London Business School MFA
Hey guys.
Indian 2nd year undergrad student here. Needed some advice w.r.t. the MFA program. My GMAT is 710. CGPA 8.7/10 (=3.75/4) uptill now. I have one internship with a boutique IB in India, where work revolved around valuations and FDD, and not exactly "FO IB". So I am planning to apply for LBS MFA (2021-22), and a few other early career MSF programs in EU. But after having conversed with 20+ individuals on LinkedIn , I've realised it would be extremely extremly had for me to land a SA or FT IB gig, due to major reasons; 1. Work visa situation and sponsorship 2. No prior FO IB experience against my cohort who would be having 2/3 internships
Since the IB scene in India is pretty nascent, it's impossible for undergrads to get to BB IBs for even MO / BO roles let alone FO roles. >95% IB BB, MM, EB roles are reserved for MBA grads. So I've been networking pretty hard, and if all goes as planned, I would've completed 2/3 internships with Indian boutiques. The role would be somewhat FO related as Indian boutiques have lean teams, but it wouldn't be near the exposure that the global IBs offer.
So, I wanted advice, from you guys, as to what my best option would be. 1. Get these 2/3 boutique Indian IB internships and apply for 2021-22 MSF programs (LBS, LSE, Imperial, HEC). 2. Work for one year after undergrad, and then apply for 2022-23 programs. In this case what work experience would benefit me the most? Or would be the closest to IB and will help me when I come to London/ EU. 3. Drop the EU IB plan and apply for Indian B-Schools and get into IB in India.
Any help appreciated guys, thanks a ton.
Hey! I like your plan, those European masters are great and you GMAT is solid enough (not spectacular) but above average for admits for all the places you’ve mentioned. Why not apply to Oxford’s MFE? Any reason? Worth throwing your hat in the ring everywhere in my opinion. Obviously the more work experience the better so your plan is good and shows you understand what you need to do! Good luck!
Thanks for taking out the time to reply, buddy. So I did consider Oxford MFE, but after talking to some people, I've been told that this program is very quant and research focused, so it is better for students who wish to pursue a PhD after some time. Correct me if I am wrong, but this is what I figured after talking to people on LinkedIn.
My major goal is to get into IB. I have been doing everything and anything, to make that happen. Some guys have even told me that I need to network 6 months prior to even coming to EU. For eg, if the program starts in September 2021 and the applications for SA IBs open in September, then I need to begin networking in April 2021, before coming to EU. In your opinion, how do I do that from a different continent all together xD. Again, thanks for the time and reply. Much appreciated.
Sorry for my late reply. Let me tell you, the MFE is quantitative and somewhat theoretical. You can argue that it lacks practical applications and that LSE or LBS could train you better for IBD. But to get into banking, nothing beats the Ox MFE. People have gone to great places; the program places lights-out!
A couple of people max each year choose to go on to do PhDs - it is not the main focus of the course at all. Apply to the MFE as well as everywhere else you're going to apply to, then if you're fortunate enough to be able to choose between multiple offers, you can revisit your choice.
Do me a favour and apply, don't sell yourself short, it's the premier MSc in Finance for a reason! Good luck!
someone correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think that networking is that important in London
Please go for IB in India !
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