Exploding Msc Finance offer?
A couple of days ago, I gained admission to LSE's MSc Finance programme. Although I was thrilled with the news, I was also surprised by how quickly they got back to me, as I had heard that they take about eight weeks to give out an offer, and I applied just before Christmas.
The reason why this is an issue is that I have applied to the LBS MFA and Oxford MFE as well, which will get back to me on the 16th of March and the 1st of March, respectively, and I'm afraid my LSE offer will explode. In the email I received from LSE, they stated that this is a 'provisional offer', meaning that I have a place in the programme and that I should get an official offer letter 'in the coming weeks', after which I will have 4 weeks to pay the deposit and confirm my enrolment. Should the official offer letter arrive sooner than the above dates, I would have to decide on LSE without knowing anything about LBS or Ox.
Questions: 1. Does anybody with experience applying to LSE Finance know how much time passes between a provisional offer and an official offer? 2. If they get back to me earlier than ideal, would it make sense to notify the other schools that I have an exploding offer and would need a decision from them earlier? I Heard of some people doing this, but not sure how usual this is.
Thanks to everyone!
1. Usually, it takes 1-2 weeks at most but it can be as fast as a few days if you receive it mid-week for example.
2. Are you sure you have an 'exploding' offer? I haven't seen anywhere that you must reply to your offer within 4 weeks. From my understanding, your place will not be secured, but your offer will stand all the way until Registration Day in August/September.
1. Thank you for the insight.
2. Okay, maybe I misunderstood it then. So then this should mean that after 4 weeks, they start filling up the programme with my 'seat' as well, but I can still accept it after that if places are remaining, correct?
Congrats on your offer! Mind sharing your profile and stats?
Thank you!
GMAT 770 (Q 49, V 49)
GPA 4.98 / 5 at a relatively well-known Eastern European university
Work experience at Big 4 transaction advisory and MBB consulting + some related extracurriculars
Well done on your great GMAT score. What study materials did you use? I'm about to start studying
I think you have a great chance at Oxford
Hey, congrats on your offer! Usually there is no such thing as an exploding offer, only a deadline to pay a reservation/commitment fee to secure your place at the program.
1) In my case I received my provisional offer the 9th of Dic and received the official offer one month later, but I think this time lapse was due to the fact that officially the school is supposed to only start sending offers in January (I believe they sent the provisionals early to match the timeline of the first rounds of others schools). I would expect to receive the official offer in 1-2 weeks in your case.
2) Again, there is no such think as an exploding offer, in LSE's case you have a deadline of 4 weeks to pay £4k and secure your place (something all schools do, with varying timelines and amounts of $), if you want you can pay to secure your place and then still choose other program (although I wouldn't recommend this). I think once you get your official offer and have a defined timeline you should absolutely reach out to the schools and tell them your situation (saying something like you got this offer from LSE with that timeline and would really appreciate if they could give you the outcome of your app early so that you can make a fully informed decision), I believe this is common practice and they will be understanding (I have heard of MIT MFin giving early offers for this reason, so I imagine LBS/Oxford shouldn't differ much)
Hi, thank you very much, super useful info!
Glad it was useful, let us know what program you choose
To your point in 2. Isn’t that kind of an exploding offer if you have to submit a payment to secure your place? What would happen if I don’t pay and do you happen to know if they ever extend payment windows?
Unis typically don’t extend payment windows. They expect you to pay or your spot could be given away unfortunately.
Strong profile, best of luck with your other applications. I applied to Oxford MFE in R2 as well, crossing my fingers
Best of luck to you too!
FWIW I know Oxford does not accelerate offers.
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