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Which university should I choose to work in MBB? (Europe or Middle East)

Hi All,

As an international student, my objective is to work in consulting (preferably MBB) in Europe (London, Amsterdam, Nordic, etc.) or Middle East with English as the main language (not speaking other European language but willing to learn one). Its difficult for me to make decision on which school should I take.

Currently, I have an offers from several business school:

1. ESSEC - Master Strategic Management In International Business (SMIB)

2. Warwick Business School - MSc Finance

3. Erasmus School of Economics - Master Financial Economics

Could anyone give me suggestions about those programs? Are any of these school is target for MBB?  Any suggestion is very welcome as it is a huge step in my life!! Thanks everyone!

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Top answer
Moritz
Coach
edited on Jul 05, 2022
ex-McKinsey EM & Interviewer | 7/8 offer rate for 4+ sessions | High impact sessions + FREE materials & exercises

Hi there,

If MBB is your target, the decision for any further education should be taken in the context of your entire background. Depending on how many years of high quality work experience you have, you may or may not benefit from further education.

My guess is that you're an undergrad aiming at back-to-back education to get your postgrad. In this case, an MBA is out of question (which other coaches referred to).

As for the degrees you're listing, they're decent but far from a direct path to MBB (but not impossible either). Here's what I suggest:

  • Suggested programs: Do some linkedin statistics to figure out the number of alumnus from each of the schools placed in MBB/Tier 2 firms.
  • Alternatives: If you can manage to apply for any other programs, check out Financial Times/Economist/Poet&Quant rankings of b-schools with programs that sound interesting to you and are equally good for plan B (here too you can and should do some linkedin alumnus stats)

A completely different approach would be throwing yourself in the job market and join a boutique consulting firm, for example, to start building an impressive resume that's not purely academic.

Hope this helps a bit! Best of luck!

on May 02, 2023
very nice
on Jul 03, 2022
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

Q: Could anyone give me suggestions about those programs?

I assume you want to do a master and not an MBA. If you can choose an MBA, INSEAD would probably be your best bet in terms of reputation and length (one year only).

In terms of the schools you listed: you should be able to check 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

Anonymous
on Jul 04, 2022

You dont choose any of these options just because you want to get into MBB in future- that may or may not happen. You want to get into a university and a program that you really want to do, learn something worthwhile and make in impact once you finish studies. Good opportunities will come by.

So, please rethink your approach. If you dont have much choice to get into a top 10-15 university then please pick the one which is the best fit. Have a look at this article for more overall guidance- https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-do-i-know-which-career-is-right-for-me

All the best.

7
Ian
Coach
on Jul 03, 2022
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

To be honest, to my knowledge none of these schools/programs are going to directly lead to MBB. If you'd like to do a degree specifically to be fed into MBB, you need to pick a top 20 global business school (LBS, IE, Insead, etc.).

If you're interested the doing a non-MBA masters then you can certainly network your way into interviews, but it will be a tough/lower odds journey! Of those 3 you listed I believe ESSEC is the strong brand/school, but it's worth looking at rankings etc.

Additionally, make sure to network! Speak with people at these schools to get a better idea of life implications etc.

Udayan
Coach
on Jul 02, 2022
Top rated Case & PEI coach/Multiple real offers/McKinsey EM in New York /12 years recruiting experience

For a good shot into MBB you ideally want to do an MBA from LBS or Insead. All these other schools are not feeder programs for MBB. However if you have a genuine interest in these subjects then go for it from a pure academic perspective and not with the necessary expectation of getting into MBB 

Clara
Coach
on Jul 05, 2022
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

Unfortunately, I am not that familiar to advice you among those. I would advise you to look at the rankings and see where the alumni are positioned in the companies you are looking into. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

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