MS Finance Profile Evaluations

Question

Hi everyone,

I'm a senior, and I expect to complete my BSc Finance Degree next year. I'm looking at applying for top MSF Programs in the US (Such as MIT, Duke, Columbia, Vandy) and Uk (Oxford, LBS -MFA, Imperial. Below is my profile.

1. GPA: 2.9 (I started with lows, scored pretty well in the previous two terms)
2. GRE: Q168, V161
3. GMAT: 730
4. Completed four Guided Projects (All in the field of finance)
5. 3 Internships ( 2 at well know asset managers, 1 in financial journalism)
6. 2 Papers published (1 in the field of Operations Research)
7. Completed various certification courses from Coursera (Including some advanced level courses)
8. I have high-level proficiency at Python and C. I'm planning to do R Programming in the coming month
9. I'm also planning to give FRM Exam in November this year (Planning to give both levels at once)

Extracurriculars:
1. I'm an avid runner. I participate in many marathons.
2. I play classical piano

I would appreciate if someone could evaluate my profile.

Thank You

MiMEssay · Answer

Hey bah1212 , You seem ambitious about pursuing a career in finance - This is reflected in the effort you have put in your projects and internships If this aspect is portrayed properly in your application, schools will be interested in this. As far as your academics are concerned, GPA is comparatively a bit on the lower side, especially for UK based schools that may be an issue. You may want to email them especially Imperial and Oxford to check if you are eligible to apply there or not. Which college you did your undergraduate from also matters. That said, your GMAT score is good. For MSF programs you need to showcase your strong passion for finance, so you should highlight the finance aspect of all your internships. Details about the kind of brands you have worked with are important. The same for your papers and projects where you need to really pitch how each and every endeavor you have taken up has been oriented towards increasing your understanding of finance. The courses you have done won’t help to improve your application much. I see you are planning to take up the FRM which is a much better call. You may also look into CFA to improve your application chances. For extracurricular, you need to give more information to showcase that you have a layered personality and have leadership skills as well. Though your overall profile is decent however, some schools like MIT and Oxford might be out of reach. Apart from your targeted school, you can also consider some other top schools such as Duke, Vanderbilt, and LSE in your list. Hope this helps. If you want to get a deeper insight into your profile and your selection chances at your target schools, I would suggest you send us your resume at support@mim-essay.com and further you can check out this free profile evaluation tool, https://www.mim-essay.com/profile-evaluation/

strangemonk · Answer

Hi guys, could you please suggest me US schools for a MSC Finance program (STEM) based on my profile:

Bachelors GPA: 3.1
GRE: 311 (154Q 157V 5AWA)
Work Ex: 2.2 years (1 yr 10 months at one of the largest IBs & 1 internship)
Certifications: Cleared 8 exams of CIMA (actively pursuing to complete)

Thanks in advance.

Best.

MiMEssay · Answer

Hey  strangemonk ,

Well, to begin with, given your aspiration of pursuing a masters in Finance, one thing to be mindful of is highlighting your passion and experiences in the field of finance.

That said, your GPA is quite decent as well and would allow you to target most of the top schools. It definitely highlights your academic capabilities and prowess. However, another significant aspect that schools focus is on extracurricular activities. So you would be required to elucidate your proactiveness in extracurricular and other initiatives. In case you don’t have any, it's recommended to work upon the same to build a holistic profile. You can take up volunteering work at local shelters or more certifications in the field of finance.

The CIMA certification you’re currently pursuing, further brings to light your ability to take initiative and your thirst for knowledge. As accountancy more or less complements the field of finance, this can be used to showcase a holistic approach in your growth towards building a career in finance.

Moreover, having worked in an IB firm which showcases relevant work experience in the field of finance, I’d say it definitely works in your favour as this is something that all schools appreciate. As you have not mentioned the company name, I can’t really comment on the relevancy of its brand name. Here, You would be required to focus on the kind of roles you have undertaken, the projects you undertook, and the positive impact you were able to create during your stint. Thus, effectively showcasing your work ex can help you establish in the minds of the admissions committee that you are no less than a Big4 candidate.

Business schools seek competitive applicants having a robust profile, hence it is imperative to have good grades, coupled with a high GRE score and work experience. Thus, a GRE retake is what I would suggest you to go ahead with as building your profile around these factors will significantly strengthen your profile, enabling you to have a shot of getting into your desired program. You should be targeting a minimum score of 320 as it would broaden the option of schools you can be targeting.

As for the STEM programs in US, there are several options that come under the category, such as
Vanderbilt, UC San Diego, Boston University, USC Marshall, Princeton, Brandies, Duke and Michigan University.

Since you haven’t shared your profile details adequately, giving any recommendations according to your profile would be vague. So, I would suggest you take a FREE Profile Evaluation through the link given below to gain insights into your profile strengths and weaknesses and receive a list of school suggestions that best match your profile.

Link for the FREE Profile Evaluation-

https://www.mim-essay.com/profile-evaluation/

Hope this helped!

strangemonk · Answer

Thanks for your meaningful insights  MiMEssay  ! Appreciate it!

I've worked at BNP Paribas Securities Services in a Fund Administrative role with sufficient contributions including a major migration project and have strong professional recommendations too. 
As far as the GRE is concerned, I'm not very inclined on a retake and would like to work around my options with the current score. 
Additionally, I have worked as a volunteer at an NGO for 3 months and I'm currently pursuing a few courses in my field online via Coursera, Edx, etc.

I did my research and found the MS Finance programs at UIUC, UT Dallas, UC Irvine, Brandeis & Babson to fit my requirements.

Could you please categorize the above schools into "Ambitious, Moderate & Safe" based on my profile?

Thank you so much once again!

Best,
strangemonk.

MiMEssay · Answer

Hey  strangemonk ,

Glad you liked our review!

Proceeding further, your experience at BNP Paribas Securities Services is pretty impactful as it is one of the big brands in the world. Further, in order to stand out from the competition, you ought to explain and highlight the major projects of your work and how these experiences helped to develop and groom your skills.

As far as your GRE is concerned, your score is 311 is quite decent but schools that you have mentioned look for an average score of at least 318+. But nevertheless, as you fall short by a few points and because GRE just holds a 15-20% chance of getting accepted, you could be applying to these schools by backing your profile with a strong application. Make sure you showcase your journey, what makes you different from your peers, and how you are a great value addition to the school.

Further, I’d like to let you know that extra-curricular participation plays an important role in strengthening your applications as B-schools are on the hunt for all-rounder profiles. Having said that, your social volunteering and endeavor or taking up certification courses help portray not just your inclination towards benefiting the society but also your proactive and enthusiastic nature, traits held in high regard by the adcoms.

Given your school choices, Brandeis comes under the upper competitive whereas remaining can be clubbed under the competitive category. That said you have 50-60% of getting admitted to the upper competitive school and a 70% chance of getting admitted to the schools coming under the competitive category.

Lastly, I would suggest you back your profile with a strong application and as applying during Round 1 would increase your chance of securing an admit and allow you to secure scholarships too, you should start preparing your applications to these schools in parallel since R1 deadlines are just around the corner and each application takes 10-15 days to be perfected. On that note, if you are looking to target the top B-schools and want to prepare a strong application to meet the Round 1 deadlines right on time, you can check our comprehensive All-in-one solution that has helped 2500+ applicants get into their dream schools.

Here is the link to our ALL-IN-ONE solution:

https://www.mim-essay.com/mim-all-in-one

vibhorekanoongo · Answer

Hi,
Nationality: Indian
Course: MSc Finance
GPA: 9.19/10
GMAT: 620 (Q49, V26) expect it to increase at least to 680 on a retake.
Work Experience: 6months equity trader, 1-month equity research internship
Undergrad: Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics ( Bachelors in Financial Markets )
ECs - Yt Football related channel with 30k subs (If it helps)

The problem is I complete my undergrad in July 2019. Got the job in Nov 2019 but lost it in April 2019 due to covid. I got into the Frankfurt School of finance and mgt(masters in finance) without a scholarship. I am thinking of taking 1 more gap, in that year I will improve my GMAT to at least 680, will have 6 months of experience in IB(internship) and will give my CFA in November. Do you think so that because it will almost 3 years since I have completed my undergrad, this 1 year will have a negative impact on my profile and chances of getting into good colleges in Europe and Canada(Mcgill MMF)?

Target college - RSM Msc Fin and Inv, SSE MSc Fin, Mcgill MMF. 
Do you guys think so that it is worth waiting 1 more year for these colleges When I have already got into Frankfurt school?
I will be 23 by the time the Frankfurt school program starts and will be 24 by the program starts next year. Do you think my age will be an issue because MSC finance is usually a pre-experience program?

Dhruv16 · Answer

Thanks for the response, Really appreciate it!

MSFHQ · Answer

In the US, focus on mid-lower ranked MFE programs. MIT - doubtful. Vandy - low probability, Duke and Columbia (assuming MFE or other quant masters, low probability). Look at Rutgers, Boston University, etc. Quantnet does a good ranking - https://quantnet.com/mfe-programs-rankings/. You have a good GMAT, but the sub-3.0 GPA is going to hurt you with the top schools. With your research and FRM you should line up with in the quant finance programs and the US has a ton of them.

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