How I Got Into London Business School (LBS) For Master’s in Analytics and Management (MAM)?

Hey! Who are you, what are you currently doing and what is your background?

Hey, I am Drishit! I completed my undergraduate degree in Computer Science at PES University before pursuing a Master’s in Analytics and Management at London Business School. After completing my Master’s, I interned at Inflexor Ventures, a venture capital firm in Bangalore. Currently, I work in the Strategy team at MoveInSync.

While my background is in Computer Science, my interest in business roles grew during my internships. My first internship was at Philips as a marketing analyst, and that experience really solidified my decision to move towards business roles in the future.

I also interned at a consultancy where I worked on marketing, branding, sales, and design for clients in the legal and banking industries. During my undergrad, I founded a start-up that focused on teaching school children, which was a game changer in shaping my career goals. Later, I interned at “I Love Mondays,” where I managed programs, marketing, social media, and successfully raised funds for an upcoming event.

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How did you decide that you wanted to pursue an MS in the UK?

In my second year of undergrad, I took an elective in entrepreneurship that sparked my interest in business and made me realize I didn’t want a career in software. From that point on, I pivoted my focus. I also had a startup in college where we taught school students. I managed everything end-to-end—customer management, sales, engagement, and social media—working with a team of 30-40 teachers and around 40-50 students, which gave me valuable hands-on experience.

Through those experiences, I realized that software and coding just weren’t for me. I applied to Master’s in Management programs at LBS, ESSEC, and HEC, and ended up getting into LBS for the Master’s in Analytics and Management and ESSEC for the Master’s in Management and

I had a personal bias against going to the US—it felt too far from home. My aunt lived in London, and I had visited a couple of times and really liked the city. Plus, at the time, the Master’s in Management (MiM) wasn’t as popular in the US, where MBAs were more common. I wanted to do my Master’s right after undergrad without needing work experience, and the schools that matched my profile were mostly in Europe.

How did you start your application preparation; can you throw some light on profile building, GRE, LORs and SOPs?

Profile Building

I began building my profile early on, having decided in my second year that I didn’t want to continue in computer science. I focused on securing internships, and later, my startup experience really helped enhance my profile. In this process, I concentrated on what universities typically look for, which includes about five or six key elements: internships (work experience), social service, projects, academics, international exposure, and standardized tests like the GRE or GMAT. 

I began my social service work in my first year of undergrad, well before I decided to pursue my Master’s. I volunteered for about a year and a half at an ashram, where I taught underprivileged students three days a week. I focused on math and science for students in 8th, 9th, and 10th grades. We continued this until COVID hit, after which we transitioned to online teaching for a while.

GMAT/GRE

I chose the GRE over the GMAT without doing enough research, which I now consider a mistake. I later found out that GMAT Quant is tougher while Verbal is easier compared to the GRE, and I tend to be better at Quant than Verbal. By the time I realized this, I had already started studying for the GRE, so switching wasn’t really an option.

In my GRE prep, I didn’t spend much time on Quant because I had a solid foundation from teaching math to school students. Most of my effort went into the Verbal section. I used an app called Magoosh with flashcards and reached out to a few people who had taken the GRE for resources. I found reading comprehension to be the hardest part, as I struggled to comprehend the passages and pick the right answers since they often sounded similar. In the end, I scored 167 in Quant and 158 in Verbal after about three to four months of preparation.

SOP

For my Statement of Purpose (SOP), I found that business schools usually don’t just ask for a single document; they typically require multiple essays that target specific aspects of your profile. The questions often revolve around your short-term and long-term goals, past experiences, reasons for choosing that particular university, and what makes you unique. These schools conduct a holistic evaluation, looking beyond just academics and work experience.

My essays highlighted my transition from a computer science background to an interest in business. I emphasized how my internships and work experiences supported my decision to switch, even though I didn’t have any full-time experience.

LOR

For my Letters of Recommendation (LORs), I needed one or two, depending on the college. Since I was still a student and didn’t have full-time work experience, I provided an academic LOR. When two were required, I submitted one academic LOR and one professional LOR from my internship manager.

What colleges did you apply for and what was the result?

I applied to three universities as below.

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Can you tell us more about the course and what the learning outcomes are?

The MAM program I completed combined management and analytics courses, with roughly 60% focused on analytics and 40% on management. It covered all areas of business, and I found it much more beneficial than a traditional MiM because it offered the same foundational business knowledge while providing deeper analytics training. When I refer to “analytics,” I mean using data within a business context—not just the typical data science you’d encounter in engineering courses. It focused on how to analyze data, draw conclusions, and make informed decisions.

On the business side, we studied courses like strategy, finance, business accounting, marketing, and behavioral economics, along with electives like product management. For analytics, we worked with R and Python, delved into machine learning and data visualization, and took decision-making courses aimed at optimizing business decisions. Toward the end of the program, we each worked on a project with an external company. I consulted for a Korean skincare brand, advising on their entry into the UK market, which involved aspects like packaging, pricing, and bundling while leveraging data to help them make informed business choices.

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What is the cost of tuition and cost of living, and how are you planning to fund your studies?

The tuition cost for my MAM program was £40,000, which is about 40 lakhs. While rent has increased since my time, I paid around £1,000, and some of my friends paid about £1,500. So, rent generally ranges from £900 to £1,500, depending on the area. For food, travel, and other expenses, a conservative estimate would be around £400 per month. 

Bills can also be costly—about £100 per month, just to be safe. My accommodation was very close to the college, only a five- to seven-minute walk away, located in central London, about two minutes from Marylebone station.

How was your experience with the visa process, finding accommodation and travel?

The visa process was very straightforward. The college provided a letter, and all I had to do was gather the required documents listed on the website, submit them, and apply for the visa—quite simple, really.

When it came to housing, the first step was finding flatmates. LBS was very helpful in this regard, organizing networking sessions well before the program began. Since I applied in the first round, I attended online networking events starting in October (after my acceptance in September), where I met my peers even a year before we met in person.

LBS has internal groups where students can post about looking for flatmates based on their preferences. Once we sorted that out, the actual housing process was a bit challenging due to the fast-moving market. As soon as a listing is posted, you need to contact the agent immediately. Instead of searching online ourselves, we found an agent through the LBS network, and they helped us secure a place.

What are the job opportunities after master’s?

When I graduated, the job market was tough, prompting many of my peers to seek jobs in the Middle East. Those with family businesses, particularly from Europe, often returned to their home countries, while some stayed in London for internships. A few managed to secure direct hires, but many experienced delays in their start dates. What was originally set for September or, at worst, October often pushed back to January or even the following September. Some classmates joined startups, but the tech was struggling, and consulting faced the toughest circumstances.

In my case, I had secured a consulting job, but the start date was pushed. I had already come back to India, intending to return when the job started, but I decided to stay back.

In consulting, starting salaries typically range from £50,000 to £55,000 annually, while in investment banking, they range from £60,000 to £65,000. Startups usually pay less comparatively, generally between £30,000 and £40,000, depending on the role. While there are outliers, these figures represent the typical range.

As for opportunities in the Middle East, LBS has strong connections there due to its campus in Dubai. However, unlike in India, colleges abroad don’t have dedicated placement cells. Instead, there’s a career office that helps with cover letters, résumés, and interview preparation, but students are responsible for applying. Job opportunities are listed on the college’s internal websites, and students apply directly to companies.

Any final words of advice for anyone who aspires to be where you currently are?

I would advise you to carefully assess the market before making a decision, especially if you’re considering taking out a loan. I really wouldn’t recommend it right now since the market is still challenging, and you don’t want to be burdened with a ₹40 lakh loan. However, if you can manage the expenses, the experience is absolutely worth it. The personal and professional growth you’ll achieve in just one year is unparalleled—you won’t get that same level of growth in five years here.

For your essays, make them as frank as possible. Be real about what you want to do. Personalize them as much as you can, and in your resume, add as many metrics as possible to demonstrate your impact.

I believe I did a great job building my profile. It’s challenging to convince someone, especially with no full-time work experience as an engineering student, that you want to attend business school. If you have work experience, even in an analyst role after engineering, you can demonstrate some business exposure. Knowing that I lacked this, I focused on building my profile through internships, and I think that made a significant difference.

Throughout the process what were some helpful resources, tools and books you used?

For GRE, I used the official guides, Magoosh flashcards, and free mock papers from Kaplan and Manhattan. The Magoosh app really helped me, especially the flashcards. I would constantly use them to memorize things. 

For TOEFL, I didn’t really prepare much. If you’re fluent in spoken English, you should be fine. It doesn’t require much extra preparation, especially after you’ve already prepared for the GRE.

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