casting company and NBC Universal. After graduation I moved to London for a year where I did a few short work experiences and then spent 5 months contracting for the Cannes Lions Advertising festival in both London and Cannes. After a few months backpacking in Europe I'm back in the US and contracting at the US HQ of a well-known biotech company to save money for grad school (I also interned for them while in high school). I would love to go to LBS and it's definitely my first choice, but I'm a little worried that I'm applying in R3. I'm hoping my media background will help set me apart from a lot of the other applicants. Any feedback would be appreciated. It's going to be a long wait until the Feb 22nd deadline!

I paid the fee a long time ago, the status in your portal when you went to "pay commitment fee" has changed to "paid".

I had the same question, so I cannot help you with it. But I was impressed by your profile. Do many 23 year old go for an MBA? I am new in this forum, so I cannot tell. How do you feel about going to a program where an average age is 29? Good luck with your application! I think despite the age, you are a very strong candidate (an unusual background, GMAT, GPA, being female, etc)

Hi Juvi999 and KAS1986.

I´m not an expert, actually I'm just an applicant like both of you.

First, to clarify Juvi999 last comment: KAS1986 is a Master in Management prospective student according to her post. Having said that, KAS1986 profile seems outstanding to me for a MiM. Now, my only question for you is: what motivates you to go for a MiM instead of waiting a couple of years and go for the MBA? With more work experience you will be a very strong candidate for the MBA programme.

Now, Juvi999, in my opinion you also have a very good profile. It seems like you could improve your work experience to have an even stronger profile. On the other hand, you are part of a small pool of applicants (F/Eastern Europe), so I feel like you could have good possibilities because of this. Now, in the financial part, there are many different ways to finance your MBA. You should take a look at the HSBC-LBS loan or other scolarships/loans that apply for Europeans. So my advice is: go for it!

Anyway, those are my thoughts. I hope they help you in some way.

age may pose certain challenges... but most importantly you must display maturity in your essays.

thanks. Trust me this wait is easier than when invites start coming in ( and they come in batches/ trickle in ones / twos daily)
Basically means that I don't have to freak out and check my inbox or each time to see if anyone got invited till atleast february 9th.


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thanks zeayin82! i paid it a few days ago and my status has also changed to 'paid'. I also dropped an email to admissions and they confirmed all was ok and that they were not sending out any letters to confirm ppl's places.

hi juvi999,
i would recommend that if you like LBS then you should definitely go for it! from what i understand based on the website, there is no difference in your scholarship chances between R1-R3. (Others might know better of course.) All R3 applicants are considered for the Annual Fund schols, and all of R1-R3 applicants apply together for all the other scholarships. So once you are in I think the chances are good. As someone has mentioned, being a woman and coming from E Europe will also open up a few scholarships not available to others. Also, you should check for additional sources in your own country, as there might be several additional scholarships available than what's listed on LBS website. A good idea could be to search Portal for current students from your home coutry (you can do this once admitted) and ask them if they managed to secure any additional scholarships from home.

Finally, as it has also been mentioned above, you can always go for loans. MBA is a long-term investment and going to a top school will generate significantly better returns a few years down the line.

Good luck!

vgery and madmex> I appreciate your optimism and support. I have been struggling with finding financing for quite some time now (and I lost a lot of sleep over it! ). My biggest nightmare is getting accepted and not being able to go because I have no money. I looked over LBS again and I realized that LBS actually does not seem to offer that many scholarships. For instance, women can apply for 4 less than 50% scholarships and 2 others to be confirmed (TBC). Last year's class had 25% women (out of 320), which is 80. So let's say this year around 80 women would be competing for 4-6 scholarships. My odds don't seem to be good. The same thing is with other scholarships. There are not that many of them! The best that I have seen are 2 scholarships for first year tuition fees. But everyone is eligible to those! Quite a few others are TBC, which can mean anything.

I have not seen any scholarships/fellowships for Eastern Europeans only. Lately, this region is not that popular, and the main focus is on the developing countries. And thank you for suggesting to look for funding at my own country. Unfortunately, there is none. I have gone over so many list of scholarships based on nationality, external funding and many various websites. My native country is so small that it's never listed anywhere, and it is in such a bad shape that its government (or private parties for that matter) does not offer any funding.

When it comes to loans, I have taken a loan for my undergraduate and I am still trying to pay it off. Taking a twice bigger loan and adding to what I have already is not appealing to me. I am willing to compromise and take a loan for 50% of tuition but 100% is just way too much to bear. So even if I would love to go to LBS, I just don't see how. I think that there are plenty of people who are willing to pay the price (or take a loan) that LBS does not need to offer merit scholarships. So I think that I just have to be reasonable and move on to other schools despite how hard it is. Thank you for your time helping me make a decision and good luck to you all who is applying!