Just wanted to give all your MSF'ers a heads up that the West Coast has another program starting up. Hopefully USC will roll their program out and then you will have 3 great programs to choose from.
http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/02/20/4634732/two-new-masters-degrees-…
I posted it on my website also.
Sweet!
I don't get why there will only be 3 good programs on the west coast... What is wrong with the UC Berkeley MFE, Stanford Fin Math, etc?
Those are MFE programs, as opposed to MSF. Big difference.
Ah, gotcha, thanks for the clarification.
ANT, would it be safe to assume Santa Clara's MSF will place pretty decently into SF IB?
As someone who does IB in SF, I would have to honestly say the placement into IB is not likely to be prolific. There will probably be a few kids who can network their way in just like the Santa Clara undergrads occasionally do, but it's not likely that this program will be targeted particularly heavily by banks.
That being said, I feel this will become the top MSF program for Corporate Finance placement into the tech majors within a few years because of proximity alone. So that could arguably be better than IB depending on how much value one places into lifestyle, perks, culture and so on.
How "non-target" is Santa Clara in the SF IBD market? Banks aren't going to target them, but they will be receptive to MSF students from Santa Clara right?
I don't know. I mean it will have a strong West Coast presence, but I need to get up to speed with that market since there are all these new programs coming online.
I am speaking with the director of admissions tomorrow. More to follow.
Thanks ANT
Thanks Nouveau Richie, much appreciated.
One thing about Santa Clara is that their CS guys seem to do well going into tech at like Apple and shit. So maybe the MSF is looking to roll off that for corp fin?
Hey Ant, I recently got accepted to UIUC's MSF program but this program is also pretty enticing as well. Have any idea of the quality and possible placement for this? I want to end up in California forsure, so I probably just answered my own question, but any thoughts on this?
No placements as it is a first year program. It is also more flexible than the UIUC program. This is either a pro or a con depending on what you are looking for.
IMO, the UIUC program is more formalized and has been around, but placements haven't really been updates in a bit. SCU is new, but if you are open to F500 in the Bay Area and want a program that has the flexibility to intern then check it out.
What do you mean by flexibility? I am going to apply and see if I get in. The UIUC MSF is an established program, but the lack of updated placement information is kind of suspect. I hear that placements have been horrid the last few years, partly because of the job market, but also because of the 80% international students that comprise of the class. It would be a dream to work for apple or google but a solid fortune 500 in the bay area cant be beat.
I mean the program is going to have some type of a day component, but it will be night time classes for most of the program. UIUC is probably more than 80% Chinese which have impacted placements to say the least. The program size is also pretty large.
UIUC if you want a day time class type program. SCU if you are ok with a new program and the non traditional route.
ill try to apply and see if scu gives a generous scholarship. UIUC's program is quite expensive, but no doubt it will help place well in a prop trading shop in chicago or nyc. I really gotta decide where I want to locate, uiuc for chi or nyc, and SCU for the bay area. Given that Im not an international student and have relavent work experience, I am confident I will get what I want after the program is over :p
Ok, I applied! Let's see how if I get in and how generous financial aid will be
Do you guys think this would be a good program if I want to pursue a career in Corporate Finance? For example, work as a financial analyst at a non-banking corporation like Apple, Google, etc.
I don't have too much relevant finance experience other than some internships working in wealth management at UBS and Morgan Stanley. I also had a very low Undergrad GPA, so I was thinking that this MSF program could help makeup for that and jump start my career? If not this program, what other Masters program may help? Thanks guys.
I personally think corporate finance would be this programs sweet spot. It is night time so you could also intern/work during the day. I believe they are going to have a day time summer part to it, but now 100% sure. Not too many MSF's in Cali worth attending, but I think this one deserves a look.
I just got in with a pretty generous scholarship. There is opportunity to secure an internship through the school recruiting network and a lot of the internships are tech related, many are startups. I also talked to Tammy over at Santa Clara, and she told me a lot of the classes will be with MBA students who are already working full time. Many work at google, apple, and facebook. I'll probably do a lot of networking in classroom and see if i can get a corporate finance gig in tech though that way. I don't know too much about on campus recruiting, so i wouldn't rely on that completely.
Good work man! Keep me posted as you progress through the program
Sounds awesome! I will definitely try to apply to this program. How hard do you think it will be to get into this program?
Anthony, any updates or news? Are any other CA school looking to roll these programs out? CMC is obviously good, but the West Coast is really missing a target school MSF. I wonder if Berkley or UCLA are looking at rolling one out any time soon.
I think it will be reasonable. It is a new program so it will not have the demand that say WUSTL or other established programs will have. With that said you'd still want to be competitive.
I think USC will be the next one. UCLA has a great MFE program and their MBA is highly ranked. Not sure if they have room for another program, but wouldn't be surprised if USC comes out with one and it is successful. Probably not happening with Berkley though.
Santa Clara, Pepperdine, USC (eventually), Claremont McKenna. Not too bad of a list I suppose. I'd like to see Pepperdine lower their tuition and really focus on recruiting and a well run program. Would probably be a decent place for Cali F500.
To be completely honest, I don't think this program is worth the tuition money at all. In theory, the purpose of an MSF is to rebrand and Santa Clara is already a non-target, even for SF offices, so I don't really see the appeal. In general, I can't picture firms picking Santa Clara MSF people over qualified Stanford, Berkeley and UCLA undergrads (I work at a BB office in SF).
Also, I agree with TNA: I almost guarantee Berkeley will not be rolling out an MSF degree
While I agree with your sentiment to an extent, "non-target" is all relative. SCU isn't a target compared to those schools, but suppose someone goes to a really small school or does poorly in a relatively weak school. SCU would be a step up from that situation.
People need to realize that many smaller schools don't even have F500 recruiting. And people also need to realize that not every program is going to be suited for banking. I would consider SCU to be a solid, regional school for people looking to go into F500, Big 4, maybe 2nd/3rd tier consulting, etc. It is also a program with night time classes so anyone looking for a graduate degree in the bay area while still being able to work might want to consider this.
*
Awesome and great to hear. I think the PT nature of a program is a pro or a con depending on what you are looking for. In this case it looks like a pro. Keep us/me posted!
How would you compare Santa Clara to Pepperdine or Utah or Maryland (I know they are random, but I've lived in all these areas so I'm ok with any). My goal is to get into a F500 company as an analyst out of the program.
I think they are all good enough for F500, but in different areas. I'd decide where you want to live and work and then choose a program that is most cost effective.
Thanks for the insight TNA!
Here to give an update on my experience with Santa Clara University. My experience here has been mixed. SCU is a nontarget school so no IB recruiting or top hedgefund/vc/pe recruiting either. The classes are not as quantitative and my class started taking the first finance class in the fall, with the summer courses being management and accounting courses. For me I would not reccommend going here, rather work on your gmat scores and go to claremont, U of I, or the top tier MSF programs.
With that being said, I got the internship of a lifetime from on campus recruiting. I work directly for the former ceo of Charles Schwab and ceo of nikko Asset Management. Due to my previous experience running adviceaboutfinance.com, I was hired to help Tim Mccarthy with his website and social media promotion for his upcoming book. Sort of a twist of luck or fate, but it is amazing working with a CEO. I work with his agent, publicist, and social media consultant. But personally seeing how a CEO thinks and acts is cool, they know just how much to push people and are really good with working with others. like his whole team is like a well oiled machine...Going to his mansion for conference calls and riding in his 911 turbo is pretty sweet too.
In addition, I applied off a job posting on Craigslist for an IB intern analyst position at a boutique bank and somehow manage to beat hundreds to get that position. Name dropping Tim Mccarthy (former ceo charles schwab) I think helped as the MD kinda knew Tim too.
So if I were to stay at my firm in Chicago, I would never had these kinds of amazing experiences, but I took a big gamble going to santa clara. The reason why I went had largely to do with the generous scholarship I received. I think this coming year they will stop the scholarships.
Not that you wouldn't be successful coming here, but the risks involved in coming to a nontarget are just too much. Rather go to a target school and get a job on campus recruiting in corporate finance, ect. I cannot believe my luck, so I warn others that they may not be as fortunate with their experience at SCU.
If you want to contact me, please pm with additional questions.
Would you say your recommendation would be different for those looking for non-IBD positions in the bay area/Cali? How is the F500, Commercial Banking, local firm recruiting at the school?
In terms of recruiting, the great thing about SCU is that since it is a small school, with job postings the person doing the job posting usually leaves their name and email below, so you can apply online and then shoot them an email with your resume attached as well.
Companies recruiting are for finance analyst type positions like cypress semiconductor, KLA tenecor, netapp, microsoft (some positions), ebay, facebook (limited), apple (limited), seagate, and other type related companies. In finance you also see hall capital partners, SVB, Comerica bank, and some boutique ibanks like Instream Partners.
The location and proximity to the tech industry is great, but the SCU administration is something to be left said. I think there will be major structural changes with the program and staff and Dean starbird in conducting townhall type meetings with the mbas and masters students. Recently SCU dropped haard in the rankings, check them out on bloomberg business week.
Thanks for the update epoch, I've been following this thread since you posted in here about getting into SCU. I've been interested because I live in the San Jose area so it's been of great help.
It looks like I better shot for a different MSF program, but SCU will definitely help me rebrand from my current state school.
Aut distinctio et odio unde fugit nostrum voluptas et. Nostrum doloremque sed rerum consequatur rerum officiis ut. Nihil repellat sit consequatur dignissimos. Ipsum et ut labore dolore.
Est tempora et optio nobis natus sint. Quasi tempore omnis corporis sequi provident minima. Libero aut in illum dignissimos.
Impedit qui voluptatem doloribus libero id. Id et sint maxime est eos quasi et. Veniam repudiandae modi vero at totam rerum quia. Ipsam quia occaecati cumque ratione qui quia qui. Sit nihil veritatis nam eaque dolore consequatur at.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Non perspiciatis ut nihil laborum. Aliquam aperiam minus pariatur rerum. Et aperiam sit architecto modi. Deleniti perspiciatis vel velit qui ipsum molestiae sit.
Beatae rerum eos deleniti deleniti ratione labore. Veniam nisi molestiae dolorum dolores voluptas enim assumenda. Dolores corporis voluptas id earum mollitia. Quia dolore molestiae est est omnis.
Et et exercitationem illo amet et sed vel consequatur. Doloribus aut ut dignissimos nobis. Optio repellat sit est eligendi omnis.