Which MSF - International Applicant to US Programs

Hi everyone,

Need some advice in regards to the best MSF program in the US for international students. I have done quite a bit of research and have a fair idea of which programs suit my profile, but it would be great to hear from those who took part in the programs, or even those who considered taking part in them.

  • Undergraduate degree from a very reputable and quant-heavy finance course in the UK - Overall GPA is around a 3.45, which worries me quite a bit.
  • GMAT is 740, which hopefully cancels out the sub-par GPA
  • Internship experience in a large domestic wealth management/advisory firm, as well as a stockbroking company and boutique Asset Management firm.
  • Solid extra-curriculars and society involvement. Also had success in a number of finance related competitions.

The programs that I am looking at are UT Austin, Vanderbilt, MIT, University of Southern California, and WUSTL. However, I understand that MIT is most likely unattainable. I considered going down the MFE route to avail of the STEM designation, but I don't think my quant ability is good enough to get into the top top programs.

My main goal is to get employment in the US, specifically in equity research. I know this will be difficult, but I feel these schools offer me the best platform. Also, I plan to work in the US for 2/3 months after Christmas in equity research or corp finance (role not confirmed yet). Hopefully this US experience will make me more employable.

Any advice or information regarding the programs mentioned above, or even other programs I should consider, would be a massive help. I hope to send off my applications in the coming weeks!

Thanks

 
Best Response

Not sure why you think your GPA is that bad. 3.5GPA is in the 80% range. Vanderbilt is a 3.61 and MIT is a 3.7 average. So I think you are fine there. Your GMAT is above the low bound of the MIT 80% range and well above Vanderbilt's average.

Good EC's, internship experience, challenging UG. I'd say you would be competitive at all the programs you are looking at. MIT is obviously the best, but Vanderbilt is a close second. You could look at the WUSTL - MSF(Q) track. It has STEM certification, but I wouldn't consider it a full MFE program like Columbia. You can place into whatever you'd like from the Q track as well.

 

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