London Business School

This review was written by Nirvan Gandhi on 4th April, 2025

LBS MBA Blog: The London Vibe, the Global Mix, and the Real Deal

“London is not a city, it’s a mood.”

That’s what my wife told me when we landed at Heathrow.

And she was right.

It’s not just the weather (drab), or the tube (cleaner than I expected), or even the pubs (every 500 meters, like temples of socialising).

There’s a buzz here. A quiet, unshakable confidence. And you feel it even more intensely when you step into London Business School.

I attended an LBS Open Day recently. Not some virtual info session on Zoom—but the real thing. I walked the campus, sat through the presentations, listened to career coaches and admissions officers, and chatted with current students.

And if you’re serious about applying to LBS, this blog is for you.
Let’s talk real stuff—the vibe, the value, the visa, and whether this brand lives up to the hype.

100% Result at LBS:
3 applications - 3 admits

Scene One: Global is Not Just a Word on a Brochure

First thing I noticed at LBS?

Accents.
Italian, Spanish, Singaporean, Brazilian, Lebanese, Kenyan, Japanese.

The Admissions Director joked:

“You’ll have to deal with my Italian accent tonight… but that’s what LBS is. We’re not British. We’re global.”

And it’s true. 90% of the class is international.
But it’s not just passport-diversity. It’s perspectives. A McKinsey consultant from Nigeria sits next to a Chilean entrepreneur and a former submarine engineer from Turkey.

Even the conversations over coffee are case studies.

You don’t just learn from professors—you learn from your peers. And LBS has designed the whole experience to make sure you mix, mingle, debate, disagree, learn.

If you’re someone who thrives in a melting pot, this is your place.

Flexibility Is the Name of the Game (15, 18 or 21 Months)

the 15-month version is intense. You’ll need to front-load electives and hustle for recruiting earlier. It’s doable—but not for the faint-hearted.

Most people opt for 21 months, and I can see why. More time to:

Try different clubs
Do two internships (yes, that’s a thing)
Travel with classmates
Go on exchange
Soak in London (and maybe figure out where you want to settle)

If you’re a career switcher or unsure about your exact post-MBA path, go for the full stretch. You’ll thank yourself later.

Academics: Structure + Choice + Experiential Learning

LBS has redesigned their curriculum in recent years. Here’s how it works:

Core courses (like every other B-school)
Tailored core (you get to pick which core areas to double down on early on—finance? strategy? marketing?)
80+ electives
Global Business Experiences (GBEs): week-long consulting gigs in international locations (Johannesburg, New York, Lima, Tel Aviv, etc.)

And this isn’t fluff.
One student described working with a 3-person startup in Ghana during their GBE.
“Best learning I’ve had in years,” he said. “No case study can teach you what a real founder can.”

There’s also:

Entrepreneurship Summer School if you want to test your startup idea
Digital for Impact (remote consulting projects for global NGOs)

This school loves learning by doing. And it shows.

Career Support: It’s Serious

If you’re worried about switching industries or geography, LBS Career Centre has your back.

From Day 1, you’ll get:

A dedicated career coach
Access to sector specialists (consulting, tech, finance, social impact, you name it)
Peer leaders who’ve done the internship dance and survived
Workshops on CV writing, LinkedIn, storytelling, networking, interview prep—everything

And here’s what I loved:
They don’t sell you dreams.
They’ll tell you upfront:

“If you’re trying to change industry + function + geography at once… it’s hard. Possible, but hard.”

They push you to be strategic, not just ambitious.

Also worth knowing:

LBS students have access to a Graduate Visa (2 years of post-MBA work rights in the UK)
~60% of graduates stay in the UK, ~40% go abroad (Middle East, Europe, Asia)
There’s a separate Entrepreneurship Hub with 25+ mentors, startup incubators, and the famous “House” accelerator program

So whether you’re a job-switcher or founder-in-the-making, there’s a clear path.

The Community? Different—But Still Powerful.

Let me be upfront:
LBS doesn’t give you that bubble-like, Hogwarts-y feel of Oxford or Cambridge.
There’s no sprawling university town where everyone knows everyone, and the entire city revolves around students.

LBS is in central London. You step out and you’re in Regent’s Park, not a college quad.
The city doesn’t slow down for you—and that’s the beauty of it.

So no, you won’t find late-night mess halls or college pubs packed with only MBAs.

But here’s what you do get:

A diverse, ambitious group of 500+ people from around the world
A student community that’s insanely proactive
And opportunities to connect across 120+ clubs, conferences, and global treks

It’s a different kind of community. Less insular. More global.
Less about shared dorms. More about shared hustle.

At LBS, you won’t be spoon-fed community—you’ll build it yourself.
And the people you do it with? They’ll become your inner circle for life.

London Isn’t Easy. But It’s Worth It.

Let’s talk reality.
Living in London is expensive.
Housing, transport, eating out—it adds up. You’ll feel it.

But here’s the thing. You’re in one of the world’s best cities for finance, tech, media, fashion, consulting, startups—whatever.
And you’re surrounded by opportunity.

Internships? Networking events? Part-time gigs? LBS gives you flexibility to work 20 hours/week in Year 2.

Also—if you're thinking long-term:

UK’s Graduate Visa = 2-year buffer to figure things out
If you build the right network here, it can open doors across Europe, Middle East, Africa, even back home

Bottom line: It’s not easy. But it’s where action happens in the UK.

Final Take: LBS Is the Real Deal—If You’re Ready for It

London Business School is not for everyone.
It’s not the postcard-perfect campus. It’s not Hogwarts. It doesn’t wrap you in tradition or nostalgia.

But if you're the kind of person who's chasing impact, not Instagrammable vibes—
who wants to grow with the world, not away from it—then LBS is a killer choice.

You're in one of the most connected cities on the planet.
Recruiters are here. Startups are here. Alumni are here.
And the network you build isn't just international—it’s powerful, fast-moving, and plugged into every industry that matters.

So no, it’s not cozy.
It’s intense. It’s competitive. It’s alive.
And if you come with clarity and hustle—LBS will change your life.

Somewhere Between Baker Street (reference Sherlock Holmes) and a Big Idea

It’s 9:15 PM.

You’re walking down Marylebone Road with a classmate from Brazil, still arguing about a case study from Strategy.
You cut through a quiet lane, past the glow of Daunt Books, and end up in front of a tiny Ethiopian café someone from your study group recommended. The hummus is fire, the place has four tables, and tonight, it feels like your corner of London.

An hour later, you’re at a mixer hosted by the PE/VC club—half the people there already have term sheets in motion.
The room buzzes in ten accents. Someone used to run supply chains in Turkey. Someone else closed a Series A last month in Kenya. You’re not just networking. You’re learning how different ambition looks when it comes from different corners of the world.

This is LBS.

There’s no “quad life.” No castle-like libraries or dorm traditions.
But there’s energy—raw, global, unfiltered.

And somewhere in the blur between that café, that club, and that late-night Tube ride home, you realise:
You’ve stopped being a student.
You’ve started becoming a global citizen.