Columbia J-Term (CBS) vs. London Business School (LBS)

Question

Situation:  Sponsored consultant (EU-citizen, non-UK) who wants to break into PE, M&A, or VC after graduation (in order of preference).
 Location post-MBA:  Does not matter (as long as English-speaking).
 Complication:  Internships not permitted by employer.

Question:  Columbia January-Term or LBS regular entry (can't do internship in either due to company sponsorship)?

Please share your reasoning.

Thank you.

MegaMathBlaster · Answer

OK there seems to be a slight preference for one of the two. Can anyone comment why? :-)

teleste · Answer

Disclaimer: All of the views expressed in this comment are purely those of the author. And for what it is worth, "teleste" has no vested interest in the outcome and is not in a finance related field so "teleste" may not be giving the best advice.

That said...my thinking goes as follows:

No internship? Point to J-Term ...unless having 10 extra weeks as a beach bum in lieu of an internship at LBS is worth giving up 5 extra months of work and getting done faster at CBS.

English speaking location post MBA? No bigger market than the US and CBS will help you get a stateside gig easier than LBS. Point to J-Term. As an EU citizen, working in locations across the EU will likely always be an option on the table for you...this might be your chance to snag a US gig...unless you're already here and that makes no difference to you which wasn't clear to me from the post...

Private Equity you say? CBS is one of the best options in the world to pursue PE. (After HBS and Wharton of course.) Point to J-Term.

At sticker price, LBS is cheaper than CBS, right? But since you're sponsored (and can get done faster through the J-Term) that won't be a ding against CBS.

Also this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol0dPJdzm1M

MegaMathBlaster · Answer

All people voting LBS: What's your reasoning?

MegaMathBlaster · Answer

*bump*

MegaMathBlaster · Answer

Anyone willing to share pro-LBS reasoning?

Grad · Answer

I am also considering these two schools. Hard choice.
Here is my brief analysis that I did recently based on LBS and CBS employment reports (based on the list of top employers and bolded/not bolded employers in the overall list of employers):

I took ten global banks (BAML, Barclays, Citi, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, UBS) and McKinsey, BCG, Bain.
LBS (% of class): banks - 8,1%, MBB - 16,2%
CBS (% of class): banks - 11,1%, MBB - 14,8%;
CBS has the highest percent (for aforementioned 10 banks) among all top business schools (excluding H/S/W - no such statistics in their employment reports).
I am not interested in PE and VC, so, you have to do your own research :-D

I think their percent is too small to make a meaningful conclusion.
BTW, percent of class that goes to finance: CBS - 35%, LBS - 28%.
So, CBS is more about finance than LBS.
If you are indifferent between US and UK, then, obviously, US is a bigger market, which with aforementioned information tilts you towards CBS.

P. S. I think you should also include Wharton on your list

I think their percent is too small to make a meaningful conclusion. BTW, percent of class that goes to finance: CBS - 35%, LBS - 28%. So, CBS is more about finance than LBS. If you are indifferent between US and UK, then, obviously, US is a bigger market, which with aforementioned information tilts you towards CBS. P. S. I think you should also include Wharton on your list

Columbia J-Term (CBS) vs. London Business School (LBS)

Which school to choose?

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