ricksanchez
Hello all. I want to apply for Masters in Finance programs or Masters in Management, hoping to get a career as an analyst in M&A, PE, and VC, as well as fund management, later on. I will list my qualifications and skills. Please can you give me feedback on my application? It would be much appreciated
Nationality: Lebanese
Age: 20 (at time of application)
University degree:
Bachelor's in Business Administration specialty in Finance from American University of Beirut (AUB) ranked 1st in Lebanon and the Middle East
GPA of 3.2/4 (so far)
Test scores: GRE (verbal: 162 and quantitative: 165) total is 327
Licenses and certifications:
Student stock exchange trading competition in collaboration with Lebanon's largest bank
Python and Statistics for Financial Analysis from Coursera
PE and VC from Coursera
LinkedIn Microsoft Office
Internships:
2 months internship in Deloitte Qatar
1-month internship in middle-eastern regional engineering giant
1-month in a local Lebanese bank investment division
Extracurricular:
Student Fundraising for the red cross
Volunteering and assistance with NGO for the injured in the aftermath of the Beirut explosion (supervised a team of 4)
Led freelance volunteering and assistance team in the aftermath of the other explosion in Tripoli
Freelance mathematics tutoring for senior high school students.
Webull paper day-trading
Languages:
English: bilingual proficiency
Arabic: native proficiency
French: bilingual proficiency
Spanish: elementary proficiency (in progress)
Target programs:
Masters in Finance: LSE, LBS, Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, Warwick, St Andrews, HEC, ESSEC, ESCP, EDHEC, SciencesPo, Nova SBE, IE, Esade, Bocconi, RSM, Stockholm SE, CBS, WHU Germany, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Cornell, Brown, Michigan, Kellogg
Masters in Management: LSE, LBS, Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial, HEC, ESSEC, INSEAD, ESCP, EDHEC, NOVA, BOCCONI, RSM, SSE, CBS, ESMT, Cornell
Please get back to me as soon as possible! Thank you in advance.
Hi
ricksanchez , hope you are doing well. Great profile by the way and a high chance of making it to your top priority programs. Being a Lebanese national is a plus point when it comes to applying to highly competitive programs that focus on the diversity aspect.
Needless to say that a strong narrative that highlights your leadership skills, diversity and community initiatives, academic inclination and ability to contribute to the program will get you through the MiM admission process.
For MSc Fin particularly I advise you to cover the following points in your application to show a strong motivation for the program
• academic focus: Decent GPA and reasonable GRE score. Highlight any other academic accolades/scholarships/recognition if any
• Proof of enthusiasm and motivation for the study of the subject :
To give context around your choice of métier, you could talk about being passionate about banking and finance since early, and supplement your interest with examples of courses or internships you did. Your certifications in Finance and stock exchange trading competition make a strong statement for exploring various aspects of finance.
• Understanding, experience, and appreciation of the subject through real-life applications and projects:
For this, you can leverage insights from your internships in IB, or other finance-related projects. Talk about projects or finance-related topics that were pivotal in motivating you to explore this subject further.
• Super curricular – what supplementary books, articles, research papers, newspapers you read.
What podcasts do you listen to? How do these activities support and complement your interest in the subject?
I advise you to cover this point well in your sops
• Extra Curriculars
You have a variety of ECs and language skills are a plus point. Talk about the transferrable skills from ECs that will help you achieve goals as a future business leader
Other points to keep in mind
• Show originality and thought process in your application
• Show active engagement with the target school and potential recruiters post MBA (show how conscientious you are!)
If you wish to seek guidance on your strategy feel free to get in touch.
Best wishes