When one thinks of the biggest and most dynamic business capitals of the world, London is very often the very first name that comes to mind. The capital of England houses major offices of most global companies across all sectors, while also being a hub of innovation and technology. To be able to access one of the best MBA programs in the world in a city like London itself might seem too good to be true, but London Business School has made that dream a reality.
The Basics
Established in 1964 and located near the famous Regent’s Park, London Business School offers masters programs in management and finance, along with its MBA and PhD programs.
The MBA program typically has four application rounds, in September, January, March, and April. The average full time work experience of the incoming MBA batch is five years, with a median GMAT score of 708. You can check out the latest deadlines for the LBS MBA program here.
LBS is also a part of E7 - an informal group of the best European business schools. Other schools in the E7 group include INSEAD, HEC Paris, Oxford Said, Cambridge Judge Business School, IMD and IESE.
The program was ranked 6th and 7th in the FT Global MBA rankings for 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Key Program Details
Class diversity: Peer group learning is one of the most important aspects of any MBA program and at LBS, this becomes an incredible experience. The most recent batch had students with an experience range of 13 years, coming from 62 nationalities, having backgrounds in finance, consulting, law, marketing, public policy and so on.
Flexible program: The LBS MBA allows students to choose between a 15, 18, and 21 month program. Students have immense flexibility to truly customize their MBA program like nowhere else in the world, by being able to not only choose which electives to study, but also how many, in addition to opting in/out of experiences such as international exchanges.
Location: The value of being located in the heart of London really cannot be emphasized enough! It provides students with tremendous opportunities for their internships during the program, many of which can get converted into full time offers.
Admissions
The MBA application consists of undergraduate transcripts, test scores, professional experiences, essays and 2 professional recommendations.
LBS is also one of the few schools to formally declare a minimum work experience requirement, which stands at 2 years of full-time experience. The preference for slightly more experienced candidates is also clear in their class profile, with an average age of 29. For candidates with less than 2 years’ experience, they accept applications for their Masters in Management program, which itself is consistently ranked among the top 5 in the world.
Essay Questions
The MBA application includes two essays, one of which is optional.
The mandatory essay is on the topic “What are your post-MBA goals and how will your prior experience and the London Business School programme contribute towards these?” (500 words)
As should be evident, the essay really does cover all aspects of the candidate’s professional journey, from the experiences they have had, to where they see their career going, and how the LBS MBA is the final and pivotal piece in their personal jigsaw puzzle. It is important to be precise and clear since there isn’t much scope to beat around the bush and be generic.
The optional essay is on the topic “Is there any other information you believe the Admissions Committee should know about you and your application to London Business School?” (500 words)
As is often the case with optional essays, this must only be used if there is genuinely critical information to be conveyed which hasn’t been covered elsewhere in the application; it shouldn’t be used just to sell yourself in more words. Optional essays however are a great place to explain work gaps, low GPAs etc. and other seemingly negative aspects of the application where valid reasons exist.
Apart from these two innocuous essays, the MBA application itself has multiple short-answer questions which quiz the applicants on various aspects of their profile. Do not make the mistake of taking these questions lightly. They are as important as the formal essays, and provide significant insight to the admissions teams about your candidacy.
Career Outcomes
The LBS MBA sets up its students to thrive in the business world and have a successful global career. Some key takeaways from the Class of 2019 to highlight this are,
93% of graduates seeking employment received an offer within 3 months of graduation.
The average base salary was $107,990 and the average expected performance bonus was $46,700.
The top industry destinations for graduates were consulting (40%), finance (26%), and technology (20%). The famous MBB consulting companies (McKinsey, Bain, and BCG) hired a whopping 101 students from a single batch, nearly a quarter of the class.
While many students did join employment in London/the UK (40%), students also had opportunities across the world, with c.10-15% in each Asia, North America, South America, and the rest of Europe.
So if you’re ready to participate in a diverse, global MBA experience in one of the hottest cities in the world to be at, London Business School may well be your calling!
Abhinav is a commerce graduate of H.R. College of Commerce & Economics, Mumbai currently pursing a career in finance at Deloitte.
He is an avid sports lover, particularly of badminton, cricket and football, and also enjoys playing the guitar.
He has an admit to the ISB PGP for the Class of 2022 through the YLP program.
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