MS Finance Profile Evaluations [Master Thread]: Post all Profiles Here

Thank you very much for such a detailed analysis, MiM. Truly appreciate it!

So, I've a few question, and if you could respond, it'd be really helpful;

1. I have worked for while in small family business. I learnt a lot, and made some deals as well. Do you think adding the whole experience of working in family business would be helpful?
2. Do I still stand a chance to get scholarship from LSE or LBS in particular.
3. As far as GMAT is concerned, I've been preparing for it for a long while and I was very much ready to take it but unfortunately it has been cancelled because of corona virus. Given that I may not be able to take it before I the deadlines, do you think I can get admission with an application like mine, supposing the GMAT is waived? As in, I'm not saying it will be waived but suppose it is.

Thanks so much.

Hello again Louis14!
Glad that you liked our previous answer
Coming to your question, family business experience is taken into account when you showcase some quantifiable achievements. B-schools love people with an entrepreneurial spirit so this shouldn’t be a problem. However, it all depends on the way you showcase your achievements and work in your essays.

For scholarships, there are two different categories. Either you get a scholarship that is need-based or one on the basis of your academic excellence. Your academic record is pretty decent and you have good extracurricular activities on your plate as well so yes, you do stand a chance if you write your scholarship essays extremely well and explain the need for the same as well.

LBS has now given a GMAT waiver for this intake so you can try your luck but again, the competition would be tougher since applicants with MNC exposure would be applying as well. So I would suggest you to apply with a GMAT score in hand.

You can book a free 20-minute consulting session with us as well if you are determined to apply in the 2020 intake. Our expert consultants will let you know the best possible solution for your problem and also about the assistance which we can provide.

Here is the link- https://www.mim-essay.com/book-an-appointment-form/?gcf

I'm utterly grateful to you again for such elaborate answers. You guys are brilliant! Thanks so much. Really appreciate it!

.

So, I sent my CV to LBS, and after reviewing it, they said I'm ineligible for MFA program since I graduated 2017, which is more than two years from the years intake. They also told me to get some more work experience before I applying for Master in Finance or MBA. It's pretty disappointing as LBS was one of my most preferred schools. Can you please comment on what just happened with me so that I've a bit of clarity? I'm afraid LSE might reject me for the same "lack of experience" thing. God forbid.

Hello everyone!
This is my first post in the forum so do excuse me for any transgressions unknowingly committed.
I am a final year B.Sc. Mathematics student looking to get enrolled in an M.Sc. Finance program and any help in shortlisting potential universities would be greatly appreciated.

GPA: 6.5/10 (Private Indian University)
GMAT: 770/800, Q:50, V:44, AWA:5, IR:7
1 research paper on mathematical modelling published, with the co-author having an Erdos number of 3.
Multiple Finance related projects (more like case studies)
Professional Working Fluency in German

I'm looking for universities in Europe or Singapore, like Gallen, HEC, NUS, ESADE, ESSEC, etc (overlooking USA/UK/Canada due to low GPA.)
Knowing that the universities mentioned are all top-tier, if you feel that I'll be unable to get in, do give alternatives.

Thank You for taking your time and any advice is welcome!

Welcome to GMAT Club

You have posted in the right forum. I am impressed by your excellent GMAT score and you will take benefit of it in your admission process. I am tagging our expert MiMEssay to provide you some advice.

Good Luck

I am in the process of applying for Finance MScs starting in 2020. I prefer 2-year courses due to limited work experience. I am from the UK but am only applying outside of the Anglosphere to get international experience before the language-learning part of my brain calcifies completely. My preference ranking is something like this

1. Bocconi MSc Finance
2. ESSEC MSc Finance
3. Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance MSc Finance
4. HEC Paris MSc International Finance
5. ESADE MSc Finance
6. University of St Gallen MBF Banking and Finance (mainly because Swiss working culture sounds like the bomb)

I graduated from Oxford last year in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. I specialised in mathematical economics and econometrics papers but missed out on a First overall (by <0.5%) because of a poor finals mark in a mathematical econ paper (low 2:2 vs average of a clear First in my other papers). So 3.7/4 GPA overall but with a 3.3/4 in first year. No research projects

My GMAT was moved to the interim online assessment due to coronavirus. On practice tests I am averaging 740-750 (range of 730-770 with around Q50 V40). I understand the GMAT plays a heavy role in scholarships so I am hoping to boost this with more verbal revision (so far have focussed almost exclusively on quant)

Very limited work experience - a couple of weeks work experience with a trading team at Investec years ago, also did some research assistant stuff at Oxford (on an intellectual biography of Friedman, not really relevant) and then just tutoring/student jobs.

Also limited international experience - short volunteering stints at a refugee camp - and don’t speak other languages apart from limited French.

My letters of recommendation will be good (although I understand Bocconi doesn’t consider them at all...). One is from my personal tutor and Vice-Master of my college (Balliol), who has known me well since the beginning of my course. He taught me Politics but knows my subject reports+econ performance well (my impression was that with Finance they are interested in a broader picture than a more academic course like Econometrics Masters which I am also applying to).
The other is my macro tutor who’s a big name in his field (international macro). Taught me every week 2-3 on 1 for months but doesn’t remember undergrads’ names. He will base his reference on the work I did, which was good.

One thing I am worried about, since I graduated in 2019, is how the year out will look to an admissions committee. I basically applied for grad schemes mostly at the global asset managers but didn’t get any of the offers I wanted so have also been applying for Finance and Econometrics Masters (mostly 2 years to get back on the summer intern recruitment track as I didn’t do a summer internship).

I was offered an equity research internship at a wealth management but this has been messed up by coronavirus. By the time the lockdown is lifted the gap on my CV since graduating will be quite long. (I haven’t been completely idle - have been working with an education charity and did some tutoring with a program delivering tutoring services to disadvantaged students but no finance work, have also been studying for level 1 of the CFA and done some coding courses).

After graduating I want to work at an institutional asset manager, preferably in a quantitative or multi-asset team (which also leads to my preference for Bocconi with the quantitative focus+AM specialisation)

On the basis of this information, how would my profile stand in the admissions process? Are there any other institutions that might be a good fit?

Hey Louis14

Is your CGPA a UK 1st/2.1/2.2?

To stand any chance of admission into LSE MFin or LBS MFA you need a 1st and to rank in the top 5% of your cohort, considering you are applying from a university which is not recognised or well known internationally.
I guess you can't take the GMAT or GRE right now because of covid-19, which could have considerably improved your chances had you scored in excess of 710-720.

It would be difficult to explain why you are interested in investment banking all of a sudden, considering you graduated three years ago and have no finance related experience (internship or extracurricular).
Bear in mind, IB is an extremely tough industry to break into. You need internships, a strong degree from a recognised university and a genuine interest in IB. Moreover, you are an international students which makes getting a job in IB in the UK even slimmer.

Your extracurricular are good but again they don't show any interest in finance or investment banking.

I would advise that you apply to the top tier universities in the UK (LSE, LBS) but don't get your hopes high. Focus on tier 2 and tier 3 universities in UK like Manchester, Lancaster. Try getting as much finance and IB related experience during your masters and then try for IB in the MENA or back home in Pakistan. Before you go into startup.

Which entry will you be applying for 2020 or 2021?
If your considering applying for 2020 entry, in my opinion you are a little late. You should have started in Sept/Oct. Applying early improves your chances slightly if your profile is not as strong.

Wish you the best!

Hi, I am looking to evaluate my profile for ms finance in usa or uk.
My profile details:

Nationality : Indian
Age : 21
Undergrad : Computer Engineering from NIT Surat (a top 25 University in India) (highly selective)
GPA : 8.9/10 (4.0/4.0 as per WES) and top 10% of class
GRE : 335 (170 Q / 165 V) (GMAT Equivalent 760~770)
IELTS : 115/120
Internships:
1. Finance Research Internship at an Indian Institute of Management (Top 5 B School in India)
2. Data Analytics (in marketing) Research internship at the same Indian Institute of Management (Did this simultaneously with the first internship)
3. Equity research internship at a middle market firm (Winter internship)
4. Summer analyst (Investment banking) at Royal Bank of Scotland.
CFA : Level 1 will be cleared this december
MOOCs:
Datacamp Datascientist using R, Spreadshits Skilltrack, Wharton Accounting 1 and 2 (Coursera),Wharton Corporate finance (Coursera), Financial modelling Specialization (Coursera), M&A Coursera and many other certifications related to finance.

Extracurriculars and volunteering :
1. College Football team captain.
2. Traded Stocks and Derivatives for 3 years during undergrad (Passionate about capital markets and investments)
3. Swimmer and weight lifter (Fitness enthusiast)
4. NSS (National social service body having its presence in multiple universities ) leader for university and organized various blood donation camps, eye checkups.
5. Made significant efforts to create self sustainability and health in local villages by giving them trainings and support from corporate and medical institutions for free
6. Taught to local community kids for 3 consecutive years

I would really appreciate if you can let me know which universities I have good chance for MS Finance
(Note:I dont want to join Financial engineering or computational finance type of course but I am fine with financial economics type of courses)

Hi. Thanks for this honest answer. I really do appreciate it!

So, I'd like to put a few facts before you, so that you have a better picture to gauge my chances of getting into tier 1 schools. Firstly, I've been really passionate about numbers since childhood. I later found out that that passion for numbers had a lot to do with finance, and so after graduating from the best high school in the country that offered pre-engineering studies, I opted to study finance at undergrad level. I went to this school, which is the second best in the country as far as business studies are concerned, and graduate with a GPA of 3.56. I'm not well versed with the UK's system of grading (1st; 2.2 etc) but it's my personal assessment that not many people had this kinda GPA.

As far as finance related experience is concerned, well when I graduated, I faced two options: either I could pursue my passion (finance) or lend help to my father in his struggling business, and circumstance demanded that I choose the latter. It wasn't something that excited me but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. I've tried to explain this whole situation in my essay as well. I know not having relevant experience in finance is a weakness, but at times you just don't get the option to choose. I don't think that should mean giving up on your dream to pursue a subject you're passionate about at the schools you've dreamed of going to since eternity. I'm not sure if the schools will understand my situation but I've tried to be honest. Finance is and was my passion throughout. I know I have little to prove it, that's why I wanted to ace the GMAT, so that I could show them my accentuated academic abilities.

I intend to apply for 2020 intake, and the delay was all due to my preparing for the GMAT for the last many months. Now this bloody virus is spelling doom on my plan to get into a master program this year. I'm not sure whether the world will be open by September. Not sure whether to wait for 2021, apply this year, take GMAT, when to take the GMAT, which schools to apply, which not, and the list of questions goes on.

Please give me your honest word again now that you know a bit more about me.

Louis14

I sympathise with the situation you are in.
I am just trying to be honest with you by sharing my experiences and research.

LSE MSc Finance received 1,551 applications out of which 89 were admitted in 2018. Finance courses at other top tier universities (i.e. LBS, Oxford) in the UK will have similar numbers. Now IB applicant to job or internship numbers at top IB will be even more competitive. My point being that the path you want to take is one in which you will compete with thousands and thousands of other students who are just as qualified and passionate about finance, maybe even more. Regardless of the unfortunate ordeals you have faced in your life, the fact that there other people vying for the same positions at LBS or LSE won't change.

Admission in top tier schools broadly depends on your education (undergraduate grades, GMAT/GRE), work experience and extracurricular. The most important being your education which is used as the best indication of your success at postgraduate courses.
You should take the GMAT/GRE whenever they resume testing again, though I doubt it will resume within the next two months. Which means you won't be applying to schools with GMAT. So you can only use your CGPA to show how qualified you are. If your CGPA converts into a UK first then maybe you have a 1% shot but if it converts to a 2.1, then frankly it is near impossible.

In my opinion you should have started preparing your applications early in the cycle. It gives you time to write a strong personal statement and get a strong GMAT score (720+). You also need to do comprehensive research into the universities you want to apply to. Study their application process, start early and make a strong application. Most top university courses are filling up right now.


Can you kindly answer a few more questions as I am still a little unclear about your education.
Is your CGPA out of 4 or 5?
Do you know your rank in your cohort?
Have you applied to any universities in the UK or elsewhere?
Did you apply to any postgraduate courses since you completed your bachelors?

I really hope you get admission at your dream school and you go on to achieve what you want. But even if that does not happen, no ones gonna stop you from learning and practicing finance if you don't go to LBS or LSE. Pursue your passion regardless of whether you go to masters or not.
PS I too have applied to LBS for MFA and LSE for MFin.

You might be surprised to know but I actually started quite early from my understanding. I thought I'll be able to ace the gmat in two to three months, and then apply by October. To my utter disappointment, it took me months to move from my initial 530 to 670. I'm still in the process of doing things that could help me break the 700 barrier. I'm sure I will. I'm a tough nut. But, unfortunately, GMAT has taken ALL my time. I feel a bit bitter as to how a mere standardized test has put me on a brink of wasting a whole academic cycle. But, there must be something good in it for me.

To answer your questions:

Is your CGPA out of 4 or 5?

It's out of 4.

Do you know your rank in your cohort?

Nope.

Have you applied to any universities in the UK or elsewhere?

No. (Fun fact: My twin brother did and he got into LSE)

Did you apply to any postgraduate courses since you completed your bachelors?

No.

Wish you the best! Really hope you get in as well!

What course did your brother get into?

BTW your CGPA converts to a Upper Second Class.

Thanks so much.

He got into Global Politics

So, what does Upper Second Class suggest in simple terms?

Upper second class is 60-69%

google CGPA to UK Grading to get a better sense of it.

Congratulations on getting accepted to the schools of your choice.

Where will you be going?

I will be attending Oxford Said.

Posted from my mobile device