[piermarcor]

Hi darthcoder,
I am a former MSc student and I plan to do an MBA to operate a career switch. I was very satisfied with the work opportunities that I was able to attain thanks to Cass, so I am applying to it again, this time to change sector (from finance to management consulting).
1) I think doing the Gmat the 28th of April is risky, since Cass doesn't have the facility to check gmat grades online, so they will need to wait until they actually receive the paper copy before processing your app. Paper documents need 2-3 weeks to be received, AFTER the result is available, so you are looking at minimum 3-4 weeks total time, which might cut you off the deadline.
2) Sorry no idea about this issue.
3) The indian community is normally quite strong at MScs at Cass, and I think it is the same for the MBA, so you should have good chances. However, you are applying late, so the quota of indian students might be already filled by the time you apply... I hear this year there are a lot of applications.
4) I will use my savings, but you can ask Cass if they have any direct contact with banks for loans.
5) As I said, I heard this year there are a LOT of applications, so the later you apply the smaller are your chances.
Good luck!

[dreaming_high]

Originally Posted by pranman

Hey guys,

Sorry I'm not checking this thread very often but I do return when I get time.

You had some more questions so I'll answer them below.

Jimmorrison asked,

1.What would be the avg cost one has to budget for living /misc. expenses in London?

My answer:
It depends if you're single or are coming with your wife/girlfriend. IT also depends if you smoke or drink so let me give you a breakdown as I've experienced it so far.

Accomodation,
- £350 per month for a room in a shared house or college dorm. Rooms in houses that you get via your own means can cost anywhere upto £800/month depending on location.
- If you want to live independently, studios cost between £170-£300 per week.
Bear in mind that prices go up 30% in September when international students arrive. Best sites to look at properties are FindaProperty.com Estate agents property search for sale & rent UK & overseas properties and Flats to rent London, jobs in London, flatshare, free classified ads UK


Misc Expenses,
If you dont drink/smoke and eat out only minimally, then budget for £50 per week (groceries etc).
If you drink moderately (like most of us), add £20 to your weekly budget.
Cigarette packs cost around £6 for a pack of 20.

Travel,
A monthly travelcard for zones 1-2 in London costs £67. You can take the tube, bus or trams, trains using this. (If you dont buy a travelcard, a one way journey costs £1.50 on the tube.)

Books - Budget for around £300 for the year.

2.Are MBA's considered for Ibanking analyst jobs or Associate level jobs (say with no previous Finance Experience )?

Yes. MBAs from Cass join as Associates. Very few Investment Banks/financial firms hire MBAs as analysts. If you have previous finance experience they might even hire you higher up if you can sell yourself well.


Another question
Prashant asked,

I know that CASS is very strong in finance and has great links with the banking world. I would be pleased to know about CASS' tie-ups with I.T firms and its concentration on strategy or IT consulting.

Prashant, Cass is ranked #8 in the world in Strategy. We have some of the best professors and people in other B-schools use books written by our professors :-)

In terms of links with consulting firms, we've got good links to the big 4 and many alumni who are eager to recruit us.

Links to the IT industry are weaker. However, you've got enough avenues to network and build your own. This year we've got around 10-12 guys from IT (including me) and trust me, there's no dearth of options ;-)

If you want to be very focused on IT, I suggest you look at Warwick. I hear they've got good ties with IBM.


Vicky asked about international trips

Vicky, every year we have a choice of electives (this year we have around 30 on offer). We can chose to do international electives. This year we have a choice of India, China, South Africa and Thailand. We can choose to do one or all of them. If you choose one, its free and the price is included in your tuition - you do have to buy your own flights though. Every international elective is 1 week long and we stay at some of the best hotels and have very packed itineraries. In China, one of the more exciting things is that we have lunch on the Great Wall as a class ;-) you should see the photos from last year - cant wait for June when we're finally going :-)

On top of the electives, this year we're going to Poland for a week long consulting trip, where we are given a Polish company to consult for. This project is for the whole class (done as groups) and is all expenses paid (including flights).

There are other international travel opportunties, there are MBA business case competitions - for instance there was a Sports business case competition last week in San Diego and 4 MBAs went there.

There's the MBAT (MBA olympics), hosted in Paris that happen in May.

There's also a number of other events that I'm sure you can google and find out. This list here is not supposed to be exhaustive and I'm just giving you a flavour of what lies in store.

Krish - Welcome to Cass :-)

Oh, and while I'm at it, I'd like to point out that its written Cass and not CASS - as its a name (Sir John Cass).

:-)

And I'll use this opportunity to advertise our MBA blog if anyone's interested. ITs at A Cass MBA blog


Cheers!
Pranay

Hi,

Lots of thanks for your efforts, I have got the offer from Cass and have few queries.

1) Considering the fact that the tuition fees is 28000 Pound (excluding living and travelling), is Cass MBA really worth the big investment (both in terms of time and money)?
2) How is the current job market in UK for MBA graduates? I would be targetting a role in Technology Management or Consulting.
3) I heard that HSMP is being scrapped off and in lieu of that all the MBA/MSc UK graduates would be given a work permit for two years. If its two years I guess lots of problems would be solved.
4) Normally how much studentship is awarded. Can I expect a substantial reward.
5) Were there any cases in last year batch that students have to go back to their countries out of will because of non-availability of job?
6) I agree lots of people must be getting jobs in London but what other areas of UK/Europe do Cass gradua go.
7) If I step into the job market with a Cass degree in hand, how is that perceived by the corporate world in UK.

Thanks a lot once again.

[dreaming_high]

Hi,

Guys I have got an admit from Cass and planning to join it. Are there any puys who have paid their deposit and are sure of joining Cass as of now. Would like to get in touch with them.

Thanks

[world_not_enuf]

Originally Posted by dreaming_high

Hi,

Guys I have got an admit from Cass and planning to join it. Are there any puys who have paid their deposit and are sure of joining Cass as of now. Would like to get in touch with them.

Thanks

Hi Dreaming,

Congrats on the call. You have a good presence on all the school's threads .Seems like you filled a lot of applications. When did you fill Cass and how much time did it take for the interview and final call? Also how about Tanaka admission?
On what parameters did you apply to Cass?

PS: I think this is my second straight question to you . I hope you answer it as well.

[dreaming_high]

Originally Posted by world_not_enuf

Hi Dreaming,

Congrats on the call. You have a good presence on all the school's threads .Seems like you filled a lot of applications. When did you fill Cass and how much time did it take for the interview and final call? Also how about Tanaka admission?
On what parameters did you apply to Cass?

PS: I think this is my second straight question to you . I hope you answer it as well.

Well I filled Cass in February, got interview call in about a month may be coz there were vacations. Got admitted into Tanaka but I dont think so it has a very strong presence in MBA. Cass I applied mainly because of London city, its consulting strength, different parameters of program like emerging markets week etc. But to be very frank I am extremely confused about joining Cass. Any inputs would be helpful. Have you taken up the offer.

[piermarcor]

I exchanged emails with three current Cass MBA students, and all of them are enthusiast about the program and the experience. They are currently in Poland for the SME project. I was told that a few students already found a job.

I also spoke to a former student, from class 2006-2007, and he is currently working at HSBC as investment banker. He was very satisfied with what Cass offered him, and he says the program delivered everything he wanted. He also said that about 33% of students found a job directly through the Cass Career office, and a few more got it thanks to the Business research project.

[dreaming_high]

Originally Posted by piermarcor

I exchanged emails with three current Cass MBA students, and all of them are enthusiast about the program and the experience. They are currently in Poland for the SME project. I was told that a few students already found a job.

I also spoke to a former student, from class 2006-2007, and he is currently working at HSBC as investment banker. He was very satisfied with what Cass offered him, and he says the program delivered everything he wanted. He also said that about 33% of students found a job directly through the Cass Career office, and a few more got it thanks to the Business research project.

Thats quite positive aspect. I believe you have already paid the deposit. Did you got any studentship? Also will you be staying in college apartments or planning for apartments outside. The college apartments seems really expensive.

[piermarcor]

Hi dreaming_high
Yes I already paid the deposit. I didn't look for scholarships cause I think there are people who need them much more than I do. From what I remember anyway, there are a good number of them.

I will look for a flat outside, might even go to live with a few friends that I already have in London... It's good that the pound lost 18% of its value against the Euro in less than 1 year .

[dreaming_high]

Originally Posted by piermarcor

Hi dreaming_high
Yes I already paid the deposit. I didn't look for scholarships cause I think there are people who need them much more than I do. From what I remember anyway, there are a good number of them.

I will look for a flat outside, might even go to live with a few friends that I already have in London... It's good that the pound lost 18% of its value against the Euro in less than 1 year .

Hey,

So you one of the final admits. Dont you think it should be worth living in campus as more chances of interaction with students and networking. Just my 2 cents.

Also what are the core strengths of Cass: Finance, Consulting, IT? Which area are you looking for in specialization. One more doubt, if I land up in London job market with a Cass MBA, will I be perceived competitive or just another average guy.

Out of inquistive, what other admits you had.

[piermarcor]

While it is true that City University has a campus, Cass Business School is not located there. Student rooms for graduate students are in buildings in different parts of that area, though they are all relatively close to Cass main building.

Cass as a brand is strong in Finance, thanks also to its successful MSc programs.

I spoke to a number of people about the job opportunities that I would get coming out of Cass rather than another UK business school. According to the majority of the people I talked to, while LBS is a step ahead, Cambridge, Oxford, Tanaka and Cass offer similar career prospects in the UK market. You will be more or less competitive mainly based on your CV, rather than which among these schools you come out. However I recognize that Oxford and Cambridge enjoy a higher name recognition at international level.

My situation with the other schools I applied to is not clearly determined at the moment. I will reach a final decision when the situation will be clear.
Anyway, I only applied to schools I thought would have provided me a very competitive profile after graduation. I prefer not to disclose what my preferences are.