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MSFHQ
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MSF Class of 2020 02 Feb 2019, 13:23
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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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chenyuang09
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MSF Class of 2020 02 Feb 2019, 16:15
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Hello, I am international student from China. I applied for Rochester on January 1st. But until now I have not received any interview notification nor any admission decision when I see many other people already did. So I am kind of worried now and wonder what is the chance that I can be admitted to the MSF program in Rochester. My background: Currently a senior in Finance in Mays Business School at A&M and graduating in May. GPA: 3.965 out of 4. Gmat: 720. Had an internship as an accounting clerk in a real estate firm. Have worked as a part-time research assistant to help my professor conduct research since 2018. So what do you think the chance is for me to get admitted? And what about the chances of getting admitted in other MSF programs in other universities I have applied to: BC, UT Austin, Washington Saint Louis, MIT, Brandeis, John Hopkins. Thank you!
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MSF Class of 2020 02 Feb 2019, 20:38
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Hi chenyuang09

Which math courses did you take at TAMU?

What is the GMAT split?

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chenyuang09
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MSF Class of 2020 02 Feb 2019, 20:44
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Hi BOUni I got 51 on Math and 35 for Verbal. I had Calc I transferred from high school and already took Calc II, Probability Theory, Statistics in A&M. Currently I am taking Linear Algebra.
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MSFHQ
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MSF Class of 2020 03 Feb 2019, 09:17
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chenyuang09
Hello, I am international student from China. I applied for Rochester on January 1st. But until now I have not received any interview notification nor any admission decision when I see many other people already did. So I am kind of worried now and wonder what is the chance that I can be admitted to the MSF program in Rochester. My background: Currently a senior in Finance in Mays Business School at A&M and graduating in May. GPA: 3.965 out of 4. Gmat: 720. Had an internship as an accounting clerk in a real estate firm. Have worked as a part-time research assistant to help my professor conduct research since 2018. So what do you think the chance is for me to get admitted? And what about the chances of getting admitted in other MSF programs in other universities I have applied to: BC, UT Austin, Washington Saint Louis, MIT, Brandeis, John Hopkins. Thank you!
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You are a Chinese national that is graduating from Texas A&M with basically a 4.0 and a 720 GMAT? Assuming your essays are somewhat coherent you should 100% get into Rochester with a large scholarship.

My advice would be to apply to UT Austin, MIT, Vanderbilt, WUSTL, etc. Rochester and JHU can be your safety schools. Texas A&M is a known and respected school in the states. Your GPA is phenomenal and above all the programs class averages. Your GMAT is very high as well.

I personally would call Rochester as they might have lost your application. Or there is something not being mentioned in your post that would otherwise kill a perfect app.
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MSF Class of 2020 03 Feb 2019, 15:31
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Hey TNA

Thanks for doing this.
I’ve been waiting for this thread on WSO since October 2018

My question is, do you think a CFA level 1 can offset a sub-par GRE score?

For context, here’s my profile;
-Nigerian
-GRE - 154Q, 145V, 3.5AWA (didn’t do well due to some extenuating circumstances)
-TOEFL - 103
-GPA: 3.7/4.0
- 2 years of experience in equity research

I have applied to Mcgill (requires GRE) and Schulich (waives GRE for candidates that have passed CFA L1) but I haven’t heard back from either schools.

Please what do you think my chances are at McGill?


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BOUni
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MSF Class of 2020 04 Feb 2019, 21:07
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You say you are taking Linear Algebra now and have completed Probability Theory Math. This is very impressive considering that Linear Algebra is a pre-requisite for Probability Theory.

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chenyuang09
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MSF Class of 2020 04 Feb 2019, 21:29
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BOUni The Probability Theory class I have taken is relatively simple since it is oriented toward business students and Linear Algebra is not its prerequisite..... It does involve some concepts of inverse matrices but overall the course concept is simple. I know there is another advanced Probability Theory class for engineering/math majors, but I haven't taken that class yet.
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MSF Class of 2020 04 Feb 2019, 21:56
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MSFHQ Thanks for the reply! I emailed the Rochester admission. It told me that my application is complete and I have to wait for the decision. Is it possible for Rochester to admit a candidate without an interview? I still have not received any interview notification and am worried about it right now since many round 2 applicants already did.
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MSF Class of 2020 05 Feb 2019, 06:36
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berryblast
Hey TNA

Thanks for doing this.
I’ve been waiting for this thread on WSO since October 2018

My question is, do you think a CFA level 1 can offset a sub-par GRE score?

For context, here’s my profile;
-Nigerian
-GRE - 154Q, 145V, 3.5AWA (didn’t do well due to some extenuating circumstances)
-TOEFL - 103
-GPA: 3.7/4.0
- 2 years of experience in equity research

I have applied to Mcgill (requires GRE) and Schulich (waives GRE for candidates that have passed CFA L1) but I haven’t heard back from either schools.

Please what do you think my chances are at McGill?


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Your GRE looks to convert to a very low GMAT. I would check the schools 80% GRE range to see if the ETS site conversion is incorrect. Mcgill is a great school in Canada. I would advise a higher GRE or GMAT score to be competitive there. If you don't want to retake your GRE, pass CFA L1, apply to Schulich and I would think you'd be competitive since you have a good GPA.
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MSF Class of 2020 05 Feb 2019, 06:38
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chenyuang09
MSFHQ Thanks for the reply! I emailed the Rochester admission. It told me that my application is complete and I have to wait for the decision. Is it possible for Rochester to admit a candidate without an interview? I still have not received any interview notification and am worried about it right now since many round 2 applicants already did.
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Most schools interview at their discretion. I think they use it for students who are on the bubble to decide one way or another. I would wait and see what they say. Nothing else you can do.
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MSF Class of 2020 05 Feb 2019, 07:10
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Hey TNA,

Thank you for your reply.
I have actually passed CFA L1 and would be taking L2 this June - hence the reason i was a bit surprised that Schulich had not gotten back

MSFHQ
berryblast
Hey TNA

Thanks for doing this.
I’ve been waiting for this thread on WSO since October 2018

My question is, do you think a CFA level 1 can offset a sub-par GRE score?

For context, here’s my profile;
-Nigerian
-GRE - 154Q, 145V, 3.5AWA (didn’t do well due to some extenuating circumstances)
-TOEFL - 103
-GPA: 3.7/4.0
- 2 years of experience in equity research

I have applied to Mcgill (requires GRE) and Schulich (waives GRE for candidates that have passed CFA L1) but I haven’t heard back from either schools.

Please what do you think my chances are at McGill?


Sent from my iPhone using GMAT Club Forum

Your GRE looks to convert to a very low GMAT. I would check the schools 80% GRE range to see if the ETS site conversion is incorrect. Mcgill is a great school in Canada. I would advise a higher GRE or GMAT score to be competitive there. If you don't want to retake your GRE, pass CFA L1, apply to Schulich and I would think you'd be competitive since you have a good GPA.
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MSF Class of 2020 05 Feb 2019, 14:23
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chenyuang09
BOUni The Probability Theory class I have taken is relatively simple since it is oriented toward business students and Linear Algebra is not its prerequisite..... It does involve some concepts of inverse matrices but overall the course concept is simple. I know there is another advanced Probability Theory class for engineering/math majors, but I haven't taken that class yet.
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In which case, MIT is out of the question. You need Diff-eq and Probability Theory to even have a shot.

Have you taken MV Calculus? Also, what were your grades in Calc 2, 3, Stat and Econometrics 2?

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MSF Class of 2020 10 Feb 2019, 11:27
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After my Graduation in Engineering(IT)(I am currently in final year), If I don't take a job and prepare for CFA Level 1 exam and then apply for Master of Finance in foreign universities after a year, will it affect my application in a negative way?
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MSF Class of 2020 10 Feb 2019, 11:29
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After my Graduation in Engineering(IT)(I am currently in final year), If I don't take a job and prepare for CFA Level 1 exam and then apply for Master of Finance in foreign universities after a year, will it affect my application in a negative way?
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MSF Class of 2020 10 Feb 2019, 14:30
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Nainam
After my Graduation in Engineering(IT)(I am currently in final year), If I don't take a job and prepare for CFA Level 1 exam and then apply for Master of Finance in foreign universities after a year, will it affect my application in a negative way?
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Should not be an issue as long as the unemployment gap is within reason.
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MSF Class of 2020 16 Feb 2019, 18:33
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BOUni Sorry for the late reply. I was recently busy with my applications and interviews. I haven't taken any MV calculus or Econometrics class. I got As in Cal 2 and Stat. Honestly I think my maths background is relatively poor and one of my major disadvantages. I hope my 51 Gmat maths score can somewhat compensate that.
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MSF Class of 2020 19 Feb 2019, 09:14
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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.
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MSF Class of 2020 19 Feb 2019, 20:53
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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.
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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.
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MSF Class of 2020 20 Feb 2019, 12:08
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chenyuang09
BOUni Sorry for the late reply. I was recently busy with my applications and interviews. I haven't taken any MV calculus or Econometrics class. I got As in Cal 2 and Stat. Honestly I think my maths background is relatively poor and one of my major disadvantages. I hope my 51 Gmat maths score can somewhat compensate that.
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Your Math is fine for the MSFs, except MIT. Your v, although not bad for an international student, is a bit low. So a lot will depend on your written and video essays.

Did you take any English Literature courses at TAMU?

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