Loyalty of WUSTL Alumni?
After recently being admitted to WUSTL's MSF (which I didn't think I had a shot at due to below-average stats) I'm reconsidering my original intention to attend Nova's MSF. I like the Midwest much more than NYC/Philly and the name brand of WashU is hard to pass up. The way I look at it, you're a bigger fish in a smaller pond by going to WUSTL. At Nova you're competing with Columbia, NYU, Harvard, MIT, etc for top NYC jobs. In the Midwest it's only Chicago, Northwestern, etc.
One thing I wondered about was the loyalty of WUSTL alum. My dream is to work in venture capital and I've built up a decent background to break in (good underdog-type story, entrepreneurial experiences, finance internships, and tech knowledge) and see that WUSTL has quite a few alum working on VC according to LinkedIn.
I understand how competitive and small the industry is, but do you guys think that reaching out and networking with WUSTL alum could land me a few interviews? My concern is that most of them attended WUSTL for undergrad, and then went to a MBA business schools">M7 MBA. Would they still be interested in recruiting WUSTL students who reached out to them, or do many MBA students associate more with their graduate school?
No one cares about undergrad vs. MSF vs. MBA. If an alumnus enjoyed their time at a school and is in a position to help, they will. Reach out initially to alumni in May, meet them for coffee or have another phone call in July, and then reconnect in August with a "how can I position myself for an interview?" type email.
So here's one data point:
After I graduated from WUSTL's MSF program, I was hired as an investment analyst by a WUSTL undergrad alum that runs three HY mutual funds and a LS, equity hedge fund. I was hired after one phone interview and he covered my relocation expenses (the fund is located in NY). The salary was very good considering my lack of relevant work experience (which consisted of working as a waiter, working in retail and as a 9 month intern at a small, St. Louis based healthcare consulting/valuation firm).
Before I landed that offer, the program setup a series of interviews with other WUSTL alum/professors. I interviewed with a highly respected macroeconomic research/consulting company, founded by former WUSTL professors (studied under Hyman Minsky), St. Louis investment banks, and a VC reached out to me with a summer internship offer (which I passed on to another WUSTL grad).
Again, it's just one data point.
Great to hear, I appreciate it. Do very many students in the program actively seek VC roles? If so, how achievable does it feel in the program?
I'm not sure how much research you've done, but VC directly after graduate school is quite rare, even at top MBA programs (I think Columbia Business School has a 2% VC placement rate). Trying to transition directly into VC after an MSF is going to be, well, difficult.
That being said, the program has around 4 - 5 companies that actively recruit Wash U MSF's and MBA's for internship positions throughout the year. One of those companies is a venture capital firm called Cultivation Capital. A lot of the adjunct professors and MBA's are or were employed there.
WUSTL is a great program. You'll deff get alumni traction with msf grads and most likely UG/MBAs as well.
To underscore Esuric's point - I don't think there's an MSF program that will make a material difference in your ability to make it into VC over others of a similar caliber (the skills you learn in school are just not that relevant to VC). That said, WUSTL is a good program (has classes taught by current VC / PE guys) and I've found the alumni to be open to networking. Good luck!
Here to echo WUSTL's legitimacy. I got into their MBA program, and even though I didn't go, I was thoroughly impressed with their emphasis on critical thinking, quantitative philosophy, and caring about their alums. Would highly recommend.
Yoooooo... You should probably send me a PM. I'm an undergrad in the business school and will be working in Venture Capital next year in NYC.
He's lying for sure. Don't PM. lol
How're Nickerson and Gordinier doing?
Wanna make a $100 bet? :)
Wanna make a $100 bet? :)
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