Msf hopeful… Advice monkeys assemble!!
My situation is quite unique and I have few valuable connections, any experienced insights would be so greatly appreciated.
I'm a 23 year old student moving toward a final semester undergraduate at FIU. My GPA is a 2.6 (two semesters hurt a lot: without these two semesters, it would be well over 3.2) and GMAT is a 640. My undergraduate degree is in communications although i have taken a few business, economics, and accounting courses (before i changed my major to communications just to graduate sooner). I read voraciously on my own and have developed strong basic competency in excel, finance, accounting, economics, and fundamental investing principles.
Although i have no internships in finance, i have previously worked in sales for 4 years, with many very strong accolades and management positions in this company. Furthermore, i ran a recruiting business connected to this company while still in college. I am sharing this, hoping these life experiences may enhance my chances and compensate for other inadequacies.
Within the last 18 months, i have discovered a true fascination with finance and capital markets, hence my extensive reading. Because of my unique situation, your advice would be appreciated so much.
The ideal goal would to find my way into ER or CorpFin
Are there any MSF spring admissions? Whats my chance of a decent school acceptance? Best MSF return on investment programs?
FSU? UT Dallas? Umiami?
2.6 in communications is rough. Consider retaking the GMAT and aim for 720+. You have to understand that your GMAT will hurt the average that the school reports in order to attract applicants. You have to somehow compensate for this.
When I first read this thread, my thought was hopeless. Unranked tier 2 university with an extremely poor GPA in arguably the easiest major offered. And a mediocre gmat score. I wasn't going to chime in, but (lucky you?) this thread popped into my head today and I think I know your best option.
You are going to study your ass off for the ASVAB, it's a military entrance examination for prospective enlisted members. You need roughly a 97. Go into the Navy as a Nuke. Great pay, fantastic bonuses and an exceptional retirement especially if you stay in for 25 years rather than 20.
It's a rough lifestyle though. That is your best bet. Your career trajectory at the moment isn't good, when you run the math you'll be averaging near 150k per year over your career when you factor in all tax savings, retirement, medical, allowances and base pay.
^ haha I hope you're joking. Worst advice I've heard.
If you run the numbers from start to finish he'd be making roughly 150k/yr, you should also factor in COL since damn near everybody uses NYC as the bar. Do tell how a 2.6 GPA communications major from a tier 2 school is going to outperform that? Less than 1.5% of the workforce makes that and effectively he's getting that from day one (though its almost all in deferred pay and benefits, big difference).
2.6 in communications from an unranked college? i don't think any MSF program will admit you...
build a 'sales pitch' around your work experience and use it to hustle an unpaid internship in anything finance related, then try and your way up from there
He has less of a chance of getting into the navy's nuke program than a tier 1 msf program, even as enlisted. You have no idea.
I have firsthand knowledge of the nuke program :O
Like I said, he needs that 97. Based on his scores, he might just land a 38, so I wouldn't disagree with you about his chances.
I'm not talking about the benefits. Lol you're suggesting to OP that if he simply meets an ASVAB score then he will qualify for the program and be well on his way to a USN nuclear career.
Couldn't be further from the truth.
That score is how you qualify and get selected for the program and then you go off into the nuke pipeline, which by definition is well on your way into the nuclear navy. Of course he needs to pass medical, but otherwise its pretty straightforward. The pipeline today has a lot lower attrition rate than in the past and the material isn't very difficult (in my opinion) though the speed is difficult for some to cope with.
At this point, any military career is 10x better than his current trajectory.
If I were you, I'd take a certificate program in finance and prove that you can do well in the courses. And then after that, I'd shoot for the MSF because your GPA is extremely low for any MSF school. Best of luck
Its going to be tough to do pretty much anything with your grades/major. Even landing any salaried position is going to be rough. I wouldnt do an MSF because I dont think you could get into one decent enough to open any doors for you given your background.
There are a decent amount of MSFs you might get in, BC some of them are loaded with Chinese/internationals and really want domestics to bolster their job placement rates (BC they don't need H1-B visas). But lemme tell you something: You are in for the rudest awakening of your entire life if you do get into an MSF program. I majored in a liberal arts like you, with econ as a minor, a language as a minor too (at which I'm close to fluent). I can honestly say I learned next to nothing at undergrad unique in my major that I could only have learned there, and barely remember any economics. Non-targets are the kind of schools where you'll get 7 out of 10 points on a test for just writing down the formulas. THAT IS NOT THE CASE AT AN MSF!!! But use the demographics to your advantage and have good answers ready for possible interviews, learn about the markets, etc.
I know people who have gotten into a bunch of well respected programs with those stats. The GPA isn't great, but the GMAT is ok enough. The work experience will help greatly.
I'd look at UIUC, UMiami, Johns Hopkins, Santa Clara, maybe some others. I'd need to see the resume to evaluate the work experience and see if that 2.6 was across the board or did you have upward momentum.
I was worse off, arguably. Significantly lower GPA from a school nobody has ever heard of, no work experience, and lower standardized scores.
I have no clue about spring programs; but you should take note that there are some schools that only factor in your latest 2 years average GPA (helped me a bunch).
I applied to about 10 MSF programs and ended up at UIUC. Good program, would do it over again if I had the choice.
I had a lot of people telling me to do the navy/army thing, like the the post above. In hindsight, glad I didnt. I did ok for myself, but it took a lot of perseverance and some luck (getting into an MSF should be easy - recruiting for banking will be the hard part).
Make sure you check out TNA's site on MSFs, and read some of his old posts. Dont listen to the people who say you cant do it - if you want it enough you will find a way. I would know.
Yeah, agree with above. Plenty of good schools where you'll have the opportunity to get a better GPA and a graduate experience. Maybe aim your sites lower, say corporate banking or credit analyst or something. Get skills that will make the leap to banking easier. Once you get some experience and you build that network it won't be that hard to get into banking.
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