The Lowdown on London Business School

(page 3 of 4)

David Simpson
London Business School

Manish Gajria

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We also have strong exchange programs between the full-time MBA and top U.S.

schools, including Chicago, NYU Stern, Columbia, Kellogg, Wharton, UC Berkeley and other international schools such as IESE, HEC, and CEIBS.

The exchange students that come to London Business School bring very unique perspectives from their schools and enhance the learning experience here. Just this last term we had about 40 students from HKU's business program coming to school for a full term. I did an elective with six of them, and it was great to have their input in class.

alfie73: What is the advantage of the LBS program over your competitors with 12-month programs? Is it just a matter of content and detail?

DavidLBS: There are a number of differences between a traditional two-year program and the shorter 10- to 12-month programs. A key difference is our offering of the 8- to 12-week summer internship. This gives our students the chance to try a new industry or job function or to pursue a specialist interest. Manish, for instance, is currently part of the London Business School summer consulting team.

In addition, the fact that you have several months longer to undertake your studies means that you can take more electives and learn more, spend a term on international exchange, building your global network and working on your language skills, and take full advantage of the range of extracurricular activities that are offered.

carolineb: I'm from the U.S. but worked in London for a year before coming back to the States. While I'm interested in working globally, I wonder how an LBS degree is viewed in the U.S.

DavidLBS: Our students, alumni, faculty, and community at large have a long and significant reach all over the world with a large concentration of alumni in the U.S. In fact, our second largest concentration of alumni is in the U.S. and is growing all the time. I presume that you want to work in an international capacity with a U.S.-based firm? If so, then the London Business School MBA will give you the knowledge, skills, and attributes to differentiate yourself against local competition. Like all job search issues, it all depends on your performance as an individual, but we can help you to develop yourself and prepare for a diverse career ahead.

vsaroyan: I am considering completing an application to LBS after a year and a half of work experience, but I have three-plus years of relevant internships during my college experience. Should I consider applying with a relatively short amount of full-time experience?

ManishLBS: I will give you a student's perspective on work experience. Pre-MBA work experience not only gives you good direction on future career choices but also allows you to enhance your learning from the MBA. I have learned a lot from my peers' anecdotes on specific topics. In areas where I haven't gotten experience of my own, I learn from speaking to my classmates who have. I believe you miss out on a lot of the learning if you come into the MBA prematurely.

nandeetaseth: Will my low GPA (2.9 to 3.2, estimated) be offset by my 700 GMAT and strong quantitative work experience (three years as M&A analyst in an investment bank)?