European MSc in Finance Profile Evaluation
Hi everyone,
I am currently in the process of applying for a second Master at the following schools and thought I'd try to get some feedback and perspective on my applications:
-Oxford MSc Financial Economics -LBS MFA -LSE MSc Finance
Goal is IBD in London and then later on PE.
Stats:
Age: -23
Education: -Bachelor in Systems Engineering at a top tier European engineering school (top 5), 3.5-3.6 GPA, 2:1 in UK scale -Master in Financial Engineering at the same school, 3.9-4.0 GPA, I will likely receive a prize for this performance (among the best in the program's current cohort)
Coursework was very quantitative and programming heavy in nature.
Tests: -GMAT: 720 - 49Q, 40V, 8IR, 5AWA
I scored consistently much higher in mock tests and will likely resit at the end of the month to aim for a 750+ (mainly by improving to a Q50, which I feel is well within reach given my background and mock tests results). Maybe someone can tell me if this is really worth it or a waster of time.
Work Experience: - 6 months Big 4 Valuation - 6 months mid-tier BB IB in a continental office (will start soon) - TA for two courses during my undergrad
Extracurricular Activities: - 1st and 3rd place in two school wide consulting business case competitions - Selected to attend workshops organised by two different MBB companies (those were akin to Spring weeks and were recruiting events) - Research/dev project for one my school's lab - Dev project for one of the campus' start-ups
As you can see no associative experience whatsoever or anything related to finance as far as extracurricular activities go. This, the GMAT + 2:1 undergrad, and the fact that I would be applying for a second Master in the same field of studies are my main sources of concern.
What does WSO think?
Hi Prospect in IB - Ind, check out these links:
More suggestions...
Hope that helps.
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I recommend you to write a compressed version with only the most important details at the end; a lot of people at this forum is busy so it could help.
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You're welcome! Regarding the initial question, your profile is really strong, and as the other user mentioned, you have a top profile for LBS; however LSE and Oxford could be out of reach due to their academic focus.
But my main concern is why do you want to do a second master that is that close to the one that you already have? Re-branding?
It is mostly for networking/rebranding and to try to move to IBD in London by still being eligible for internships. One year of additional coursework can't hurt and I expect it to be significantly lighter than my previous Master's, allowing me to complete an additional internship during the school year (if I go to LBS/LSE).
As a bonus, it will also allow me to prepare well for my MBB interviews (I am still yet to set a date) and have a safety net in case of failure (out of the 5 people with a similar profile as me who had interviews, none of them got it, and I doubt I will be able to prepare well enough by graduation with an IBD internship + academic thesis). Overall I will try and see what kind of schools/scholarships I get and decide from there if the cost is worth it.
LBS should be easy they will value your diverse background, strong master performance and work experience. Oxford and LSE are much more academic and will care more about that 2.1 at UG level. Imo it will be harder for Oxford as the cohort is quite small and very competitive, LSE should be good chances of getting in.
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The better the GMAT the better regardless. Also I am not sure the MFA is the best program for you as it is more intense but doesn’t add much more value than the classic MiM
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Bump
Should be able to get in to all 3, if you manage to explain reasonably well why you want to do an additional Master's in your essays/interviews.
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I believe LBS is more strict on doing a 2nd Master's, and they have to be in quite distinct subjects. But congrats on the offer, I am sure you will enjoy the MFE!
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