Bocconi for economics?

[lovefizzycolabottles]

Just wondering if anyone had any insights on Bocconi in Milan for economics - my dd has an offer, has visited and liked it but compared to the wealth of insight on here for universities here we are struggling to find out much about the actual experience - what the teaching is like, support, etc etc. I know it’s a long shot but worth an ask! Her firm here will be St Andrews we think.

I don't know anything about pastoral care etc but used to recruit graduates into investment banking. Bocconi was very highly regarded. More so than St Andrews. We used to do a lot of promotion and recruitment in Milan

For economics, it is one of the best in Europe. Up there with LSE and Cambridge

I'm in Italy and some of my students go to the Bocconi every year. I have 3 doing Economics at the moment, and two more will be going this year.

Thing to consider more than anything about Italian university is that it's a whole different experience.

There's no real pressure to finish, there are generally various dates available to do the exams (almost always only oral) and the student chooses when to do them. There tends not to be the same teaching staff-student relationship that happens with UK universities.

Within Italy itself, the Bocconi is of course highly regarded, (esp business/economics etc) though as it's private there is the idea that once you're in, you're made. Because it's private there is more pastoral care regarding the academic element but virtually nothing for non academic. That's just how Italian university is.

Have they been accepted for a triennale? If so, then it's a given they'll have to do a further 2 years for a magistrale. This isn't the same as a master's but a sort of add-on. But an add-on that everyone ends up doing. That might also be worth factoring in.

My daughter chose a UK university over Italy as she wanted the UK university experience. When I talk to my students here about the experience she is having in the UK they say unanimously "it's a whole other world".

I'd say between St A and the Boc it boils down to if you want to get your head down for 3 years, eat in nice restaurants with fairly rich peers (you have to be a wealthy Italian to be able to afford the Bocconi) or have a traditional uni experience as we know it in the UK.

We have looked at it too for DS1 and have similar concerns. He is probably going to apply but it is difficult to know whether he would prefer the whole UK university experience. Also agree, we have struggled to find much online, so any insights would be appreciated!!

Thank you @Sharpkat @So1invictus @Flammkuchen really helpful. It’s the BESS course and I had no idea about the extra 2 years that so many people do (just looked at the website and it’s like 87% or something…). Tbh I loved my uni experience here (and think Milan is a long way away etc etc) but she is very interested in it as a possibility.

@Travelban I was surprised at how different the application process is to here so literally SAT results (or ACT or Bocconi test) and then your lower sixth end of year exam grades and a personal statement and cv. No predicted grades or reference from school. Other than giving her transcript school were uninvolved. It’s does mean that if you get an offer it’s unconditional - also nice given the nightmare of economic acceptance rates here. She just used Khan academy I think to prepare for the SAT. There are different sessions to apply for and we have had to pay a deposit - could have got it back by mid feb I think (not that a decision looks imminent from dd) but still waiting on UCL….grrrrrr. Reddit seemed to be the place where people spoke more about it - but mainly about whether they were accepted or not. Fees seem to have gone up and you can’t get a student loan now we aren’t in the EU, so we’d need to get a normal loan here I think so it’s a bit more than U.K. fees.

@lovefizzycolabottles yes ds1 applying in September so took his SATs in March, still waiting for results. Did your dd get a scholarship? We would need one I think, as accommodation in Milan is very expensive....and cost of living quite high although not quite London prices.

I didn't know fees had gone up, urg what to? Last I saw they were 13.5k in euros...

@lovefizzycolabottles
My DD was in Italy for a semester at a different university but the highest ranked public one. She found it utterly chaotic. A private one might be better. It is true that exams are held several times a year for multiple years. She did do a written one that qualified her for the oral one. It might depend on whether you want to pay fees or get a loan. Italy isn’t like the uk in so many ways.

A niece did her Masters at SDA Bocconi and it has been a hugely beneficial experience for her , excellent springboard into business career . She’s also now bilingual. I think she would say you will be disadvantaged if you don’t at least have a working knowledge of the Italian language.

@Travelban nope sadly no scholarship. She has straight 9s, 4 A stars predicted (not that they would know that from the application), maximum GPA from her first year A level exams, and a very good SAT - 99 percentile so very good but not perfect. Motivational letter was decent but who knows!! Everyone else thank you for all the feedback, it’s really helpful.

@lovefizzycolabottles wow.that's very disappointing. If your dd didn't get one I wonder who does! Let us known what you decide. We have just been to St Andrews open day and absolutely loved it. So I can see why it's a tough decision. I hope you get a few more comments from people in the know!

With those grade's would she consider the USA? There's bursaries available to far higher incomes than in Europe.

@Travelban tbh there seem to be lots of people with those sorts of grades applying to study economics in unis that are high in league tables etc. so I don’t think she is unusual. There are loads of rejections out there too so she’s very relieved to have the offers she has. All the best with your research!! Definitely worth having a spread of options with UCAS I think and of course bocconi is unconditional so that’s nice to have in the bag.

Bumping this thread as im interested in bocconi too and any more opinions!

Economist here. Though I went to LSE and Oxford myself, I regard Bocconi is one of the top places in Europe for studying Economics. Great opportunity both if she wants to go into business (best placed uni on the continent for London IB recruiting) or something more academic. Particularly Macroeconomics is full of Italians many of whom have some relation to Bocconi. Between St Andrews and Bocconi, Bocconi has the way stronger name for those in the field

We are going to be applying, so we are very interested in these comments or anyone currently attending would be a huge bonus! Quite a lot of negativity currently in British universities with marking boycotts, accommodation woes, so i guess it's balancing it all out...

@lovefizzycolabottles I hope you are well. What did your daughter end up choosing? Ds1 has a place at Bocconi and one at St Andrews/Durham (waiting for Imperial post interview) and I would really appreciate it if you would share 😀 struggling to make a decision... especially seen as post application, Bocconi scrapped scholarships and also increased fees to 16,000 plus!!

What career aspirations does your DD hold, OP? I am a STEM academic but even I know that in Economics there are just a few top class Departments in all of Europe, including four or five in the UK. and Bocconi.

St Andrews will potentially give your DD a wonderful university experience overall and a fine education, as well as a great network. It won’t provide the same intense intellectual experience as Bocconi and top employers, who mainly recruit in the UK from the likes of. Cambridge and LSE, know this.

Of course there are many fine employment pathways (including the Civil Service which now does blind recruiting) that do not care so much about which university you attended

Just as a side note, Bocconi are also now running Computer science degrees as well as Cimputer science and Economics combined majors, which is what my son applies for. This makes the decision harder because they don't have the same reputation for CS but also top employers for CS recruit a lot wider than one or two unis..

I'm here in Italy and reasonably familiar with the Italian educational system and public university.

I would say that Bocconi for economics is really good, better than somewhere like St Andrews. However the course is the focus and I wouldn't think you'd get "the experience" that you would at a UK uni, if that's the sort of thing you like.
The majority of Italians who go to Uni go for the education. This is because it's a small minority who go and most live at home and travel in.