How to nail your MSF interview

Due to my past activity on these forums, specifically related to MSF/business school discussions, I’ve received a few emails asking about the MSF application process. I think it would be helpful to share my experiences as an applicant, talking to other applicants, both that got offers and those that did not, and my experiences with adcoms that are directly involved in this process. I’m going to focus on the interview portion of the MSF application process because (a) it carries a lot of weight and (b), it’s one aspect that you can easily control and can prepare for. Your GPA, your gmat score, your life experiences and your work experience are variables that are essentially fixed at this point. The suggestions in this post are in descending order of importance.

1. Understand your situation and the incentives of the individual that’s interviewing you

Let’s be real, if you’re applying to an MSF program it’s most likely the result of some serious deficiency on your resume. If you had adequate, meaningful experience, you would have chosen the MBA route. If you went to a good undergrad or if your GPA was strong, you would be accumulating the adequate, meaningful experience that would eventually lead you to an MBA. The fact that you’re applying to an MSF implies that you have a weakness in one or more of these areas. As a result of this, you need to set your expectations in line with reality, or at least, come off as an individual that isn’t delusional or way over his/her head. Luckily, there are a few ways of successfully doing this:

• Express your willingness and/or interest in multiple functional areas. Mention how you’re interested, not only in BB IB, but also in IB in general, consulting, M&A/valuations, corporate finance, ER, fixed income, etc. The interviewer will most likely lightly press you with some sort of follow up, so spend about 15 minutes of your life doing a little bit of research where you can give a 2-3 sentence explanation of why you’re interested in these fields, and which industries you find particularly attractive.
• In case you still don’t get it, DO NOT SAY THAT YOU’RE ONLY INTERESTED IN BB IB.
• Express geographical flexibility. Do not say that you’re only interested in working in New York, for example, not only because this is the most competitive market, but also because, as an MSF applicant, you’re applying to a program that isn’t in NY and probably isn’t even in the East Coast.

You have to realize that the MSF degree is a massive cash cow for many universities. They essentially combine classes already offered in their undergraduate and MBA curriculums and simply give the degree a different name. They don’t have to hire additional professors, don’t need to teach radically different material and the programs are quite costly. Because of this, the adcoms are very risk averse. The last thing they want is one of their students badmouthing the program all over internet forums because they somehow, without any actual relevant work or internship experience, failed to secure that FO FT position at MS or GS by the end of the fall semester. They will decline extremely impressive and qualified candidates for this reason alone. One of my fellow classmates, who happens to be among the top 3 strongest and most intelligent students in my graduating class, was almost dinged for this very reason.

2. Know something about the location of the school and the finance scene within it

There are two easy ways to successfully do this:

• This was a tip that ANT gave me during my application process and it greatly impressed my interviewer. Create a list of local, finance related firms that offer internships to MSF students. During your interview mention the fact that you’ve compiled this list and that you have proactively reached out to those firms in an attempt to secure an internship during the school year. This will have the effect of demonstrating a certain degree of focus, maturity and seriousness on your part to your interviewer. It signals that you (a) know what you have to do and (b) that you’re ready and willing to do it.

This point is directly related to the previous point made in (1) regarding the high level of risk-aversion among MSF adcoms. They don’t want students who are just going to sit around and wait for employment opportunities to find them. This is especially relevant if you’re an applicant that lacks relevant work experience.

• A good number of schools that offer the MSF degree have a fairly significant degree of regional strength. They like to be reminded of this. This signals that you’re actually interested in the program and that you’ll accept the offer if one is made. If you’re applying to Villanova, for example, express a regional preference for the East Coast; if you’re applying to WUSTL, express your interest in Chicago, or the rising startup scene in St. Louis; if you’re applying to Johns Hopkins, express an interest in healthcare related finance. Again, be sure to simultaneously express flexibility in this area. Again, do not say that you're only interested in a single, specific geographic area.

3. Demonstrate interest in finance

This is one of the more obvious tips but it’s something that applicants tend to overlook. This is particularly important for the applicant that has no formal training or experience in finance, which is a large part of the MSF applicant pool. I failed to do this during my interviews and I found out, after the fact, that it hurt me. There are two surefire ways of doing this; one option is less costly than the other:

• Sign up for the CFA level 1. Even if you haven’t started preparing for it at all, or even if you haven’t thought about it at all, just sign up and mention it during the interview;
• Blow some cash investing in the stock market.

4. Be calm, confident and dress appropriately

This is self explanatory and it’s something that everyone should be familiar with at this point.

Concluding remark:

I’m not saying that you can’t get into an MSF program if you violate these suggestions. Obviously, there may be a candidate that’s strong enough to get the offer no matter what he/she says or does during the interview. Who knows, you might be a CFA with 5 years experience at Goldman and you want to trade your six figure salary for an MSF because you have a deep passion for finance or because you have an insatiable appetite for Asian women (God knows I can’t blame a man for an Asian Fetish), but most of you aren’t in this situation.

Hopefully you guys find this helpful. Feel free to share any other tips that I’ve overlooked and that may be relevant.