Bad experiences after graduation, chance at master's in finance programs?

Hi, I graduated in 2007 in engineering. I went to HYP target with about 3.5 GPA and 3.7 Departmental GPA. I tried a year of graduate school in computer science, didn't like it and dropped out after a year (out of a two year program). I did a summer internship in tech at a bank and received a full time offer. I took two random jobs to pass the time, and got fired from both, and the offer was withdrawn because I got fired and withdrew from my master's program. So my work history is not very good. Since then, I have just travelled around and done random things. I volunteered for a conservation project in Greece (really because I just wanted to go to Europe), and will teach English to a host family in Rome staring mid January for a month or two (again because I want to go back to Europe). I have not done anything serious. In my free time I run some websites as a webmaster and get some money from that, enough to pay off bills and whatever and for some light traveling which is how I've been able to afford the travels.

I wanted a more front office job than what was involved in my tech internship, so I looked into a master's in finance program (more econmics/finance programs, I'm not interested in quant stuff with heavy math or computer science), where my goal is to find a job right after graduation. I'm interested in master's finance programs but I want to know what my chances are since my background is not so good. Will I even have a chance since I dropped out of the graduate program?
Will they ask me to list a graduate program I didn't finish? My grades were very bad too (I got C's, etc.) so if it's something they check I don't think I'll have a chance. Will it depend a lot on my personal statement/motivations, etc.? Or will they just look at me and assume since I didn't finish the program last time and have pretty much been a bum the past 2-3 years that I will not take this program seriously?

Will I have a chance even at a school like LSE (MSc in Finance and Economics)? I am not even interested in the other schools in this tier (cambridge, etc.) because I heard LSE is best for recruiting and my goal is to find a job right after. And if not, what do you think are some solid schools that would be worth applying to?

Thanks!

3 Comments
 

Can you tell me how you make money on the net running websites.

I am really interested in doing this. And if this makes me enough to pay off the bills and do some light travel, id be pretty happy with that lifestyle!

Big 4 Accounting Guide to Getting Hired Contains interview questions, exactly how to answer, resume guide, how to make an impact and a guide to the firms and service lines.
 

Well, they aren't sites that I've just thrown together, I am self-employed as a webmaster/website designer and it takes a lot of time to maintain them, sometimes I work on them all day. your question is like asking someone to teach you how to start a company haha.

Any thoughts on my question about chances getting into finance programs? Mostly I really want to go to LSE but not sure what chances I have, thanks!

 

Officiis officia saepe ut voluptatem non autem ea. Odio quo autem modi rerum optio neque occaecati eaque.

Et voluptatibus mollitia libero ut reprehenderit sunt facilis recusandae. Exercitationem ipsa voluptatem aut magni fugit molestiae.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”