LBS vs INSEAD for Consulting in London Specifically

Question

Hi all,

Posted this in the LBS thread but I thought I should repost my query here where it seemed a bit more appropriate.

I've been lucky enough to be admitted to both LBS and INSEAD and need help deciding which school to attend....really soon. I come from a marketing background and am looking to move to consulting in London, thereby changing country, job function and possibly industry unless I get into consulting for retail businesses. Ideally I'd like to work at Bain London post-MBA or Alvarez & Marsal.

I'm well aware that INSEAD is a consulting powerhouse which is why I applied there in the first place. However since I'm a career switcher switching everything and am a non-EU citizen (from NZ), I am not very keen on a 10 month program as I won't have the chance to do an internship.

My question is, does LBS perform just as well or better than INSEAD with placing people in consulting in the London office specifically? I am not looking to apply to any other regional offices. Bain seems to take in more INSEAD grads than from other schools but this figure doesn't break down the numbers per office location, so it may be that given the high global mobility of INSEAD grads, the majority could be in other offices.

Any insight on LBS vs INSEAD performance in consulting in London specifically would be great. Thanks

xyeek · Answer

Ok spent a few hours browsing Bain's careers site and they've listed previous Summer Associates (class of 2016) from INSEAD and from LBS and what offices they went to. While there were more former Summer Associates listed for INSEAD (16 vs 9), the majority of INSEAD Summer Associates did their internship at the Sao Paulo office (4) and the rest at offices around Asia and Europe. Only 1 went to the London office.

On the other hand at LBS there were 4 who went to the London office and the rest around Asia-Oceania/North America. Going by these stats, would it be fairly accurate to assume that LBS probably places grads just as well, if not better, than INSEAD into consulting in London? Fairly small sample I know... Thoughts?

Mo2men · Answer

Hi, Congrats for both great schools. :-D

If I were you, I would not take the stats as major indicator for 2 reasons; firstly, stats changes every year, secondly: the number are not that significant to take a decision. I would think that LBS offer high quality education. so Location, Location, Location!!!. Think you are in London and you want to work there. This means networking with Bain office and other companies. You will have the opportunity to intensify your networking effort in the place you dream to work in. This would be my personal strategy in that case. I assume your nationality will help you easy working visa, if required. I hope it helps.

xyeek · Answer

Thanks for the reply! Yes I was thinking location would be very useful, but was wondering as well whether the INSEAD brand name and network would make up for it not being located in London where I wish to work. Through the Bain careers site it does seem like Bain has a much closer relationship with INSEAD than LBS, whereby they actually present lectures/seminars? Recruitment relationship at LBS appears to be just like at any other top b-school. Then there's the thought that consulting takes people from all backgrounds anyway so in that case since I have 7 years of work ex, does the program not matter ultimately? If the program doesn't matter than in terms of ROI, INSEAD would be better. Yes with my nationality a visa shouldn't be a problem. Plus the UK was looking this year at making some changes so that it's easier for NZ/AUS nationals to get visas since we're part of the commonwealth. I'm definitely hoping that by 2017 they'll have actioned a new policy!!

JackDaniels · Answer

INSEAD's 'brand name' does not make up for not being located in London. Arguably, LBS's brand name is equally strong if not stronger.

Both places will get you an interview at MBB. After that, networking and interview (and case) performance will be the deciding factors. Guess where networking will be more beneficial if you want to work in London ... ?

Mo2men · Answer

You focus on ending up in London. So Location is very important. Although INSEAD is a feeder to MBB, all students do not work there. What if you are not one of them??? Are you going to travel every time to the UK to make interviews. Ultimately, you might not be able to station yourself in London.

Think in London, think how you can visit Bain office and network and show up by yourself. You can build strong relationship. You might utilize (with help of career office) those event. Think, how you can be connected to consultants there who can provide you advice and tips. You will start to live the vibe. 
In addition, if you are in London, your focus won't be only on Bain, you may find another job, if Bain plan does not work. Also, you may shift your direction to another company that provide another interest to you. Your location will allow you access across the UK. Sometimes your primary plan does not work, so you need to be prepared with plan B &C.

mfprado1073 · Answer

Completely agree with  Mo2men  and  JackDaniels .

Let's first understand your priorities. I know your goals, but what comes frist: be in consulting, in London, or you'll take both?

If you think consulting before London, you should maybe consider INSEAD. At INSEAD, there are not only tons of people interested in consulting, but also a lot of sponsored students from MBB. Networking into consulting will be a piece of cake. You could try for London, make it clear as day that you want to be in London, but you will increase the odds of getting into consulting.

If you'd rather be in London than consulting, there's no discussion, go to LBS. 48% of the LBS class of 2014 stayed in the UK, but only 9% where originally from the island. That means a region shift towards UK of 39% of the class. That's a lot. When you look to american MBAs, mostly stay in the US, but they are already there before the MBA.

If you want to maximize the changes of being in consulting in London, numbers say go to LBS. At INSEAD, 41% went into consulting. Out of those, 54% stayed in Europe. Out of that group, 24% stayed in the UK. So your combined chance of being in consulting in London is 5% at INSEAD. For LBS, a third of the graduates went into consulting. As almost half the class stayed in the UK, that means that you'd have a 15% chance of being in consulting in London.

State your priorities, make your choice.

humblr · Answer

Congrats on being admitted to these top programs!

That's a tricky question as you are specifically targeting London (where LBS is located), but going into a domain where clearly INSEAD is the #1. You'll get an interview with both of these schools, that's clear - no question about that. I just had a look on the Bain UK homepage scrolling through the 13 UK business/practice partners. Out of these 13 partners INSEAD stands out with 3 alumni vs. 1 from other schools (there is one from LBS). Therefore, I see you bargaining power would be stronger with INSEAD. On LinkedIN I had a look on the UK Bain office and connected it with alumni from these two schools and there it seems rather equal - approx. 40 from both - INSEAD and LBS. (it also includes Bain alumni as the office is not THAT big)

I also know as a fact that the alumni communities of both schools are strongest in London - INSEAD has a huge alumni base in London and obviously LBS also has a huge alumni base in London.

As I said before both schools are the super elite. Though, in consulting there is the top1 powerhouse around the world - no matter which location and that is INSEAD.

Furthermore, if you take into account the ROI and OC you shouldn't think twice.

Good luck with your decision.

xyeek · Answer

Hi guys,
Thanks heaps for the advice!

After considering my priorities (definitely consulting in London @mfprado1073), I've decided that LBS is the better fit for me. The numbers seem to say so as well. I think if, as humblr says, I would get an interview from either school, then having more time to prepare with the longer LBS programme would probably be beneficial in spite of the higher costs.

Again, thanks all for your input in helping me make this difficult decision

LBS vs INSEAD for Consulting in London Specifically

Which school should I attend if I want to switch to consulting at the London office?

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