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TerryTibbs
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Is a 62% grade average too low for top MSc Finance programmes? 17 Aug 2019, 06:49
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I have just graduated from a UK university with a Masters in Physics and have been planning on applying for some Finance Masters programs at top European business schools (LSE/HEC/etc) for the 2020 intake. Unfortunately, my grades were pretty bad and I graduated with a very low 2:1 and a 62% grade average.

Given the intense competition at top schools for these flagship programs, I'm wondering if there is any point applying with these poor grades, and instead focusing my efforts on landing a full time role without the masters. My goal would be something markets related such as trading/asset management, but as I have graduated with no relevant summer internship experience from undergrad I don't think this is achievable. Luckily, I managed to land a 1 year internship in fixed income strategy at a non bulge bracket bank which will fill the gap from now and until june 2020. My question is, will having this work experience (and lets say a 700+ GMAT score) be enough to make up for the 62% average, or are grades just too important for it to compensate?
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Is a 62% grade average too low for top MSc Finance programmes? 18 Aug 2019, 14:05
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UK schools care a lot about class rank. Considering you already have a masters, I don't see a sense in doing another.

Question - what class rank where you in UG? You could also apply with your UG rating and omit the masters in physics.
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Is a 62% grade average too low for top MSc Finance programmes? 18 Aug 2019, 14:48
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TerryTibbs
I have just graduated from a UK university with a Masters in Physics and have been planning on applying for some Finance Masters programs at top European business schools (LSE/HEC/etc) for the 2020 intake. Unfortunately, my grades were pretty bad and I graduated with a very low 2:1 and a 62% grade average.

Given the intense competition at top schools for these flagship programs, I'm wondering if there is any point applying with these poor grades, and instead focusing my efforts on landing a full time role without the masters. My goal would be something markets related such as trading/asset management, but as I have graduated with no relevant summer internship experience from undergrad I don't think this is achievable. Luckily, I managed to land a 1 year internship in fixed income strategy at a non bulge bracket bank which will fill the gap from now and until june 2020. My question is, will having this work experience (and lets say a 700+ GMAT score) be enough to make up for the 62% average, or are grades just too important for it to compensate?


You can compensate with other aspects, e.g., research experience, publications, your research that is underway, references from scholars, your independent work and the like.

Masters and PhD programs consider all aspects of the application. A low grade in something does not disqualify an applicant. There are plenty of academics who have B- or lower averages and yet many who shine with their research, teaching and other professional work. Academia hosts a wide pool of people.

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Is a 62% grade average too low for top MSc Finance programmes? 21 Aug 2019, 13:16
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MSFHQ
UK schools care a lot about class rank. Considering you already have a masters, I don't see a sense in doing another.

Question - what class rank where you in UG? You could also apply with your UG rating and omit the masters in physics.
It was an integrated masters so my grade is calculated for my entire 4 years. The sense in doing the finance masters at a top school is to make up for my undergrad being at a non-target for finance, and allow me to apply for summer internships again.
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Is a 62% grade average too low for top MSc Finance programmes? 05 Sep 2019, 11:52
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Hey TerryTibbs,


I would say that if you are super interested in finance you can try once. As you are planning for a second master's school would be interested in knowing about your interest in finance and what are your goals post that. You just need to make sure that you explain the reason well about what led your interest in the program as you do not have any prior experience in the same.
Talking about your GPA, so, to be honest, a low GPA is a hindrance. But the overall application depends on a lot more than this like your extra-curricular, internships, certifications, participation, etc.
You can highlight your extra-curriculars from where he might have developed an interest in Finance. Also, your internships can play a major role in your essays. So make sure you exemplify your learnings through the same. Also, schools value social volunteering so such initiatives can be highlighted as well.

I would suggest you should target round 2, meanwhile, you have time to work on your profile.
You can look for some business courses, startups in finance that would show your interest in the subject
Apart from these, you need to aim for 700+ GMAT score and strong essays to put your achievements into perspective. Some of the schools you can target would be :

Dream- HEC, LBS, NYU Stern
Competitive - Vanderbilt, CASS
Safe- IESE


Also, you have an optional essay where you can give the reason for the low GPA so I would advise you to work on justifying the reasons for the same. Also, you need a solid reason for applying for Masters in Finance after having a degree in Physics.

Yes, you do need to work on a few elements of your profile but that does not mean that you need to give up on your dream of getting into a good MFin program. There have been a lot of applicants with not-so-perfect profiles who managed to get into their dream B-school. You can go through our client case study and have a look at how we help students create perfect b-school application:)
https://www.mim-essay.com/client-stories-3/

Hope this helps!
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