I did this last year and thought a lot of you found it helpful so I figured I would do it again.I am happy to answer any questions people have regarding US MSF programs, as well as European programs. I will defer when something is asked that I don't know about as I consider bad advice to be worse than no advice. Me: - 2010 MSF graduate - 11 years financial industry experience - Advised and helped students gain admission to nearly every US and a handful of European MSF programs - National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) – September 2013 Edition – The Challenging Landscape of Graduate Business Education: New Opportunities for Recent Graduates by Katie Stephens (Referenced and Mentioned) Read more https://msfhq.com/about/

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MSF Class of 2020

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chenyuang09

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20 Feb 2019, 15:36

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BOUni, I haven't take any English literature course because I have my high school IB English credit transferred. I took a public speaking class and made an A, which is the only English class I have taken in TAMU.

mtm2353

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21 Feb 2019, 08:29

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Hello,

I am curious what my options can be for masters in fianance or master in economics, especially overseas in Europe.

Attending University of Miami
Major: Finance & Quantative Economics, Minor in Accounting

Certifications: Two Python for finance classes and Wall Street Prep (Financial Modeling and Valuation Certification)

3.95 GPA
700 GMAT - will take again

Internships:
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management (7 Months)

Raymond James Wealth Management (4 months)

HIG Capital LLC (hedge fund) as fund accountant (3 Months)

Market Research for a small marketing company (18 months)

Will attempt to get a boutique IB internship for first semester senior year

Analyst for Student Investment Fund (~1.5M AUM) and involved in Greek life (leadership role).

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BOUni

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21 Feb 2019, 09:44

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chenyuang09

In that case, hopefully you nailed the written and video essays. So you should be good for all your schools except MIT. Your gpa and gmat should make you attractive to them.

Good luck

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BOUni

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25 Feb 2019, 08:44

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chenyuang09

Honestly, my concerns are that

1. You are a foreign student with a relatively low GMAT verbal score and no English coursework at the university level. You had an opportunity to take Literature but you didn’t

2. You have a good Q score but insufficient math to work as a Quant or for a top MFE. You had the opportunity to take more math course work, but you didn’t

This is why I think top programs may look closely at your essays

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MSFHQ

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26 Feb 2019, 02:42

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mtm2353

Curious why Europe over the US? U Miami is a well known school in the states. You have a lot of internship and experience, at big name places (HIG is very well known, RJ, MS, etc). You have a great GPA and a 700 GMAT is pretty good. You'd definitely get into Vanderbilt, WUSTL, most likely USC. Probably in at UT Austin as well. I would imagine you would get some scholarship money as well.

European programs, I can see you getting into Imperial, LSE (on of their various MSc programs), etc.

mtm2353

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26 Feb 2019, 07:21

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mtm2353

I really would like to spend a year in Europe to experience something new. I am targeting LSE, LBS, Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, and possibly Warwick.

At the end of the day I will go to the school with the best network and reputation.

What is ur take on the European schools based on my profile? I am still a junior and have only just began researching, and will have some time to boost my profile even more.

Thank you for the previous response!

chenyuang09

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26 Feb 2019, 16:02

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BOUni, If my application do not go well, then do you think delaying my graduation for a semester and taking more maths classes and literature classes in TAMU will help significantly with my application for next year? I know that lacking Maths and English classes is my disadvantage.

Tbake4

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13 Mar 2019, 10:52

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I’m graduating this semester. It took me 3 years plus a summer. I’m getting a BS in business management and am looking to go to either Indiana or Washington University in St. Louis for a MS in Finance.

640 GMAT with around 40 hours of studying and never even studied for the verbal portion so I’m sure I can raise it if I take it again. Both Quant and Verbal were 61st percentile.
4.0 GPA at an average university.
Member of three national honors societies/fraternities.
Played college basketball (not D1).
Five years work experience but not in the business world.

Do you think I could get accepted to either, both, or neither of those universities? And what others should I apply to? And what gmat do you think I’d need in order to get accepted to those schools if you don’t think I can get in right now. Thanks.

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tej19

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13 Mar 2019, 22:05

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Hi guys,

I currently have admits from University of Rochester and NUS Singapore for Masters in Finance. I am waiting for the UT Austin results. Of these three, can anyone please help me prioritize?

My profile -

Work experience of 1.5+ years at Wells Fargo in Credit Risk Management, Gmat - 680,ielts - 7.5, undergraduate majors in electronics and Communication Engineering with CGPA - 8.76/10, two journal publications in image processing using machine learning algorithms.

Thank you.

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MSFHQ

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14 Mar 2019, 05:33

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Tbake4

You get that GMAT a little higher and I would say you are a shoe in at both. Athlete with a 4.0 GPA is great.

As for the work experience, showcase it, but don't talk too much about the duration. Not sure what kind of experience it is, but you don't want these adcoms to push you towards an MBA. I am going to assume this was a job during college or a family business or something.

MSFHQ

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14 Mar 2019, 05:34

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tej19

Rochester is a very good school with an international brand recognition. NUS is a good school, especially for international students from say India. If you want to work in the US, Rochester is the obvious choice. If you don't know and you'd be open to working in Europe, Asian or India, go with NUS.

nikhilaav

Joined: 21 Jan 2017

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25 Mar 2019, 22:31

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nikhilaav

Hi, I'm an Indian applicant with GPA of 8.62out of 10, TOEFL 114 and GMAT score of 720. I have a total of 5 years work experience in computer science and finance companies. I have been admitted to Boston University and UC San Diego MSF programs. I'm planning to apply to few more programs for their second rounds. I prefer colleges which are offering computational or mathematical finance options. Please suggest some realistic options.

Check out Quantnet. I'd take Boston University over UC San Diego. As for other programs, check out Baruch, Rutgers, etc. They just released a new ranking which should help you in your search.

Thank you for your reply. I have been accepted to UCLA MFE program as well. Also, UC San Diego has offered me a 50% scholarship. Kindly advise.

MSFHQ

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28 Mar 2019, 04:07

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nikhilaav

MSFHQ

nikhilaav

Check out Quantnet. I'd take Boston University over UC San Diego. As for other programs, check out Baruch, Rutgers, etc. They just released a new ranking which should help you in your search.

Thank you for your reply. I have been accepted to UCLA MFE program as well. Also, UC San Diego has offered me a 50% scholarship. Kindly advise.

UCLA has a much better reputation than UCSD. Unless financing is the primary concern, I’d go to UCLA.

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kailashkumar26

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12 Jul 2019, 04:49

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Hi msfhq,
I am from India, graduated from a reputed NIT this year with a CGPA of 7.2. I recently wrote my GMAT and got 640(49q 29v), Which is low, though I believe I can get a much better score. Got a job as an analyst in a big 4 accounting firm. Pursuing CFA L1 (Dec 2019) and I am very confident on clearing this exam. Have internship experiences at a stockbroking firm and in a Boutique Bank.

I am looking for admits into the MSF programs in the following universities
1. Schulich School of Business
2. Mcgill University
3. ESSEC Paris-Singapore
4.Ohio State university
5.Maryland Smith University.

What are my chances to get admits into these schools. Should I retake GMAT ??

Rahul9324

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08 Aug 2019, 04:40

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I am indian undergraduate student.

Bachelor of management studies major in finance from mumbai University ( cgpa. 8).
HSC from State board with 74%.
SSC from State board with 77%.

Frm exam 1
Corporate finance from columbia business school through edx.

Gmat: 720.

TECHNICAL SKILLS; Windows,C,C#.

AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS;
2nd prize in ad-mad for the topic : mutual fund.
Participated in various sports.
Volunteering in national service scheme.
Volunteer of local ngo.
Various certifications related to maths in school days.

3 months internship in iifl indian financial company.

Language;
Hindi
Marathi
English
French A2 level

What are my chances in top 15 msc finance pre experience universities ?

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MSFHQ

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10 Aug 2019, 07:58

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kailashkumar26

The Canadian schools I know less about, but McGill is one of the best schools in Canada. I would say you need your GMAT to be much higher to be competitive. OSU/Maryland, if you get your GMAT to high 600's you would get some interest. Internships and work experience help. ESSEC Paris-Singapore - no clue. I do know a lot of Indian students go to Singapore schools because it is apparently easier to work their post graduation. Pros and Cons to all the schools.

CFA L1 is nice, but will have minimal impact on your applications. Get that GMAT higher and some work experience. That will be the biggest aspect of your application adcoms review.

MSFHQ

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10 Aug 2019, 08:15

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Rahul9324

You would get into some programs, not get into a number of others. 720 is good, but for international students it doesn't stand out. Some decent awards and stuff, but like I said, nothing standing out. Your GPA looks strong and that will help. FRM L1 is very nice. I am going to assume you are looking at the FT rankings for European type programs? I would say you should pick one or two stretch programs (LSE would come to mind because of the sheer number of MSc programs they have) and a number of lower ranked European programs. SSE, Bocconi, stuff like that seems low probability.

That being said, I will defer to anyone who knows the European programs better.

Rahul9324

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10 Aug 2019, 08:22

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Which bschools should i target ?

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sakbar

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28 Aug 2019, 03:07

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Hello,

I am looking to apply for graduate programs in finance as well as data analytics in the United States for the Fall 2020 sessions. I have around 7 years or so of work experience, but none of which is relevant towards finance (most experience in consulting-analytics in the united states and some in non profit-analytics in the developing world). I have looked at MBA programs but honestly the core MBA curricula do not fascinate me much, I would rather have a masters in finance or data sci degree that leaves the option open of pursuing further graduate study (phd for eg). However, at nearly 32 years of age, I wonder how smart of a move this might be - as most programs are geared towards people with little work experience. Is it a bad idea to pursue what I am thinking of doing, and should I just go do an MBA instead?

In case more details are needed, I am from Pakistan, went to a top 12 liberal arts college in the US with a gpa 3.2 (Physics and Mathematics-Economics), my GRE is slightly below my potential (Q-159 V-161 A-5.5)

thanks,
S

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02 Sep 2019, 10:53

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Hello
I am an Indian national.
Looking to apply for MS in finance in the Us or Europe.

BE Electrical Engg 76/100

MS Signal Processing NTU SINGAPORE GPA 4.05/5

Work exp 4yrs 8months at India's largest bank. Worked as branch manager.

Yet to take GMAT .I have a 306 score in gre which is low.

Kindly suggest some univ in USA.
Thank you.

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