Questions about the financial sector in the Netherlands/Europe and study choices.
Hi,
I'm an 18 year old guy from the Netherlands, currently in my final year of high school ( Gymnasium/vwo). I'm good at mathematics B and Economics. But not exceptional or special by any means. iq around 120. I've build a relatively strong academic profile for my CV and now I'm exploring my future options.
I'm thinking about getting a bachelors in mathematics ( university: radboud) and optionally a master in finance and investments ( EUR) , with the goal of eventually working in the financial sector, but I'm not exactly sure how or where to start. I don't know much about the culture and opportunities in the Netherlands, so I was wondering if you could share some insights on how the financial sector works here? What are the best studies to get into each field? Which universities are the best? What salary can I expect after graduating with a bachelor/master? And how much after 5/10 years? What are the typical working hours in each field?
I'd really appreciate any advice or information you can share!
Thanks in advance!
Do you have an idea what or understand the different fields in finance that are available? Also undergrad will help immensely if you do it at Erasmus as lot of events that happen for IB and S&T are done in Amsterdam/Rotterdam. Also the only target school for IB is Rotterdam for the Netherlands.
Source: Did my undergrad and master in Rotterdam and work now in IB London.
Does doing your undergrad in Rotterdam make a huge difference in career prospects?
Thanks for the insights!
Yes, I’m familiar with some fields like investment banking, private equity, quant trading, and consulting, among others. But I’m curious about how difficult it is to break into each of these fields, how smart you need to be, and how they differ in terms of work pressure and salary.
It’s really interesting to hear that Rotterdam is the only target school for IB in the Netherlands. What would you recommend studying there to get into these fields? Would a specific program or degree make a significant difference in getting noticed by top firms? Are there additional things you can do to increase your chances?
The bachelor 'Econometrie en Operationele Research' with a master’s specialization in 'Quantitative Finance' also appeals to me. Do you think this is a good path for breaking into the financial sector, or would you recommend something else?
If you want to do something in the space that’s non-quant heavy in nature IB, Alts (PE/PC/Secondaries etc.), or Sales (in S&T) would suggest to go for IBA or IBEB followed up with a master in finance and investments or financial economics (if you plan to do your entire education in NL). Those 2 masters are pretty the only masters I see in London.
If you aim for trading or quant roles the econometrics programme is for sure the no brainer. As the math in the other 2 bachelors are by no means sufficient for those roles.
Would like to caveat if you want to do something very math heavy like maths/physics/engineering Delft is also a solid choice, seen people working in IB with those backgrounds as well, but you will need to train yourself on the finance part.
I looked into it a bit more, and you were absolutely right. I also ended up considering these two programs. However, the IBA program at RSM has already closed its applications for this year, while the Dutch version is still open. I can still apply for IBEB at ESE, but that involves a selection process, whereas I would be automatically admitted to the Dutch version.
I am wondering if it makes a difference whether I choose the Dutch or English version. The Dutch program transitions partly into English in the second year and becomes fully English in the third year. Also, should I go for Business Administration at RSM or Economics & Business Economics at ESE? From what i have heard, Business Administration might make it easier to achieve high grades.
My plan is to complete a Dutch bachelor at RSM or ESE and then do a one-year master at a target university. Would these bachelor degrees allow me to do that?
Thanks a lot!
Amsterdam better for university because you're close to big banks. You can network with the guys from there, get mentors, etc. Also, in your last courses you may also work pat-time at some bank, so it's good to have courses/work/home in the same city and not commute.
Studying also in Amster will give you a bigger perspective than if you would be somewhere outside Amster (i.e., "finished my undegraduate in X town, time to do the Master in Amster vs. did Undegraduate in Amster, need to do a MSc abroad to enhance further my CV").
Good luck
This is not good advice. You can always commute/get temporary housing in Amsterdam for internships. Other than that Rotterdam is superior in virtually every way (stronger target in Netherlands/London/more respected for masters programs)
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