MSF Profile Evaluation

IBD - Vanderbilt places into banking consistently. So does UT Austin. WUSTL does, but I would say at a lesser number than the other two. Mainly Chicago which has a lot of IB. USC for West Coast. Others will have some IB placement, but I don't think at the same rate as the others. Obviously a lot depends on how you take advantage of the program and what it offers.

May I ask, which state/city will be easier for Singaporean to get an IB job? As I'm currently in equity research, does it helps at all?

Having relevant finance experience will help getting into a program and finding a job after graduation. Being international, I would recommend looking for work in larger cities (pretty obvious). Reality is you need to find a job that does will placing students into front office finance roles in cities you want to be in. This would include all the programs I mentioned. USC is going to be very international and the West Coast will be as well once you graduate. If you go to Vanderbilt, you will most likely focus your networking and recruiting on NYC.

Hey CurryBeef

Well, you have a quite decent profile.

You have done a great job with GPA and some decent internships there, however, you would need to work better for the GMAT score.

Also, you have a few things working out for you which are good GPA and two finance summer internship in insurance broker firm.
Now you have asked a couple of very specific questions about profile and likelihood of getting into top schools for MSF specifically in the USA.

Here's my take on them:

Profile: While you have a decent profile, know that you will have a strong and intense competition with fellow applicants for the MSF program in Top Colleges of USA with a major chunk of them having stellar profiles( High GPA, High GMAT, decent job experiences and extra-curricular) as well.
However, you need to make sure that while you are competing with people who have good GMAT score, you target for a 650+ score this time.
Because this way every school that you are planning to target would lie in your range.
Overall, I’d say that you have not given a lot of details about your extra-curricular activities. The schools which you are targeting values a holistic profile, so try taking up some volunteering initiatives, join student clubs and make sure that you present some quantifiable impact through these activities. Also, having CFA would be a bonus and it can increase your chance for our dream school
Work Experience: Although, full-time post-baccalaureate work experience is not required yet it is strongly recommended to have internships in finance or a related field and applicants with more extensive experience are also welcomed. So, talking in the context of work experience you can have a good chance in schools Like Vanderbilt.

ExtraCurriculars: Along with a good profile, you need a extracurriculars that can be showcased through your essays and LOR’s. This can be in the form of some very strong achievements, or a very unique skill set - Something that you do better than the others. Maybe you'll need to build it, or maybe you already have it in your profile ( In this case you will need to brainstorm and think about how you can showcase it in the application. Apart from internships and GMAT, I would suggest taking up a community development project as well. Schools highly value social volunteering initiatives.

Conclusion: In the end, I’d say that you should note that there are always many more applications than places available at such Top Schools and possession of the minimum entrance requirements does not guarantee that you will be offered admission. It is therefore in your interest to apply as early as possible.


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Hello Abhyank

Regarding GMAT, I am still studying for it and will be taking it next month.
Regarding extracurricular activities, I did not join any clubs during my undergraduate studies. Before my undergraduate studies, I had 3 jobs at a same time as I need to save money for my tuition fees. I did not have any spare time to meet my "friends" at that period, let alone time for extracurricular activities. Even now as I'm working as equity research during weekdays, I also have a part time job as a bartender during the weekend. This is because I have to save up money for my postgraduate studies, similar situation to my undergraduate studies. Therefore, I really can't find time to do any volunteering work or extracurricular activities. I even have to study for GMAT and CFA in the train while traveling between work and home.

If I have military experience due to conscription in my country, will it be beneficial for me to list it in my resume or essay?

This is quite accurate. I did my GMAT again and scored 620. I've gotten in SMU, University of Rochester and Duke. Dinged for both Vanderbilt and UT.