MSF-Villanova Part II - My Interview with Meredith Kwiatek, Asst. Director of Admission

I spoke to Meredith over the phone on yesterday in re the Villanova MSF. Here is the interview. ANT, you may want to include this on the MSFHQ site.

Questions re: the MSF and MBA Programs for Meredith Kwiatek, Asst. Director of Admissions for the MSF Program at Villanova 1.What percentage of students get sales and trading placements via the MSF and MBA Programs? It varies.

2.What percentage of MSF and MBA students are employed before graduation? 90 percent last year for about four months out. Primarily NY and Philadelphia. Most of last year’s class went into analyst-IB roles. Some went into commercial banking (2 or 3 people). We had one student as a statistical modeling analyst. A few received associate level roles.

3.Does any other factor such as work experience (other than GMAT) come into consideration in terms of who gets into the MSF Fellows Program? Work experience plays a major role.

4.What is the estimated cost of housing at Villanova? There is no on campus housing. I usually direct students to the area around Villanova. Monthly average is 700/month per person. Center City is also an option. (train ride away)

5. Are there any course offerings that deal with programming skills such as C++, Matlab etc. If so, can these courses count towards the MSF? Yes. Also, the majority of courses are in the Finance Lab, which has 28 stations. That’s a part of your summer program. MSF students also have exclusive use of the lab.

6.Is there a silent period? i.e. a period similar to law school where students are forbidden from speaking to prospective employers? No.

7.Does Villanova offer treks to major financial centers such as NY (Wall Street), Chicago or Philadelphia? If so, what is the cost? Yes. We go to NY towards the end of July. You visit and tour and sit in on a panel discussion. Last year, we went to Bloomberg. The year before, Goldman Sachs. We don’t go to Chicago, but in conjunction with the Student Managed Fund, we are going to Quinnipiac. (RISE Competition)

8.What types of stock trading opportunities, i.e. competitions, if any, are offered to MSF and MBA students? ACG, CFA and the Toronto Competition

9.Are there any hedge funds that actively recruit MSF and MBA students? Hasn’t been as popular a choice.

10.If an applicant to the MSF Fellows Program is not accepted into the MSF Fellows Program, can he or she still apply for a paid assistantship with a professor? Yes. You can. We have a student who is working with a Faculty member who is not a Fellow. (unpaid however)

11.Who should the letters of recommendation be addressed to for the MSF and the MBA? Admissions Committee.

12.Does Career Services offer mock interviews? Yes, during the summer, we do mock interviews.

13.Does Career Services offer resume critiques? Yes.

14.Are there any study abroad opportunities? No. There are not, due to the program’s length (only one year). However, if you choose to do the MBA after the MSF at Villanova, you can go abroad for approximately three weeks.

15.Does Villanova credit the MSF towards a future MBA? Yes. Up to 24 credits from the MSF may be put towards the MBA at Villanova.

16.Does Villanova offer Bloomberg certification to MSF students? Yes.

17.What efforts are being made to bring in more investment banks for recruitment purposes? We have an extremely strong relationship with banks. You can probably find opportunities at every bank on the East Coast as the name and recognition is there.