Keeping in the same vein as in last year, I wanted to start a 2015 Masters in Finance Q&A thread. Any applicants interested and applying to programs this cycle, post here. I will monitor and answer anything I can. Always happy to help and so pumped to see the degree continue to gain interest among applicants.

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MSF 2015

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madhav91

Joined: 11 Jul 2014

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22 Jan 2015, 23:26

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Hey,

Needed some guidance regarding the MSF programs.

My profile is as follows
1. CA from India (equivalent to a CPA)
2. Gmat 680
3. Toefl - yet to give
4. 3 years internship experience (1 at Deloitte Audit, 2 at a local audit firm)
5. Have been working as a TA at IIM Ahmedabad for the past one year and have assisted many finance courses at the MBA level.
6. Age 23

I am slightly confused as to where exactly I can get into an MSF program with a not-so-high tuition. Also considering the fact that I might have been late and missed some deadlines already, what do you recommend?

Any suggestions?

MSFHQ

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22 Jan 2015, 23:39

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aqeshta

Dear All,
I am interested in master of finance in this year 2015 within USA . And I need help to find a one year program with total fees and tuition from (10,000$ - 20,000$)
So could anybody who has experience give me an advice?

Thank you in advance
ARQ

WVU's MSF is pretty low cost.

MSFHQ

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22 Jan 2015, 23:41

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madhav91

You have good stats, why aren't you applying to MBA programs?

madhav91

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23 Jan 2015, 00:02

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Actually want to end up in a good PhD. program but need a much higher gmat score. So target is a PhD. next year. So was looking for 1 year programs in finance.

Nemo248

Joined: 15 May 2014

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GMAT 1: 680 Q47 V35 Verified score

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12 Feb 2015, 08:44

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Hi,

I'm in a bit of a dilemma. Been admitted to Syracuse- Whitman (with scholarship, roughly 20%) and USC- Marshall (financial aid doesn't look likely, quite a steep choice!).
Have been working for a year in India with a top Investment bank and am looking to specialize, hence the MSF.

Criteria:
1. Quality of program
2. Cost
3. Placement
4. Location

I've also applied to MIT, JHU and Rutgers. But keeping them out of the equation, I have a decision to make, between the 2, in 10(ish) days.
Would really appreciate some quick insight here.

Thanks!

bodrack

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16 Feb 2015, 12:52

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Hey,

I am from Turkey. I am new in this forum. I studied for 2 weeks (mostly with this forum's question bank) and got a gmat 650 (Q:48 V:31)
My GPA is 3,38
I have 4 years of banking experience at the biggest bank in Turkey. My toefl is 107.
Jean Monnet Scholarship was granted to me last year but because of my father's health issues, I could not benefited from it. Tomorrow I am applying it again for 2015-2016 term. I will probably get it this year too.

Which schools do you recommend me?
Do I have any chance on LSE (Risk and finance or Accounting and Finance) or Cambridge Mfin? Or HEC Managerial and Financial Economics?
If not, which programs should I try? Thanks for helping

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16 Feb 2015, 14:35

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Nemo248

Thanks!

USC 100%. Better brand, location, and eventual placements. Not even a decision.

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16 Feb 2015, 14:49

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bodrack

I forget which one of the LSE programs is the "easier" to get into, but I would think you'd have a shot at that. If you are targeting UK masters programs you might want to look at Imperial, UCL, etc. Would be good to have a solid backup.

amrit2201

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19 Feb 2015, 02:25

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Hi!
Just wanted your opinion about the international placements at schools,with the exception of MIT placements how are the other schools doing in the competition placing international applicants?

MSFHQ

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01 Mar 2015, 16:46

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amrit2201

Hi!
Just wanted your opinion about the international placements at schools,with the exception of MIT placements how are the other schools doing in the competition placing international applicants?

All the schools, even MIT, have difficulty with placing international students. It might be a combination of international students not networking or having the english fluency to land the jobs they want or a combination of a bunch of factors. Most programs limit the percentage of internationals to around 30% of the class. Much more than that and you have too many students that you can reasonably place.

International students need to really apply to a variety of jobs and don't really have the luxury of going "BB or bust". The main goal should be to land a good job that will sponsor you. From there you can target your longer term goal. What is nice is that the economic environment in the US is a lot better than Europe right now and there are opportunities for international students if they look hard enough.

testingthewaters11

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04 Mar 2015, 10:09

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Will i be admitted?

-10years experience/ACCA;
-Oxford Brookes degree first class awarded;
-A-level maths & economics;
-work in senior management position in luxury;

Doing this purely out of interest and desire to understand and learn finance from a practical point of view reading books and playing around with personal portfolio just doesn't do it anymore. Will look to make career change after this.

Anyone in the same rabbit hole wondering if this is possible or not?

Scrabbler88

Joined: 27 Feb 2015

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Updated on: 01 Apr 2015, 10:24

Originally posted by Scrabbler88 on 08 Mar 2015, 00:40.
Last edited by Scrabbler88 on 01 Apr 2015, 10:24, edited 1 time in total.

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EnggAnalyticsFin

Joined: 13 Mar 2015

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13 Mar 2015, 06:38

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Hi,

I have applied to the MSF programs at the following schools:
1. Brandeis - accepted
2. Rochester - accepted
3. UT Austin - awaiting result
4. Maryland - awaiting result
5. OSU - awaiting result

I declined the offer from Brandeis as the time to communicate my decision was limited. Could you help me choose among the remaining 4 (in the event that I get into all the remaining 3)?

My Profile:
International Student
BTech in Mechanical Engineering (from a Tier 1 school in India)
Work Experience of 2 years in Business Analytics (services for CPG, Financial Services & Insurance Fortune 500 clients)

My expectations from the degree are as follows:
1. Max exposure to Real World Scenarios (I am currently pursuing the CFA Level 1 and hope that this degree will supplement my learning further)
2. Land a job in Asset Management/Consulting
3. Build quality connections (I have an entrepreneurial frame of mind and would love to connect with similar people)
4. Pursue an MBA within the next 6-8 years from one of the top 5 programs in the US

AlDente

Joined: 18 Mar 2015

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18 Mar 2015, 11:57

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MSFHQ,

Undergrad major: ACCT
Undergrad GPA: 3.16
GMAT: 690(48Q 35V)

I have a Big 4 consulting summer internship under my belt and have an internal audit internship currently at a very large Oil and Gas company in Houston. I would like to get into energy banking and am very interested in an MSF program. Right now I'm applying to UT, Vandy, and Tulane. What are my chances at getting into these programs, and which program would be best to land a job in Houston? Thanks in advance.

MichelleHsu

Joined: 20 Mar 2015

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20 Mar 2015, 01:24

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Hi,.
I am an international student.
I am currently a senior student. Major in Management Science. My GPA is 3.78, and my GMAT score is 680(I will retake the test in May, hoping to get 700+ ).
But I don't have any work experience or internships.
So I want to know how important is work experience in the admission of MSF program
Is there any MSF program that doesn't need any work experience ?

Thank you.

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22 Mar 2015, 11:51

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MichelleHsu

You don't need work experience for any of the MSF programs. It does help to have an internship or something when recruiting comes around. If you have nothing I would at least emphasize your college experience in groups or something. Anything to show a full resume.

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22 Mar 2015, 11:54

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AlDente

OK GPA, good GMAT. I like the Big 4 brand and internship on your resume. I'd say you are in at Tulane. Most likely UTA. Vandy, I give even odds. I'd also apply to SMU if you want to work in Houston. Vanderbilt is an amazing school and they place in Houston also. I'd probably rank UTA>Vandy for Texas finance though. Vandy gives you east coast optionality though.

Good luck!

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22 Mar 2015, 12:25

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EnggAnalyticsFin

I would rank it as follows: UTA, OSU/Rochester, Maryland.

UTA is a top business school. The brand will help you with an MBA. OSU is a big name school and Columbus is a decent city. I'd probably target Chicago for work. Rochester is a good school, used to be say a T30 MBA program. Most alums are in NYC. Issue is Rochester is no where near NYC. Airport is weak at best. I'd probably go OSU over Rochester simply because Columbus is a better city, better airport and you are about the same plane ride distance to NYC or Chicago as you would be in Rochester.

MichelleHsu

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24 Mar 2015, 17:07

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MichelleHsu

Thank you for your advise. I will find an internship as soon as I can.

Krithikayedavalli

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24 Mar 2015, 20:17

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Hello Guys i am krithika. I need some suggestion regarding the MSF program. I am doing my MBA in finance from a normal university in the united states but the placement for international students is terrible here. I will be completing my graduation in the end of December and currently have a GPA of 3.7 and i am pretty sure i can graduate with a 3.5+. As you guys might be aware of the sponsorship and all that stuff for internationals i am not sure if i could land a good job with my MBA alone. So i have decided to take the GMAT and scored a 680(650 two years ago). I am sure i can break into the 700's with proper preparation. So it would be really helpful for me if you guys can share your suggestions about how well i am place for an admission into the top 10 programs. My first question is will my MBA in finance act against my MSF chances or will it help in any way? My only Criteria for going for a second masters is to land a good job in the IB sector. Thanks!!!