I'm trying to figure out if I'd be competitive for a top UK Masters in Finance (thinking LSE/Oxford)
I'm graduating in May from a top-10 US university with a 3.7 majoring in International Business. Got a 710 on the GMAT (44/42 Q/V). Have some decent internships, but only finance-related, and a lot of volunteer/international experience.
Anyone at or applied to the aforementioned programs that could let me know if it's worth the time to apply? I think my main weakness is my Q gmat score, which is around 70th percentile -- I've read that they want 90th. Anyway, I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks.
Definitely apply, you have a decent shot of getting in. Just make sure you have a good application essay that makes you stand out and you should be fine.
Also, you might want to consider Cambridge, I can't verify this, but from what I'm hearing from people over here they seem to be having a better recruiting year than the other schools (the others are having a very rough year).
Sorry man, but unless you took some very quantitative classes in college and performed well in them, there is little chance at getting into Oxford b/c your quant score is too low. you probably need at least a 49 raw score to be considered. You probably have a better shot at LSE since you have a UK-equivalent 1:1 ("First") degree at a top US university. But once again, the lack of proven quant skills may prove to large an obstacle. Also, keep in mind that only 2.5% of applicants get accepted to the LSE MSc Finance program, so don't kick yourself if you don't get in.
If I were you, I'd think about applying to the top continental european MSc Finance programs, as the top ones place very well into London IB.
Continental Euro programs that are strong London IB targets:
1)Bocconi 2)HEC 3)Stockholm School of Economics 4)University of St. Gallen
In addition to being targets, they will help you become fluent in a second or even third langauge, which is a huge plus for London IB recruiting.
As far as LSE is concerned, I know a lot of kids in the Msc Finance, Accounting and Finance, Finance and Economics that have very similar backgrounds to the OP. I don't think they look at how quantitative your background is as much as they look at grades and undergrad. school. I'd say you would have about a 50-50 shot of getting LSE, but again there will be a lot of applicants with similar backgrounds so your application essay might very well be the deciding factor.
That's true, LSE is known as a prestige whore. But even so, a 2.5% admission rate makes getting in super duper competitive, so OP, definitely hedge your bets by applying to 2-3 other MSc programs.
710 is a little low on the GMAT. They don't care about your verbal score if you're a native English speaker. Your quant score is low, so maybe you should take the GRE and see if you do better on that than on the GMAT. Report only the higher of the two scores (whichever has the higher quant score, as you're sure to do worse on the GRE verbal section than you did on the GMAT verbal).
You've got a shot, so it's worth applying, but you should also apply to Cambridge and Imperial to increase your chances of admission at one of the programmes worth attending.
I think Imperial may not be practical since it's closer to a masters in financial engineering/maths than are the other programs. Imperial admissions expects students to have a very strong quant background.
I hear Cambridge is a lot more academic than vocational relative to Oxford and LSE, and that a lot of students go on to pursue PhD's. So keep that in mind.
You're competitive for a spot. Keep in mind that you are applying a little late. Programs opened on October 5th and they admit on a rolling basis. I'm not sure if Oxford's deadlines have passed but I think round 2 and round 3 are complete. Also what program are you planning on applying to? Masters in Finance? Masters in Accounting and Finance? Masters in Finance and Economics. I suggest you apply and give it a shot.
Your GMAT is a little low for Oxford (avg. GMAT is 730+ and GRE quant 90+), but that does not mean you cannot get in. I suggest you visit the business school and say you love the beautiful city, it looks great on an application.
Your decision is: - spend 100$ and 20 hours writing essays, asking for recs vs. - ...?
As for recruiting, I know that but so far this year, Oxonians are going to: GS JPM Lazard Sanford Bernstein Nomura McKinsey DB OW Bain Capital Macquarie Man Group LEK and top PhDs
But I suppose a lot are still unemployed.
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