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Imperial College, London to MBB?

Hi,

Does anyone know how well regarded is Imperial College (A masters program in Finance) for gaining entry to MBB? The rankings show it is as top 5 in UK and top 20 globally but would be useful to get first-hand opinions.

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Top answer
Sidi
Coach
on Jul 11, 2022
McKinsey Senior EM & BCG Consultant | Interviewer at McK & BCG for 7 years | Coached 400+ candidates secure MBB offers

Hi! I believe the below screenshots should answer your question sufficiently well. Takes you 3 minutes to look up… :)

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Anonymous A
on Jul 11, 2022
Thank you. I didn't realize I could use this feature.
on Jul 11, 2022
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success: ➡ interviewoffers.com | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

Q: Does anyone know how well regarded is Imperial College (A masters program in Finance) for gaining entry to MBB?

Imperial as a brand name is fine. If you search on LinkedIn, you can check that there are 600+ Alumni working in MBB globally.

However for a proper decision you would have to take into account also:

  • The office you are targeting
  • The opportunity cost of your alternative 
  • If the Master you want to enroll in makes sense for the entry-level position you are targeting

If you target an Analyst position, a BSc could be enough in some countries. If you target an Associate (McK) / Consultant (BCG, Bain) position, an MBA from a top school like INSEAD would be better.

If you want to check other schools/specific offices, you should be able to find the best one for MBB on LinkedIn. You can do so by:

  1. Identifying the number of alumni of a university in MBB in your desired location and
  2. Adjusting for the cohort size

This will give you a data-driven guideline on the best option.

Best,

Francesco

Moritz
Coach
edited on Jul 11, 2022
ex-McKinsey EM & Interviewer | 7/8 offer rate for 4+ sessions | High impact sessions + FREE materials & exercises

Hi there,

When it comes to Imperial College we need to differentiate:

  • IC is a strong brand name in the STEM community that I used to be part of. They offer excellent education in physics, earth sciences, chemistry, engineering, etc. that are highly regarded by industry and academia.
  • Anything business related (e.g. MBA, Master of Finance) at IC is decent for sure but doesn't get close to the prestige of STEM.

Hence, it would be interesting to see whether the corresponding linkedin stats for MBB are from IC STEM or business degrees. 

My suspicion is that the majority are STEM (direct hires or with a few years of e.g. engineering under their belt).

Hope this helps to refine your search!

Best of luck!

Anonymous A
on Jul 11, 2022
Hi, I was thinking on similar lines-- I cant see a program wise split and masters in finance might not place equally as MBA from the Imperial Business School
Moritz
Coach
on Jul 11, 2022
ex-McKinsey EM & Interviewer | 7/8 offer rate for 4+ sessions | High impact sessions + FREE materials & exercises
Not sure about individual programs but basically everything that is Imperial College business school is 2nd tier (Masters in Finance, MBA, etc.) whereas everything that’s Imperial College STEM is 1st tier.
Anonymous A
on Jul 11, 2022
what would be the #1 finance masters program in UK?
Moritz
Coach
on Jul 11, 2022
ex-McKinsey EM & Interviewer | 7/8 offer rate for 4+ sessions | High impact sessions + FREE materials & exercises
LBS & Cambridge are global front runners (https://rankings.ft.com/home/masters-in-finance)
Lucie
Coach
edited on Jul 12, 2022
10+yrs recruiting & BCG Project leader

the best would be to reach out to the school and directly ask if they have are targeted school or has any agreement, experience with MBB hiring, they will be able to tell you. Seeing how many people studied there and now works in MBB can be misleading as you don't know at what stage they entered (the more experience you have, the less important is the education) or what role they have (e.g. business support vs. consulting). 

Lucie

Was this answer helpful?

Ian
Coach
on Jul 11, 2022
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Hi there,

They are generally well regarded! Of course, they're not at the same level as the Booth's and Insead's of the world, but you can certainly get into MBB from Imperial.

That said, a Masters in Finance is a bit of a roundabout way to do so!

Ken
Coach
on Jul 11, 2022
Ex-McKinsey final round interviewer | Executive Coach

It depends on the office.  For the London office, they will typically expect stronger links with the UK .  

Ashwin
Coach
on Jul 11, 2022
Bain Senior Manager , Deloitte Director| 200+ MBB Offers | INSEAD

Hi there, 

Imperial college is a great brand. I know candidates from non-target schools of lesser brand value who have been invited to MBB through networking and solid cover letter / resume that indicates clear fitment with the firm. Once you receive an invite for an interview, your problem solving skills demonstrated in case interview and leadership experiences shared during  FIT interview is all that will matter. 

 

Thanks 

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