Vanderbilt masters in finance to break into ER
Hey all,
Just discovered this site and am very happy I did!
Anyway, I recently graduated from a t-25 public school with a liberal arts major. However, I have always wanted to break into the ER field but am finding it difficult with a non-finance background.
This is why I was planning on applying to some masters in finance programs (Vanderbilt is @ the top of my list, also looking at a few others). I'm wondering whether or not you think this would be advisable for a person in my position. Will it help me break into the industry, assuming I network my a** off? Or should I simply save the $$ (Vanderbilt's program is $40,000, not including living expenses) and try to break into the ER field with a liberal arts bachelor's degree?
Oh, and here are my stats, in case that will help you give me advice.
GPA: 3.3
GRE: 1350 (730 Q, 620 V)
I have two internships at a governmental agency. However, I have no finance-related internships of any sort.
African-American
Involved in a few clubs in college, nothing spectacular though.
Please advise me. Thank you so much for your opinions.
What kind of liberal arts major are we talking?
Humanities. Anthro, more specifically.
I don't think you would be competitive at Vandy. Look at UVA MSC or Dukes MMS.
Anthony, I've looked into both of those programs, and think they would be a waste of money to be honest. They only give you a very basic business background, which is something I already have (despite having majored in a humanities major, I actually have a finance/accounting background largely through self-study). The masters in finance programs go into a much higher level and would prepare me to take the CFA exam, which is something I definitely plan on taking later on.
Thanks for your advice.
I agree, the Vandy program seems very new. You can look at the program placements to get a better idea of where you could end up. But reputable ER teams are very difficult to break into these days. Few positions and little movement (ie, associates have no where to go) and they usually require previous sell side experience. You probably have a better chance if you work in the industry you want to focus on, while taking the CFA and network.
ERGUY, thanks for the info.
I guess I am torn because I feel that having a masters in finance degree PLUS CFA level 1 would definitely make me competitive to get into ER. That said, I probably won't even get into the Vandy program so the point is moot. However, I will still throw an application their way.
Thanks for the advice.
Any other comments? Thanks in advance.
Duke would not be a waste of money. Revisit that option
Go for Duke. Program is new and a bit less competitive. Learn the finance stuff on your own and through CFA preparation. Go to the school for the network as the coursework will only be intellectual masturbation.
Is the Duke MMS really better than getting the Econ Master's at Duke?
Is the econ masters at Duke in the Fuqua school? If not then the MMS is better.
Duke has a solid program going on. They are really throwing a lot of weight behind it. I was originally skeptical of the program, but have since changed my mind. I would look at it.
The ECON program at Duke is basically terminal Masters in Econ and the students who are pursuing PHD in econ also take the SAME classes- it is essentilly the same but terminal....
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