Is anyone familiar with the Villanova MSF schedule? I'm not talking about when classes are during the week but rather beginning and end dates. When does summer session end and fall begin? How about Fall to Spring?

What I know so far is that this year orientation is on June 3rd followed by a 3day boot camp and then classes start the 10th.

Also what do people typically do during the breaks...Work?Travel?

Canadian here trying to break into high finance in the US. I was wondering how could I get a work visa in the USA. Is the best way to break in is to do a grad program MSF (Villanova)? But how do I get a visa when I am in the recruiting process?

Hello,
I'm in at both Duke and Villanova, and I'm having a tough time deciding. My background is a BS in bio with A minor in business, from a non-target school, I'm interested in ib, particularly healthcare/life sciences. Which one is more likely to get me to where I want to be?

I'm a senior at a top 20 target school without offers for Investment Banking this year. That said, I am thinking about an MSF as a backup. The problem is that I do not know where to aim for given my background. I am a double major in International Business and Finance with an Economics and Philosophy minor.

My GPA will only be a 2.9 upon applying and a little over a 3.0 expected upon graduation. I recently took the GMAT and did score 730. Work experience is low, only one internship slightly related to finance, a research position, and I am serving as treasurer for two organizations on campus.

I was looking at Villanova specifically, but average GPA is a 3.5? Will this knock me out completely? If so, what are some other schools I would have a shot at?

Thanks

Looking for some advice on Philly area schools and a finance MBA. I studied finance at an area private Catholic college ('10) and currently living in Center City interested in an MBA program.

Can anyone offer advice when it comes to a part-time MBA from either Villanova, Temple-Fox, St. Joe's, PSU, or Drexel? I'm currently studying for the GMAT but I don't have an idea of what a prelim score would be.

Thanks,

If anyone wants to network with adcoms and alumni from some of the best MSF schools, you should def check this out. It's free btw.

msbusinessdegrees.com

There's one in NYC on March 26th and another in DC on March 27th.

One thing I do want to point out is that the round 3 deadlines for pretty much all of these programs will be over by then, since most of thier dealines are march 9-19.

I'm applying for round 3 to a few of these but am showing up to this thing anyway to compare them and network. Hope to see some of you there.

Hi guys, I'm a sophomore at Villanova and looking for some advice. I'm double majoring in Finance and Economics, with a co-major in International Business and a minor in Accounting. If that seems a bit scattered, hear me out. My university was very generous with AP credit, as I took 6 AP classes in high school. Short of graduating in 3 years, which I did not want to do, my only option is taking a ton of classes. This isn't overloading at all, I just got lucky and got out of a lot of required core classes.

That said, am I crazy for having 2+ majors and a minor? Will interviewers question my motives? I'd explain my decision of course, but I feel that it can only help me stand out, assuming I can keep a reasonable GPA up at the same time.

Hello Everyone,

Okay I need some advice about MSF programs. But first i'll give you a quick synopsis about myself. I went to a non-target state school and just graduated (class of 2011). I have a 3.8 gpa with very good extracurricular activities. I have had two internships at a BB bank. And am now working full time at that bank. My internships were in both a BO role and a MO role. My current full time role could be viewed as either BO or MO depending on your viewpoint. I'm in the investment bank line of business at the bank.

ANT, is this a friend of yours?

Villanova MBA grad/creep felinophile (un)successfully tries eHarmony...

Found on DealBreaker (duh).
http://dealbreaker.com/2011/06/is-this-an-accurate...

After being rejected from some Ivy schools I am left with two choices for UG b-school.

Villanova School of Business and Fordham's Gabelli School of Business

I plan to work in NYC and eventually a hedge fund (hopefully). Which of these schools would provide better networking opportunities and provide a better academic environment and look better for transfer applications to Cornell AEM and Wharton?

i am choosing between these two and want to hear your insight. BC and Villanova are similar in environment/social life/Jesuit education, and i'm assuming they are similar in placement.

If I get a 3.5+, will i get interviews somewhere?

On a side note, please look at the link below. the "Alumni Affairs and Careers" bar has their top employers. Are these numbers legit? also note that BC had a 55% response rate, so the numbers are slightly skewed.

http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/rankings/unde...

http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/rankings/unde...

THANK YOU VERY MUCH

Hey guys,

I am going to be attending Villanova starting fall 2011 for a Master's in Accountancy. During the Fall and Spring semesters classes only take place at night leaving students time to work full time during the day. I know I don’t want to be an accountant and I want to work in a finance role, and if end up working for a big 4 it will be in advisory. I am looking for suggestions on possible internships in philly at a boutique ib or pe shop, or a vc. Where would be some good places to look and does this plan seem realistic?

Thanks in advance

Hi All,

I was wondering if someone who has done well in Villanova's MSF program could provide some advice as to how to get a high GPA in the program? Are there any practice exams floating around? What should I do to get a 3.6 or better in the program? Thanks.

Thanks in advance for the info

I’m looking at a couple MSF’s, Nova and UIUC..

I’ve seen a whole lot of info on both programs, and am just looking for pretty general thought between the two? I know on average they will place regionally, Nova in NYC/Philly, UIUC in Chicago. I’m pretty sure Nova is the way to go due to class size, facilities, job prospects, cost, alumni etc. and am pretty much looking more to verify my decision..

I spoke to Meredith over the phone on yesterday in re the Villanova MSF. Here is the interview. ANT, you may want to include this on the MSFHQ site.

Questions re: the MSF and MBA Programs for Meredith Kwiatek, Asst. Director of Admissions for the MSF Program at Villanova
1.What percentage of students get sales and trading placements via the MSF and MBA Programs? It varies.

2.What percentage of MSF and MBA students are employed before graduation? 90 percent last year for about four months out. Primarily NY and Philadelphia. Most of last year’s class went into analyst-IB roles. Some went into commercial banking (2 or 3 people). We had one student as a statistical modeling analyst. A few received associate level roles.

I'm considering going to Villanova for my MSF....Could someone who went there elaborate on what to expect and experiences?

I want to be a trader or in hedge fund/mutual fund management. Is this a good program for that? Does Villanova take trips to NY, Chicago, etc. to visit financial firms? What is recruiting like? How is the cost of living in Villanova? (Housing costs) What is it like to be an MSF Fellow there?

How is the social scene in Villanova, PA?

Maybe ANT can talk about his experience as a Fellow?

I was quite relaxed about the chances of me being placed providing I get into the top programs I wanted to go to for a MSF or MSC in Management, but a thread and some comments here have really got me concerned.

I have a good background (3.5GPA UG from Oxford, Masters in Economic Law from a top law school, Work Experience) and felt I would be more than competitive when looking for a job in the US or Canada following graduation.

I'm applying to Duke MMS, UIUC, Vanderbilt, Villanova, Columbia Financial Economics, Claremont, UWO (Ivey), Imperial MSC in Management, Rochester and Wake Forest.

My question is, judging from the consensus here, there is little chance of me being placed with a 2nd tier MSF?

Hey guys!

I have a few questions. Firstly, I'm applying to MSF programs for this fall and wanted some insight. However, first off, I have a HUGE problem.

My GRE is next week and at the moment I have been getting crappy scores. The most I got was 1030!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm really worried about the exam and was thinking about postponing it. However, I have done this once before and I dont want to miss any deadlines for apps.

What do you guys think? Take the exam and hope for the best or delay another couple of weeks and try harder?

Secondly, any tips for MSF programs? I'm aiming for WUSTL, Duke's MMS, Ivey WO, Queens MSF (Toronto) and Vanderbilt.

I'm also looking at Columbia's new Financial Economics program. Can anyone shed any light on this?

http://www.villanova.edu/business/graduate/finance...

Can anyone confirm if the placements that they are boasting on their website is for front office roles or if most of it is just back office bullshit?

Anyone have any information on the ANEX Advantage internship (internship you pay to be part of)? Is it worth the money? What types of "firms" do you really intern at?

I have no finance experience (engineering undergrad with ~ 1 yr FT engineering experience) and I will be applying at Duke's MMS and Villanova's MSF programs. I am wondering if I do this internship program prior to the Masters programs will it give me a better chance of landing an analyst position in IB after completion of the Masters program?

I'm trying to find SA positions but its tough coming from a non-target engineering background. I'm still working my networking game so hopefully I find something worthwhile.

Thanks.

Regards,
D

Question for the gang in the B-School section:

What has the best chance of placing into an analyst level role in IB in the NYC area (no preference for MM/BB), the Duke MMS program, Villanova MSF program, or NYU MA Econ program?

I know Duke is relatively new, which is what worries me. But the Duke name (to me) seems like it has more pull than Villanova. But NYU is right in the middle of everything as far as Finance is concerned (heck its NYC after all), but its also an Econ Degree which seems to be geared towards academia rather than the real world.

How is the placement for these programs for someone looking to break into IB from a non-target, engineering background (who has been working for about a year).

Villanova's acceptance rate is about 46%, but is it harder to get into the business school for undergrad (which is where I assume you would apply in you want to get into IB) than the liberal arts college? Anyone from there that can comment on recruiting or anything that doesn't show up in the search engine?

Ok everyone, I want to keep building off my Claremont McKenna interview so I figured I would go after low hanging fruit and get a Villanova interview.

What questions do you all have? I will send the questions off and post the response along with some questions of my own. Now if your chance to get some insight on the program.

Hi everyone. I know many similar posts are out there (I've read every MSF post on this site) but everyone's scenario is a bit different. I'm looking to go to an MSF program in 2011. I obviously want to get into the best program I can and I was thinking about applying to the following schools:

Vandy
Tulane
Nova
Claremont McKenna
UIUC

Will I have a good shot at these programs? Am I leaving any good programs out that I may have a shot at? I know the European schools are great but I don't know if I'd have a shot at admission into them. My stats are:

GMAT 710 (should I take this again? I did much better on practice tests)
GPA 3.4x from a small non-target school without a lot of brand name. A good school nevertheless
1 year work exp as a Financial Advisor at a boutique firm (again no brand equity)

EDIT: I'm also a US citizen if that makes a difference

Thoughts? Thanks for the input everyone.

I am going to villanova next year and am in the business school.
they have this half internship/ half class thing at the London school of economics will that look good for transferring?
If villanova isnt a target how is recruiting for investment banking/ hedge fund?
If I do really well fresh year 3.7+ should I try to transfer to a target?
anybody know if VSB is hard, heard from others that it isnt?

Hello all,

First time poster on WSO here. Anyhow, I have been admitted to both of these programs and have to choose soon. I am mostly interested in equity or fixed income research. Which of these two options do you think will provide the highest chance of landing such a job?

Thanks for the advice.

So I am trying to decide between the following 3 schools, i know that none are major targets but what would give me the best shot at an investment banking job.

1) Indiana University- sounds like there is a decent shot at ib with the investment banking workshop. And it is 18k cheaper per year than the other schools

2) Villanova University - whenever i visited they mentioned some banks coming to campus and a pretty good alumni network on wall street

3) Michigan- Not a preferred admit, and would have to apply after freshman year (sort of a risk). I know that Michigan is my best shot at ibanking but is it worth the risk of not getting in after my freshman year? whereas I'm in the business school at the other two.

So basically, given the scenario, what school would you pick?

Who's heard of Villanova

Last week we've got this most arrogant yet intriguing cover letter from a Villanova student,
applying for SA when we did not even have an opening. (behold, the letter is soon to be shared!)
Problem is, my MDs or VPs or neither have I heard of this school.

Perhaps you guys in U.S. know what this skool is like?

I'm going to be applying to some masters of finance programs and I was wondering what the street cred is for s & t from the following schools:

-Oxford
-LSE
-Cambridge
-Villanova
-Vanderbilt
-Toronto
-Tulane

I don't know much about these schools as far as street cred goes and any insight would be greatly appreciated