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danielrovilla
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Master in Finance or Business Analytics 11 Nov 2020, 18:14
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Hi all,

I am unsure wether to apply for a Msc in Finance or Business Analytics, my undergrad was in Finance, not sure if a Master in Finance will be an "overkill" considering I am pursuing the CFA (passed level 1 Dec 19, level 2 expected Aug 21).
I know the MiF curriculum is broader than the CFA but perhaps a Master in Business Analytics + CFA could be better in the long run?
Goal would be either consulting, buy-side or even a programming related career (CFA may not be as useful in this last one but I really enjoy programming and the CFA curriculum, so wouldn't mind continuing with the CFA and definitely wouldn't hurt).
These goals may sound quite different but honestly, I would feel more than okay with whichever.

Age: 23
Choice Schools: ESADE, IE, Warwick, UCL (open to other suggestions)
Nationality: Mexican (Highly interested in staying at EU, would these schools make it easier?)
GPA: 87 out of 100 at Tecnológico de Monterrey (top-tier school in my country)
GMAT: Haven't taken it, scores around 680 in mocks
Work Experience: None relevant at applying time, will get around 8-9 months before program starts
ECs: Semester abroad at Austria (non-target)
CFA Research Challenge
Several programming MOOCs
One programming project

Thanks!
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MiMEssay
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Master in Finance or Business Analytics 17 Nov 2020, 06:08
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danielrovilla
Hi all,

I am unsure wether to apply for a Msc in Finance or Business Analytics, my undergrad was in Finance, not sure if a Master in Finance will be an "overkill" considering I am pursuing the CFA (passed level 1 Dec 19, level 2 expected Aug 21).
I know the MiF curriculum is broader than the CFA but perhaps a Master in Business Analytics + CFA could be better in the long run?
Goal would be either consulting, buy-side or even a programming related career (CFA may not be as useful in this last one but I really enjoy programming and the CFA curriculum, so wouldn't mind continuing with the CFA and definitely wouldn't hurt).
These goals may sound quite different but honestly, I would feel more than okay with whichever.

Age: 23
Choice Schools: ESADE, IE, Warwick, UCL (open to other suggestions)
Nationality: Mexican (Highly interested in staying at EU, would these schools make it easier?)
GPA: 87 out of 100 at Tecnológico de Monterrey (top-tier school in my country)
GMAT: Haven't taken it, scores around 680 in mocks
Work Experience: None relevant at applying time, will get around 8-9 months before program starts
ECs: Semester abroad at Austria (non-target)
CFA Research Challenge
Several programming MOOCs
One programming project

Thanks!
Show more

Hi danielrovilla,

Speaking about your profile, the first thing that I would like to address is your dilemma of whether to pursue an MSBA or MIF. When considering your goals and interests, I would suggest you go for an MSBA since you want to get into consulting and you are also inclined towards programming.

Moreover, you already have a sound background in finance supplemented by your CFA studies, which is why, in my opinion, you can definitely opt for MSBA as it is a different field that can complement your current skills and amalgamate your love for programming with your problem- solving skills.
Coming to your academics, you have a good undergraduate GPA which showcases your academic prowess. Additionally, you have also mentioned your mock GMAT score of 680 which is quite decent however, you should aim for at least a 690+ to target most of the top-notch B-schools.

Talking about your work experience, currently, you don't have any work experience, which is a slight drawback considering that you will be competing against applicants who have worked in the big four companies like KPMG, EY, DELOITTE and PWC. Thus, you can set yourself at par with them by taking up an internship or full-time job in a field to the field you wish to build your career in. This will also showcase how you are chalking out a path towards your goal while portraying your dedication and consistency.

Furthermore, you have got quite a diverse set of extracurricular activities under your belt. You have mentioned about your exchange program in Austria which showcases your international exposure and your broadened perspective. Also, you have a very strong hold in finance which again can be measured by your research work under CFA. Lastly, you have mentioned about your experience in the programming domain which is most certainly apt for the MSBA program you want to apply for. All these activities do work in your favour. Additionally, you can further amplify your extracurricular profile, by taking up volunteering work at NGOs to highlight how you are socially responsible.

Now coming to the school that you want to target, all these come under the competitive category (where your chance of acceptance is 60-70%). Having said that, you can expand your options into the dream (where your chance of acceptance is 50%) and safe category (where your chance of acceptance is 70-80%) schools in order to hedge your bets wisely.

Under the dream category, you can consider; HEC Paris, LBS and NUS.
Under the safe category, you can consider; EDHEC.

To sum up, while you have a pretty impressive profile, you will be competing against applicants who have similarly competitive or even better profiles. That said, your application, which holds 30% of weightage on your chances of acceptance, would help you stand out from the crowd.

Thus, if you’re looking for expert counselling sessions and services in the form of multiple editing, proofreading, and up-gradation of your application which consist of your Essay, SOP, LOR and resume, you can check out our all in one service that has proven to help over 2500+ applicants get into their target schools!

Here, you can also book a free consulting call with one of our consultants to chalk out a winning strategy for your dream schools.

Below you will find the link for our All-in-One service.

https://www.mim-essay.com/mim-all-in-one

Hope this helped!
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ARINGO
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Master in Finance or Business Analytics 27 Jan 2021, 00:08
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danielrovilla
Hi all,

I am unsure wether to apply for a Msc in Finance or Business Analytics, my undergrad was in Finance, not sure if a Master in Finance will be an "overkill" considering I am pursuing the CFA (passed level 1 Dec 19, level 2 expected Aug 21).
I know the MiF curriculum is broader than the CFA but perhaps a Master in Business Analytics + CFA could be better in the long run?
Goal would be either consulting, buy-side or even a programming related career (CFA may not be as useful in this last one but I really enjoy programming and the CFA curriculum, so wouldn't mind continuing with the CFA and definitely wouldn't hurt).
These goals may sound quite different but honestly, I would feel more than okay with whichever.

Age: 23
Choice Schools: ESADE, IE, Warwick, UCL (open to other suggestions)
Nationality: Mexican (Highly interested in staying at EU, would these schools make it easier?)
GPA: 87 out of 100 at Tecnológico de Monterrey (top-tier school in my country)
GMAT: Haven't taken it, scores around 680 in mocks
Work Experience: None relevant at applying time, will get around 8-9 months before program starts
ECs: Semester abroad at Austria (non-target)
CFA Research Challenge
Several programming MOOCs
One programming project

Thanks!
Show more

Hi there,
We can't tell you what would be the better choice for you, but you should probably do your research and read about the programs you are interested in, check out their curriculum and the possible career tracks their graduates tend to take. The schools you mentioned have both MiF and MSBA, and if you are open to other suggestions, take a look at these lists:
https://www.aringo.com/masters-in-finance-mif/
https://www.aringo.com/business-analyti ... s-degrees/
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praesentium
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Master in Finance or Business Analytics 11 Jul 2025, 01:20
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