Hi everyone,
I just got admitted to
HEC Paris for the MSc International Finance and have to
confirm my seat until the 14th Dec. However, I am still awaiting the admission results, which will be published on the 18th Dec, from
SSE (Stockholm School of Economics).
My background:
- BA (Hons) International Business Management, specilisation in Finance
- GPA 4.0
- 1 internship at Deutsche Bank in Corporate and Investment Banking, 2 internships at PwC in Transaction Advisory
- planned career: executive position in M&A at a bulge bracket
The question now is: Where should I go?
Of course, overall, is the better choice in terms of ranking (FT ranking: #1 pre-experince MIF) and prestige. The big BUT here is that joining HEC's programme requires me to make considerable financial commitment that is not easy for me to make, whereas studying at SSE would be free for me.
Now I don't know how I should decide, given the following criteria the MIF should meet:
1. Placement- at tier 1 bulge bracket IBs in an international financial centre (e.g. London, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore)
- international prestige of the school and the programme
2. Curriculum - wide range of relevant courses regarding M&A, corporate restructuring, VC, PE
- not an overrepresentation of quantitative courses (don't get me wrong - quant is a must but I do not want to join a programme which is super quant-heavy)
- fair grading and achievable top grades (for instance hard to achieve at Bocconi, based on what I have been told)
- high practical orientation
3. Network- prestigious partner schools (e.g. LSB, LSE, Oxbridge, Ivy League, Tsinghua etc.)
- strong company ties with MBBs and tier 1 bulge bracket IBs and boutiques
- strong alumni network
4. Campus life/Community- good team and community spirit
- good relationship with professors
5. Excellent value for money ratio - I don't want to spend tons of money on a programme, with which I have the same/comparable long term career prospects as with a cheaper/free programme.
Excited to read your comments!