Would it be career suicide in the US to go to a European school for masters? Thinking of a career break and want to go to school to learn something interesting. Torn between shelling out ~200K for a Tier 1 Ivy and getting the brand/network. On the flipside my colleagues in Europe seem so much more laid back and while their schools (outside of Oxbridge) aren't really known that well in the English speaking world it might be a nice break with little to no cost. Nordics and DACH offer free tuition

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Not suicide at all. In my opinion it will make you more well rounded than just doing what everyone does back home.

I don't really care for following one set of rules like everyone else, go and create your own path. You'll have a more interesting story to tell.

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Are you doing the masters for a career switch?

I’ve done a Nordic masters and had a good experience.

One thing I should make you aware of though - given how cheap the education is for Europeans, having a masters degree in Europe is often a pre requisite to get into the kind of decent roles you can get out of undergrad in places like the US/Aus/Canada. I think the UK is a bit different. But places like Denmark, Germany, Italy, Sweden, France etc very common for students to do a masters degree immediately post undergrad.

So you may be very mature in comparison to classmates and not gain as much from them learning wise. You may be at a very different point in life.

This probably doesn’t apply to all masters or anything like that but suggest you look into it.

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LBS is the tier 1 MBA in Europe. Plenty of alumni in the US in places it matters plus you have the opportunity to try and stay in London post MBA.

Have plenty of American friends who came across the pond and went back.

INSEAD is the other big name but more popular in Europe than US. Oxford/Cambridge are great schools with recognisable names but I wouldn’t rate their MBA programs as high. Plus all these schools are a fair distance from the city (1hour+ train) making networking and non school events harder (plus you get less guest speakers as they need to commute too)

MBA2014 LBA grad.

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What kind of masters you want to pursue?

Most of universities here have tuition fees for people outside of European Union. (Including Scandinavian countries). However much lower than American schools.

Your big advantage is being from the US - many programs would love to have you for diversity quotient so maybe you’ll be considered for scholarships etc.

In regards of costs you should also consider the location. Spain, Portugal and Italy have relatively low costs of living which is not true for Scandinavia or Germany.

Finally it might sounds counterintuitive but while in European school you might take exchange semester to Ivy League school if you want to gain the brand recognition and omit the costs of doing it regular way.

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I’m confused if England isn’t a part of Europe or if they don’t speak english there 🤔

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Oh also, i know people from INSEAD who got really nice deals on the Bay Area - so no, not suicide if you pick a good MBA.

Although I doubt INSEAD is cheap

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I think the number of schools actually free for non-EU internationals is very limited, but even if you have to pay tuition it's a minuscule fraction compared to U.S. or even U.K. so could well be worth the invest. You'll still build up a network that you can leverage, it will just be a European network :)

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Yea last I checked the Nordic schools were actually quite expensive for non-EU residents.

likesmart

Wait… no… Nordic country’s don’t offer free tuition…. Sweden at least in my experience hovers around $10k a year per year. German schools are the cheapest. With $400/800 semester.

There are some extremely well respected schools in Europe in the research I’m involved with. ETH Zurich and Technical university of Munich get just as much clout as MIT at the Computer human interaction (CHI) conference my colleagues attend

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I should have put free in quotes. But those numbers you are quoting are nothing compared to what the US edu scam is charging

Some schools in those regions are actually quite respected in the US (e.g. Copenhagen Business School, ETHZ, EPFL, depending what you want to study)

What kind of masters you want to pursue?

Most of universities here have tuition fees for people outside of European Union. (Including Scandinavian countries). However much lower than American schools.

Your big advantage is being from the US - many programs would love to have you for diversity quotient so maybe you’ll be considered for scholarships etc.

In regards of costs you should also consider the location. Spain, Portugal and Italy have relatively low costs of living which is not true for Scandinavia or Germany.

Finally it might sounds counterintuitive but while in European school you might take exchange semester to Ivy League school if you want to gain the brand recognition and omit the costs of doing it regular way.

Insead, LBS, and LSE are all fantastic schools

Not career suicide. I did it and have no regrets

I did a masters in sustainable business in EU. Cons: It took me a lot longer to get where I am because I wasn’t at a top school and had a blended degree that was less in demand at the time. Pros: my current opportunities are awesome. I have a job I love that pays really well, a global network of sustainability and ESG practitioners across public and private sectors that I can call with work questions which helps me add value and nuance to client conversations, and friends to visit when I travel. I also have a bigger net of thought leaders to follow, a broader perspective on complex problems, and an appreciation for people who have very different backgrounds than mine.

Which schools are worth considering for masters in finance in the EU region? I'm considering moving into a PE role from my long stint in consulting.

Manager 1 IE is not considered great school in Europe. It’s third in Spain and generally schools that have recognition in Europe are first in their respectable countries.

Finance programs are at their best in financial hubs -Madrid is definitely not that.

At the same time it’s all about your goals. If you want to work in Spain (many opportunities in startups and tech) or learn Spanish IE will still serve you well.

Is IE business school's Masters in finance worth pursuing if I plan to change my career into PE?

Kearney person here and I think fantastic. You’ll learn a ton. International exposure is great. You’ll have a more interesting story. And you’ll have career options - though we’d love to have you back. ;-)

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