capybara123 wrote:
I am in the process of applying for Finance MScs starting in 2020. I prefer 2-year courses due to limited work experience. I am from the UK but am only applying outside of the Anglosphere to get international experience before the language-learning part of my brain calcifies completely. My preference ranking is something like this
1. Bocconi MSc Finance
2. ESSEC MSc Finance
3. Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance MSc Finance
4. HEC Paris MSc International Finance
5. ESADE MSc Finance
6. University of St Gallen MBF Banking and Finance (mainly because Swiss working culture sounds like the bomb)
I graduated from Oxford last year in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. I specialised in mathematical economics and econometrics papers but missed out on a First overall (by <0.5%) because of a poor finals mark in a mathematical econ paper (low 2:2 vs average of a clear First in my other papers). So 3.7/4 GPA overall but with a 3.3/4 in first year. No research projects
My GMAT was moved to the interim online assessment due to coronavirus. On practice tests I am averaging 740-750 (range of 730-770 with around Q50 V40). I understand the GMAT plays a heavy role in scholarships so I am hoping to boost this with more verbal revision (so far have focussed almost exclusively on quant)
Very limited work experience - a couple of weeks work experience with a trading team at Investec years ago, also did some research assistant stuff at Oxford (on an intellectual biography of Friedman, not really relevant) and then just tutoring/student jobs.
Also limited international experience - short volunteering stints at a refugee camp - and don’t speak other languages apart from limited French.
My letters of recommendation will be good (although I understand Bocconi doesn’t consider them at all...). One is from my personal tutor and Vice-Master of my college (Balliol), who has known me well since the beginning of my course. He taught me Politics but knows my subject reports+econ performance well (my impression was that with Finance they are interested in a broader picture than a more academic course like Econometrics Masters which I am also applying to).
The other is my macro tutor who’s a big name in his field (international macro). Taught me every week 2-3 on 1 for months but doesn’t remember undergrads’ names. He will base his reference on the work I did, which was good.
One thing I am worried about, since I graduated in 2019, is how the year out will look to an admissions committee. I basically applied for grad schemes mostly at the global asset managers but didn’t get any of the offers I wanted so have also been applying for Finance and Econometrics Masters (mostly 2 years to get back on the summer intern recruitment track as I didn’t do a summer internship).
I was offered an equity research internship at a wealth management but this has been messed up by coronavirus. By the time the lockdown is lifted the gap on my CV since graduating will be quite long. (I haven’t been completely idle - have been working with an education charity and did some tutoring with a program delivering tutoring services to disadvantaged students but no finance work, have also been studying for level 1 of the CFA and done some coding courses).
After graduating I want to work at an institutional asset manager, preferably in a quantitative or multi-asset team (which also leads to my preference for Bocconi with the quantitative focus+AM specialisation)
On the basis of this information, how would my profile stand in the admissions process? Are there any other institutions that might be a good fit?
Hey
capybara123,
Well, you have a pretty decent academic score of 3.7/4 overall.
Also, if you are averaging a GMAT score of 740-750 on practice tests, I believe you would be able to pull off a good score given that you continue to boost your performance.
Although your work experience is limited, highlighting some key achievements with the trading team at Investec and at Oxford can prove to be a valuable asset in building a strong application.
Apart from academics and work experience, you have a beginner’s level knowledge of French language and a volunteering experience at a refugee camp. If highlighted appropriately, it can be a part of your holistic profile.
You can also utilize this time of lockdown to your benefit by learning an additional language or equipping yourself with finance-related knowledge through online courses.
Having said that, Yes, a gap year in your profile is a weakness but it can be compensated by providing relevant and logical reasons. Coronavirus is a global pandemic so you can mention that you were offered a job but could not join due to the same. Also, it’s good that you have not been completely idle and have something on your plate that you can showcase to the Adcom. You can also mention your work with education charity and tutoring to compensate for the gap year.
Additionally, your studies for level 1 of the CFA will help you as most of the Masters in Finance programs partner with the CFA Institute.
Your strong recommendation letters would also be an asset in the application documents.
Also, for the schools you have selected, here is a brief idea on how selective they are:
HEC and the University of St. Gallen are dream schools which means the acceptance rate in these universities is around 25%. So, to ensure admission here you would need a very very strong application with a perfect combination of academics, professional experience, and extracurriculars that aligns with your goals.
On the other hand, ESSEC, ESADE, and Bocconi are super competitive with an acceptance rate of around 50%. They take each application into a very thorough consideration before making a decision.
Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance is a pretty safe school with an acceptance rate of around 75%.
Apart from this, a few other schools you can target if you are not looking out in a specific country are:
DREAM- LBS, MIT(Sloan), ESCP, Imperial
COMPETITIVE- Warwick, WHU, EDHEC
SAFE- Cass, Texas A&M University, Grenoble Ecole De Management, Skema
Lastly, I would recommend you to focus on drafting an application that stands out in order to counter your gap year. For help in building a strong application that can assure your chances of admission, you can check out our All-in-One-Service via the link below:
https://www.mim-essay.com/mim-all-in-one?gcfHope this helped!
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11 Jul 2018, 01:42
