What extra things can be done except GMAT to strengthen my profile.

Question

Hi,
I have completed MBA(finance major) with GPA-3.6 from a top Bangladeshi Private University. My results in school and hons are not good. My GMAT score is 740 with Q-50. I want to study Ms in Finance in top class business school. Now I am working as lecturer of Finance in a college. I have 2 years of teaching experience. To get chance what should I do? What are the other things I can do now to compensate my previous low score. I know top schools will value so many extra things. What can I do? What should I do to fulfill my target. 
Please help me.

dheeraj7890 · Answer

Hi Rajibuddin,

Frankly 2 years of Wrok Experience and 740 might not lead you to top business schools. Probably you would have more things which you would have done in your life. Also, are you planning to target admissions this year ? or next year.

My recommendation for you would be to target next admission cycle as in that case you can spend some time working on your profile. Basically you can find the right schools for you and start working on your profile, try to engage in activities of your interest, take up some more challenges or community service etc. It will also increase your experience (as 2 years is quite less than the average for top b-schools).
Also, you already have an MBA and still you want to specialize again in Finance, you have to think about your convincing story about this as well.

To give you recommendations based on your profile, I would need to know detailed profile. Above were just general recommendations.
Let me know if you have more questions.
(Kudos if you like)

Cheers !
Dhiraj
www.globalmba-gyan.com

Rajibuddin

Hi,
I have completed MBA(finance major) with GPA-3.6 from a top Bangladeshi Private University. My results in school and hons are not good. My GMAT score is 740 with Q-50. I want to study Ms in Finance in top class business school. Now I am working as lecturer of Finance in a college. I have 2 years of teaching experience. To get chance what should I do? What are the other things I can do now to compensate my previous low score. I know top schools will value so many extra things. What can I do? What should I do to fulfill my target.
Please help me.

kasgmater123 · Answer

Ok It is clear to me that I have to do more. But I want specific things to know about what I can do more. I know community service and leadership quality are important. These things are spoken everywhere. I need to know something else which will make me a great competitor for Ms in Finance. Is there anything I can do in Finance to attract the admission committee. In there anything which I can do in 1 year to make me very competitive candidate?

MSFHQ · Answer

Where do you want to study? Frankly I don't think you have to do much more to get into many schools. You will need to explain why you want to do an MSF after an MBA though.

kasgmater123 · Answer

No such preference. Top US Business school would be better though. I can show reason. I have solid reason to show. But still I know top Business school want something extra. They prefer it. And suppose if I have CFA level 1 completed they will give value. They give more weight to those candidates who have achieved something different, such as winning math Olympiad medal. Can I do some extra courses such as calculus, econometrics, probability and linear algebra for creating my value? Is there any university which provides these courses online and give certificate for that? Is there any extra course in Finance which can strengthen my profile. Since I don't have very good academic record, I want to compensate this by doing many extra things which will ultimately make me a strong candidate to the admission committee. Please help if you know such thing.

SizeTrader · Answer

I think you are missing MSFHQ's point. It is not that schools want to see more awards or mathematical foundation; rather, they want to see a convincing case why you want an MSF after an MBA -- why the MBA doesn't give you sufficient finance coursework and (if not) why you chose it anyway. In general, the concern is about adverse selection: If someone wants an MSF right after an MBA, maybe that person is unable to get a decent job which might speak to other deficiencies.

As a member of an admission committee, those would be my immediate concerns. Personally, I only put weight on the CFA in cases where the person doesn't have other finance courses. I much prefer to see the breakdown of grades for individual courses. When I was in industry, I used to interview PhDs who got an MBA and it was often the same concern: a good PhD could get a job without the MBA, so a PhD who needs to get an MBA is probably lackluster. (Think of it as a separating equilibrium, if you're a game theorist.)

My honest advice: go out and work; build a convincing case for why you need more than your MBA coursework; articulate that in the context of your work experience; and, THEN apply to an MSF program. But hey, that's just my opinion.

kasgmater123 · Answer

Thank you SizeTrader.

Your suggestion is valuable to me. You are right. Actually before doing MBA, I did Hons(Major-Management- boring experience because curriculum was all about memorizing lines from book). I never liked it. But when I did MBA(Major-Finance) I loved studying. For the first time in my life I thought education is interesting and I really loved Finance. And after MBA I started teaching in college. Now I want to be a Finance Teacher in University. I love to teach Finance and I want to know more about Finance. I want to do Phd in Finance but before that I have to know more about Finance. That's why I want to do Ms in Finance first. It's not that I didn't get job. I got job in one of the leading MNCs and in few good companies but I didn't do any job. Because teaching attracted me most. I don't want to do anything what my heart doesn't support. I want to do something what I love to do. Actually, I have been teaching students(private tuition and coaching) for the last 8 years and I have now more than 2 years of teaching(Finance) experience in college. College is not a big area. It requires limited subject knowledge. There is no scope here to increase the knowledge in Finance but I am sure University teaching is totally different. There is no boundary for learning and teaching. The more I can learn and teach the more I become satisfied. I can't survive without teaching. It's in my blood. So, please suggest me now what I should do.

SizeTrader · Answer

You are welcome. You bring up two key points though: you want to do a PhD and you want to teach. The former explains why you are trying to sharpen your quantitative skills. The latter explains your dissatisfaction with the MBA.

If you want to do a PhD, I wouldn't be trying to go to an MSF first. Take some math and stat classes. Do  really  well at them. Then apply widely to PhD programs. I'd apply to at least 30 and probably over 60 places. Getting into a PhD program is far harder than getting into an MSF program. You could use a masters program as a backup, but if you are going to do that it should address your weakness (so an MS in math, OR, or stats). Even then, you need to accept that you might not end up in a PhD program.

On the other hand, you want to teach. Because this is such a strong focus, I would apply to PhD programs outside the top 50. Most schools in the top 50 (and many in the top 100) won't touch someone whose focus is not research -- and entering quals at one of those schools with nobody thinking they can/want to do research with you... you're toast 99 times out of 100, regardless of how you do on the test.

kasgmater123 · Answer

I think I failed to make you understand that I want to learn more about Finance. So, if I don't have very good knowledge about Finance, how will I do Phd in that subject. How will I submit my research proposal? I obviously want to do research. I love to do that. That's why I feel Msf is important. By doing msf I will have very good understanding of Finance. I am ready to dedicate time. But I want to get admitted in top universities for msf and phd. Now many would say it is impossible for me now. My question is why? And I want to fill those gaps to make it possible. Nothing to hurry. What should I do now?

MSFHQ · Answer

If your goal is strictly academic and you aren't looking to get into a financial career then apply to UIUC, OSU, U Rochester, etc. All fine MSF programs with PhD's in finance as well. You'll have to make sure you can research and I would suggest trying to take additional higher level classes. If you sell the adcoms hard on your want to be a professor I think you can get into a couple good schools.

kasgmater123 · Answer

Thank you very much.

Yes that's what I believe. Could you please tell me what specific addition higher level courses I can take and how? I prefer online learning. Paid or unpaid course is not the issue. Issue is I have to do those courses and get certificate for those additional courses. I have to show that I am capable of handling pressure and I have merit. So please suggest me.

What extra things can be done except GMAT to strengthen my profile.

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