Sunday, November 13, 2005

LBS/Oxbridge

I attended the London Business School’s presentation last Saturday morning. What have I retained from these hours spent in company of fellow possible applications, 2 alumni and a member of the admissions’ committee? It seems that LBS competes directly with INSEAD for the same pool of applicants with 2 significant drawbacks: cost and duration.
However, LBS possesses the London advantage. Yes, I read some of the propaganda and I am still able to remember it. It is my impression that the average LBS grad is more mature than the typical INSEAD alumnus/ae. For those interested in applying, HSBC seems to be able to loan all of the tuition + living expenses at a competitive rate.
If I remember correctly, 70% of LBS grads stay in London afterwards, mostly working in the City for an average of 2 years. That would mean 4+ years in jolly Old England. Uh, I’ve only been to London once but frankly I don’t know if I would be willing to commit to that. New York seems closer, much more manageable than London in my mind.
Then again, there’s the London advantage. Basically, it is a question of choosing between spending a weekend in the Hamptons or in Barcelona. With Easy Jet and all the other carriers flying out of airports like Gatwick, it is very easy to hop around while in London provided one has some time off.  Academically-wise, LBS is top-notch and offers exchange programs to the usual schools and more exotic locales like South Africa.

I also took a brief look at Cambridge and Oxford. It seems to me that Oxford has a somewhat stronger program but at the same time, Cambridge’s policy of not charging for an application fee is very alluring. Oxbridge has a great brand name and I am sure the programs can’t be sorely lacking. They may not have the same reputation as LBS but living in the English countryside is definitely cheaper than living in London’s zone 1 or 2. Writing exams wearing a robe sounds very cool to me. I don’t know, maybe I read too many of my little cousins’ Harry Potter’s novels but I envision that it would be cool to eat dinner in a big hall. Then again, studying at Oxbridge would also mean staying a few more years in London, most likely. Well, London is definitely not Louisville, KY but I never imagined living among Sloane Rangers. Well, would it better than spending my time around Patrick Batemans in an apartment overlooking the Federal Reserve building?


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