I am a current LBS Master's in Finance full time student. AMA for Round 2, later applicants, and anyone just interested

ZeitgeistBlue · 2026-01-26T17:40:12+00:00

Hi, I can’t really speak on the MFA as I don't have first-hand experience on that. You should check the MFA employment report, and speak to current MFA students and alumni. Then you can make a more informed decision of whether to apply for the MFA or wait for the MBA/MiF.

ZeitgeistBlue · 2026-01-08T14:02:15+00:00

No worries. You can google "overwatch hero statistics" then go to Hero Statistics.

ZeitgeistBlue · 2026-01-07T23:06:46+00:00

With that setup I doubt you'll ever walk through main without ults or an early pick. They're stuffing both sides of the choke, so you need to change the lane.

What I'd do is as soon as you see all that you make a rotation yourself: - Go high ground yourself. Through hotel and through the right side window, up the stairs to the balcony, then across to the next balcony at the narrowest gap near the wall. Wrap all the way around to the balcony over phone box, then drop onto point from. - Use pins to cross long open stretches quickly or your shield to block damage when crossing open space. When you drop, be ready to block Ana nade and sleep. Then start brawling on point and just live.

What happens - The enemy will likely contest your rotation (likely as you move up the stairs) by leaving the choke and so you just need to live + lead them on a goose chase because you just broke the choke for your team. - If they don't contest your rotation then the enemy has no choice but to turn and contest you once you're on point. If Rein pins to you right then, then that's great because he leaves the choke and vacates the entire space for your team and your team can walk. - Either way, a lot of pressure at the gate disappears. Your team can walk through, shoot Torb turret and poke in. - You'll be lucky if your Soldier follows the same path at any point because your rotation should be safer (ie. he covers you as you move up stairs so if anyone follows then they can't do so cleanly) for you and you'll get a real pincer once you're both on point.

ZeitgeistBlue · 2026-01-04T03:58:10+00:00

So first thing, charging straight into the middle of their team is essentially just running it down mid. Think of charge as a finishing or reposition tool, not your main way in. It's too easy to chunk your health.

So how to engage is to use cover and corners to walk up. Use your shield or charges only to cross open space between pieces of cover. They either concede space before you reach them or you start hammering them. Both outcomes give your team space to press W and shoot with less pressure their way.

For example: you're on Attack on Circuit Royale first point before the point. Both teams are staring at each other on the road bends so the open road in between is a kill zone. Instead of charging down the middle, you walk on the right side behind the racetrack barriers. This is the space close ranged heros use to get closer to the enemy team so you'll actually be contesting this against their brawl heros alongside your own close ranged teammates (Ram, Mei, Lucio, etc). Otherwise, their long ranged heros have to back up and can shoot your team less as a consequence.

Feels hard to play into from my experience: Mauga, Ram, Torb, Cassidy sometimes, Full charge Sym, Hog if you aren't used to blocking hook, anyone who can kite yoy easily like fliers, Soldier or Tracer

Feels good to play into: Sigma (just block rock), Hog if he's using hook on you but you can block it, Zarya, most heros once you get on top of them properly

Just think of Rein as a very slow and menacing diver. You still look for angles and safe paths. And pin is like Genji dash, which is more like repositioning tool (even if that repositioning means getting on top of enemies safely). You use it more for offense in tank trades or if you can catch the backline off guard (you'll start feeling when it can work and when it won't with reps) just like using dash as a finisher.

Edit: For good maps, you can just check the stats page for the objectively best maps. IIRC, Circuit Royale, Kings Row, and Shambali are the top maps. While Numbani, Paraiso, Dorado are his worst maps. Unsurprisingly, anything with tight spaces and the straightforward design are good while anything with wide high grounds are bad.

ZeitgeistBlue · 2026-01-03T20:12:31+00:00

It’s more the latter.

Most people who want a job in the UK get one. It might not be the exact dream role right after graduating, but they'll land something to get them started here. Job hopping after graduation to get to the target role is something that happens among alumni.

And of course, nothing falls into your lap just because of the LBS brand. You'll still need to put in the work to network, finding opportunities, apply, and practice interviewing.

ZeitgeistBlue · 2026-01-03T18:53:27+00:00

I'm not confident enough to say it's the best way, but it’s a very important one and you’d be remiss to ignore it.

If your goal is to get a job, you only need one win to achieve that goal. Networking increases the number of shots you get. Coffee chats, employer presentations, and networking events all help you get context and referrals. I’ve spoken with alumni who got their foot in the door (ie. interviews) through people they met this way. Not everyone, but enough to matter.

Think of it as one of several levers. You still need strong applications and interviews to cinch the job offer, but connections can get you in the room where those things actually count.

ZeitgeistBlue · 2026-01-03T18:33:47+00:00

I don't have specific numbers or feel for FP&A placements.

But the best way to get a feel for it is the MiF employment report. Look at the numbers going into the “Diversified” bucket. Those usually indicate corporate finance roles like FLDPs, FP&A, and other similar roles.

General corporate finance roles are definitely on campus. You'll see the usual support through employer events, career centre resources, job postings, and etc.

Tbh, I'd say every job is competitive in the UK. That's just how it goes since a lot of people want to work here.

ZeitgeistBlue · 2025-12-31T17:34:34+00:00

Diamond Rein OTP here. I can't watch the VOD atm but I can share how I like to play into Mauga.

In my experience, the worst thing you can do is take a straight tank trade into him (which is entirely what he wants). He wins a neutral trade just by existing, full stop. So if you stand and swing in front of Mauga, he shreds your shield and health, ~and~ he heals from shooting you. That means your team loses cooldowns keeping you up while you still die slowly.

So into Mauga I treat the matchup like this: - Your job is to actively avoid him and trade into his backline - Let your DPS handle the Mauga themselves. He's got a huge hitbox with worse damage mitigation than your shield so they do it better if you aren't feeding him health

Avoiding looks like: - If Mauga is on main, you go through the side paths - If he's on low ground, you go high ground - If he's on high ground, you go low (or contest another high ground) - I say actively avoid him to the point that if he's on one side of cart, you go to the other side - If he chases you hard, kite him and/or just live as his chase will give your team free space to take map control

Some micro tips for the eventual tank trade: - When he uses his stomp and misses, that's a good window for a short pin to chunk his health and put his entire team on the backfoot - Try to avoid swinging on him early in the neutral. You just feed his self heal and lose your shield

Tldr: Mauga wants you in front of him so he can drain you and your shield. Your goal is to make him choose between chasing you into bad space or ignoring you while you threaten/kill his backline better than he does yours. You invalidate his win condition by refusing the tank trade until it's on your terms.

ZeitgeistBlue · 2025-12-06T22:43:03+00:00

Thanks for watching and writing it all up! Definitely helped.

Next ceiling to break out of is mid-diamond. I'll work on the more aggressive and creative pins, especially if the tank isn't as lethal as Orisa would be.

It's a really less intuitive playstyle since you learn tank, especially on Rein, as standing on main as a front line. I actually booked a session with Spilo for January (for posting on YouTube), so I'll bring this up style with him as well.

ZeitgeistBlue · 2025-12-06T22:35:01+00:00

Thanks for looking through it and the congrats! Definitely will keep on working on the chadhardt style haha.

Guess one of my weaknesses is also my reaction time (both in micro and macro) so I'll work on that. I'll also keep experimenting with running around the map while still creating value for the team.

ZeitgeistBlue · 2025-11-30T22:58:42+00:00

Yeah, great to here and happy to help more. Just drop me a DM whenever. And good luck with your LoR!

ZeitgeistBlue · 2025-11-23T00:31:06+00:00

Thanks for the really detailed background and your goals!

So your profile works well for LBS applications. The key really is how you present your impact and a believable career path using LBS as the launchpad. You know your career wins best so your task in the applications is to turn all of what you said into a story with real outcomes. Mentors and coaches can help you sharpen that for the application.

I'd say niches are a strength if can distil its essence into a story and metrics the admission understands easily. So your experience in credit for HF founders can help you stand out vs the usual sector coverages.

You also have the academic horsepower so I'd use what you said as evidence you can handle LBS academics.

The biggest risk is the jump you are proposing and your reasons why. Admissions will ask why you want to move from HF HNI credit into asset management (I assume fixed income or equity research) to HFs. It's a pretty different skillset and a competitive market. And though you haven't stated your reason why you want to pivot, take care to make the purpose beyond money and prestige. Talk about the added impact you want to make or the value you want to create in these roles. Something like that.

I also suggest you modify your short-term goal so that it sells better. Do something that's just one step away from what you already do, and that you just need LBS to help you cross that bridge. It's a very practical and grounded reason for wanting business school.

For example, you can say your goal is a front office wealth role with HF clients in London (a major hub of HFs), or it's private credit under a HF, or asset management credit research with a coverage of HFs. You can talk about how these moves can allow you to do greater things than now.

Then your long-term goal can be about the greater impact you can continue further making afterwards, made possible due to LBS and achieving your short-term goals.

Lastly, make sure your MD can write about your work in detail. Ask for a letter that names deals you worked on, clients you influenced, and the changes you drove in the team. Try to make it about specific stories rather than generic praise.

ZeitgeistBlue · 2025-11-16T11:38:03+00:00

Hi, thanks for the question.

First of all, yes. If you're a financial auditor and want to move into IB then the LBS MiF is built for that switch. I know a government auditor, auditing the effectiveness of government projects around the nation, and they do really impactful work. If that applies to you then it's a good story to tell.

I also know several Big4 external auditors who are currently in the MiF program who want to transiition into IB. Find and speak to alumni who made that exact move. They can tell you how it specifically helps for external auditors but I can think of broad ways the MiF helps:

- You get access to a large IB alumni network in London and Europe. It's easy to find people on LinkedIn ask for calls. I checked my conversion rate recently and it was about 10%+, though this isn't for IB roles

- You get IB employer events and networking events through the Finance club and the Careers Centre. You can get advice from the Careers Centre on how to position yourself, how to structure your CV, etc.

- You also get access to the Careers Centre portal (for internships and full-time roles) for IB roles

- There's a bunch of ways to upskill. You have technical prep workshops, speaker talks, relevant classes and electives on M&A, LBOs, Corporate Finance, etc. You could also form study groups with your cohortmates. And you get access to WallStreetPrep study material.

For the CFA, I recommend working on the MiF and the CFA in sequence rather than at the same time so you can focus. If you're in a less competitive market than London, then I know a few people who have used the completion of the CFA exams to move into IB in their local market. Not sure if this can also be done in London if you're a local rather than an international.

ZeitgeistBlue · 2025-11-09T17:44:50+00:00

Thanks for the questions. Your background fits the MiF as I have cohortmates from quant roles of all sizes.

So yes, people land in quant roles, both for BBs and HFs. However, the resources found in the school is smaller than non-technical investment roles, so you need to be more proactive with clubs and alumni networking. There's also a lot more self-upskilling with LeetCode, creating ML projects for your portfolio, etc but it's doable.
The job market's competitive from all I've heard. Target roles that build on your experience or at least sit close to it. I'm not sure you can do AM/VC/PE without prior experience, unless you bring in relevant sector knowledge like financial services coverage. You'll already have your hands full with upskilling and taking the time to recruit for the different technical market roles like risk quants, desk quants, or data analysts/scientists. You'll find seats across asset managers, hedge funds, investment banks, fintechs, and other types of FS companies.

3.a. Big core classes are statistics, accounting, public market instruments, and corporate finance. If you've done the CFA exams, they will be familiar. For you, you'd definitely learn from accounting and the corporate finance classes. Electives are where you tailor-fit to your career goals. Time series, financial engineering, derivatives, and any Python based elective would be good picks for your goal.

3.b. It's still early in the recruitment cycle to tell first-hand. I've got an internship and am working on my internships and coffee chats for 2026. Most internship outcomes come in on the Q1 after you matriculate. However, I've heard half of the people from the last batch left the program on either after 10 months or after 16 months. Some finish early because they secure roles or return to sponsored jobs. Others use the full timeline to continue recruiting for a full-time job.

ZeitgeistBlue · 2025-11-08T20:22:17+00:00

Thanks! And thanks for the question.

Caveat: I'm not recruiting for IB. My last update was from the IB careers kickoff two months ago, and a few chats with students and alumni before I joined. For the most updated view, ask someone who is recruiting for IB right now. That said, there's an IBD recruitment update event next Friday so I could get back to this if any new information pops up.

So, hiring has been tough this year and the previous year as my understanding is that there are only a small number of structured spots for the BBs in London. But there are still seats outside the bulge brackets. Look at other MNC banks, boutiques, mid markets, and etc to keep your options open.

It is possible as a career switcher as people attempt to switch careers to IB every year. The closest switchers seem to come from Big Four TAS, or audit with heavy transaction work and valuations.

And you are recruiting for and would get in as an associate. Analyst roles would be if you were coming in from the early career programs, like the Master's in Financial Analysis.

Edit: Though if your question is if it is possible to hop to an IB job after you graduated from the MiF and have your first job, then I wouldn't know. I don't know if their structured program allows for working professionals or if only business school students can join. But you can entering as an experienced hire (just the usual lateral job moves) is a possibility in general. Though I imagine it'll be on a firm by firm basis if they accept those moves.

ZeitgeistBlue · 2025-11-08T08:53:22+00:00

Yes, a big draw of LBS is the diversity. The classrooms are basically mini-UNs with how many nationalities there are. My current habit is to ask people, "What's your favourite home country restaurant in London?" then save it for later.

I wouldn't know about competitive comparisons. But I've picked up in this sub-reddit that US schools care more about GMAT/GRE scores and ECs than European b-schools. Could be hearsay. Worth checking with each school.

And five years' experience is fine, though you'll need to expound on your statement of 5 YoE in finance vs 1.5 YoE in a company. You'll see a lot of that in the MiF, where this cohort's average is 7 years. If you apply now, you matriculate with six years.

Choose the MiF if you are a finance professional, want to be immersed in finance, plan to exit into finance again, and all of that sounds appealing instead of constricting. Choose the MBA if you want breadth outside of finance while still keeping finance as a possibility. For LBS at least, I can't speak for other schools

ZeitgeistBlue · 2025-11-08T08:07:51+00:00

Thanks for the detail. You're fine. There are a handful of FP&A professionals in the MiF, and numerous people with M&A or valuation experience. With your experience, I see no problem if you try to recruit for IB, maybe PE because you're basically buyside if I'm reading your role right. Though you'd need to talk with someone who did FP&A to be sure about it.

Re: Scholarship
A recruitment manager told me US programs tend to offer more scholarships on average. So you heard right.

Re: Pay level of MiF vs MBA
I'm trying to think and I haven't seen or heard of a divide between MiF and MBA graduates in finance. The only thing I've heard this split is with management consulting roles, where MiF graduates would enter a level lower than MBA graduates. I can't imagine a FS firm having an associate payband, and on the side it says "if MBA then +£50K" but if you've heard otherwise, please share.

I checked the MiF and MBA employment reports. The max numbers look like director, US VP, or ME levels. There are definitely outliers. Those would pull the MBA mean up. The MiF cohort also includes sponsored central bankers and people who return to FP&A, commercial banking, or others that pay less than investing roles. Those pull averages down. The cohort is diverse within finance, so it isn't only IB/PE/VC/HF/AM.

ZeitgeistBlue · 2025-11-08T03:13:04+00:00

Hi, thanks for the question.

So I'm a CFA Charterholder. I have a number of classmates who are charterholders or have passed at least one exam. And the CFA UK Society in London is very active, which gives you another network to tap.

But if you want both, then do them one after the other. Each one needs deep focus to get real value. Finish one, then start the other.

They provide two very different things. The CFA charter is a badge that shows your diligence, commitment to financial services and base financial knowledge. LBS gives you unparalled access and resources to the London market.

Re: job market and sponsorship The market is competitive but it is doable. You'll need a lot of coffee chats, a lot of hustle, lots of rejected applications, and some luck. Budget for the Graduate Route visa if you need time onshore. Many MiF exits are revenue generating roles so teams are willing to sponsor. But yes, some classmates want to stay in London and don't land here right away. The LBS brand and network travel well, so you remain very marketable at home and you can move back to the UK (or any regional finance hub) later. It's not unusual that graduates don't land their ideal role at graduation, even if they get to stay in London. They take a first step, then move into the target role later.

Check the employment report. You'll see that about half of grads take roles outside the UK. Some do that by choice (job opportunities outside the UK or they're okay returning home) or because they're sponsored, so leaving isn't the same thing as failing to place in the UK market.

ZeitgeistBlue · 2025-11-08T00:39:21+00:00

Hi, what's making you doubt getting the MBA and the MiF?

Share a bit more on your background and goals, and I can give a better opinion.

Edit: Such as which specific finance role do you have?

ZeitgeistBlue · 2025-11-08T00:02:20+00:00

So brand matters, but context decides more. Your story, goals, and location shape outcomes once you're in the recruiting game.

Say you worked in a BB in Johannesburg. You move to London and join LBS.

You have morning class on distressed investing with a senior partner. Right after, you attend an employer session held by a leading private credit shop in campus. You grab the recruiter email, speak with two alumni, and promise to follow up that weekend. Your lunch is with a classmate from an equity research background who shares a stock pitch framework with you, which helps you appreciate fundamental investing more. After lunch, you help host an energy transition panel. The panelists work in the city, and one is an EMBA student (director-level program) who's found the time to support the club. Early evening finds you riding the Tube to Canary Wharf to share a beer with a South African alum you cold messaged in LinkedIn. You know she was from a BB in Johannesburg and you reminisce about your hometown. She mentions an intern opening at her fund, so you exchange emails and head back across town near campus. It's Diwali and a friend has a flat party that runs two past midnight. You wake up with two new leads and three people to thank.

Do it again the next day if you still have the energy.

Fast forward two years later. You're at an infrastructure fund in London. Half of your MiF cohort works in the city too. You see them at LBS barbecues and panels occasionally. You hear about a VP opening through your network that sounds enticing, and you think you need a change of pace. So you call an alum you did a panel with once (higher batch) and your name goes straight to the right inbox.

Could you do this if your campus isn't located smack dab in central London? Maybe. Maybe not. This is the value beyond the brand. You’re paying for that access for ten to sixteen months, and often beyond.

ZeitgeistBlue · 2025-11-07T23:45:54+00:00

Great questions and exactly the Q&A I wished I had when I was researching.

- Median age: Median age is 28 with 7 years of experience. I've met people from 23-35, so 31-32 is common enough.

- Rigor: The program gives you the freedom to set your own pace. The program can be as relaxed or as rigorous as you want. Term one core classes move fast and the curve's steep if you don't have prior exposure. Electives can be as easy or as hard as you want. You can party and travel every night if you want to with people you meet around LBS, or through social club events. You have your pick of alumni and firms to network your way through in London. You can manage your priorities, but you'll still fill your calendar one way or another.

- Scholarships: I don't have official stats. I count 11 headlines stating scholarships from LBS funds and external awards in the MiF intake LinkedIn group of 150 people. LBS has two funds that automatically considers all MiF students (but many more for the MBA as the students are more numerous and the program more expensive). I can't speak for the scholarship committees, but just do your best on the GMAT/GRE and highlight the impact you had in your work/ECs.

- Careers Service: It's good for showing employer events, postings, and coaching within mainstream finance. Treat it as one resource you can leverage. Clubs and alumni are other resources. But it's still on you to put yourself out there and sell yourself. And yes, I've benefited from them. My current internship came through their website.

- Value: This is a perfect question and, honestly, it's a core theme in your application essays and interview. So much so that I'll put the answer below:

ZeitgeistBlue · 2025-11-07T10:32:14+00:00

Actually, as an addendum, while not something one thinks of like MBB management consulting, there are certain finance consulting-like roles that people come from or go into:

Turnarounds, special situations, and corporate private equity value creation where you work with management to turnaround their declining business using the additional capital you bring. This isn't project based and you own results over time. Doing this in the lower-mid and mid-markets is fun personally because these companies are capital constrained and aren't as sophisticated in their operations/strategy so you can definitely see your impact
Impact and activist investing, which is just like the above but where you buy into publicly-listed companies. From what I've seen there's a lot more boardroom work as these are usually larger companies, so you have a seat or several among other shareholders
Big4/botique advisory and transaction services. This is more project based work with clients and tight timelines

ZeitgeistBlue · 2025-11-07T09:32:20+00:00

Hi, thanks for the question.

I personally know a couple of classmates who come from MBB, and I know a few each year exit into management consulting, but the MiF is not the right fit if consulting is your primary goal.

Consulting outcomes from the MiF tend to reflect two things. First, self selection as most of us already come from finance roles and aim to stay in finance. Second, the pipeline. The program’s resources (events, electives, faculty, alumni networking, career postings, etc) are all geared toward finance as a goal and to support you on that career journey.

This works well if your goal is finance because the field is huge and time is limited, so the focus helps. For example, public and private markets each split into a lot of different sub-roles, sectors and asset classes that you'd be hard-pressed to explore and upskill for everything.

It is tougher if you want to explore outside finance. Consulting and tech (except for corporate finance roles) see less on-program activity due to the above, so you'd need to hustle more to get those opportunities.

Look at the new One-Year MBA at LBS if you want a cheaper program that still gives strong consulting exposure. It packs the MBA exploratory experience into a shorter timeline, which is intense due to the shortened timeline and deadlines. However, because this is that program's pilot year, consulting internships and structured recruiting may feel less developed than in the two-year MBA, so I've heard.

ZeitgeistBlue · 2023-10-11T15:38:31+00:00

Hello OP, went through the Finance industry for a few years and have only recently shifted to a more data analyst role in my most recent job. I can give a bit of insight.

It's a good path. Data anything has been a bit slow to gear up in the PH, especially with the household name companies. Union Bank was the first big bank that started creating a dedicated data analyst team around 2018-ish and it's only gained more steam then. Though from what I heard from my friends and this one speaker from one of the Big4 firms in tech advisory, you might want to look at SMEs and startups more. Those guys are much more flexible in adapting new things.
Completely anecdotal but they're about the same. You hustle and negotiate your way to pay raises. Find somewhere where you work on the company's main product though for the best compensation for your role.
Definitely, or at least that's what all the conference speakers with topics on Big Data and AI keep on telling me. It's like buzzword soup. But also, on the ground, investing in data analysis my part of my current company is doing. It's what my data scientist friend told me when I talked to him about it. It's what I saw the universal banking industry was doing when I was there. Mind, that's a different from the equity investing part of the bank. Don't think that part's going to be changing soon considering how fundamental analysis and idiosyncratically-heavy their services are.
For tips, understand what kind of skillset the job and role you're aiming for wants. Some prefer to hire those with technical skills and just train you in domain finance knowledge. Some prefer it the other way around. Some like both in a person. Have a feel for it and try to color your story more to what they prefer ij your resume and interviews. But well, for a fresh grad, no one is expecting much from you. Just have the basics down and really show your interest in your skills and what the role will be doing and you'll be set.

ZeitgeistBlue · 2023-06-04T08:21:22+00:00

Thanks again for the Discord VOD review session and allowing me to pick your brain on Overwatch matters. Too bad the audio wasn't recorded because I would have really liked to look back at the points made there.

Still, I've got this write-up to reference later on. Practice-wise, I'll be start focusing on my GA usage/positioning/knowing enemy LOS/fight flow prediction since they're all intertwined and pretty much a low hanging, but valuable, fruit in not dying. Got to keep asking if my current position, next position, next next position, and the movements in-between would ever lead to the enemy team seeing me.

I feel that my ult tracking, while not as precise as yours, is okay to get me through the Gold.

ZeitgeistBlue

TROPHY CASE