Hi all -
Was admitted to Bocconi today and SSE last month and figured I'd share my profile for others looking to apply to either of these schools. I didn't apply to any other MSc Finance programs, was only really interested in these two.
Degree: International Business, Finance and Marketing Concentrations from a non-target US school (2016)
GPA: 3.84/4.0
GMAT: 720 (first take 680)
Languages: English (mother tongue), Spanish (C1), Filipino
International Experience: (2) semesters in Europe; Barcelona - UPF and London - Cass + Internship
Internship: (3 mo) Finance news firm in London
Work Experience: (1.5) years in middle office trade operations, (~0.5) years doing analyst work for well-known Silicon Valley tech company, not Finance-related (current; will be ~1 yr by the time I quit to start MSc)
Extra-curricular activities/interests: (College) theatre club, latin dance club, tutoring; (Current) CrossFit, volunteering at a local community center
Other stuff: proficient in SQL, working on R and Python
Um, this may have been a little too detailed but I think that's it. Currently leaning towards Bocconi but my decision will be dependent on how generous both schools are going to be with financial aid, I'm a poor American student...
Not sure this will be relevant but I figured I'd try to give back to the forum that gave me lots of information (and lots of anxiety) when I was applying to schools this past year. :)
Please reach out with questions (if any), I'll answer to the best of my ability.
-L
Why not attend a program in the US or UK? You definitely have a competitive profile.
Hi! I was looking primarily at these schools because they're much cheaper and have the possibility of giving full financial aid, haha. I ended up receiving a 50% scholarship from Bocconi, and I'm taking the offer. Lower living costs in Milan, cheaper and better program all around, couldn't pass it up, lol.
I do keep on getting emails for MBAs in the US (some schools I see often in my inbox include: Booth [my target], Darden, Sloan, and Kelley), but getting an MBA isn't in my horizon for now. Maybe later on I'd want to do an MBA, I don't know!
Congratulations on your achievements!
Between the two schools, I would recommend going to Bocconi. The course at SSE is very well structured but the Bocconi name is a better brand around Europe.
Let us know what you end up doing!
agreed
Thanks Ben! I ended up choosing to go to Bocconi, going to submit all of my materials this week. Precisely for the reasons you listed, actually! I've heard Bocconi's program is rigorous and is really theoretical which intrigues me, haha.
I only received a 50% scholarship though, which is kind of a bummer but still, better than nothing!
Congratulations on the scholarship! Very impressive.
It is great to hear success stories like yours.
Best of luck in your endeavours :)
Hi, congrats on getting into such exceptional schools
I have a question if you dont mind me asking, how long did it take to study for the GMAT?
Also, I think SSE MFin is a 2-year programme but isn't Bocconi a 1-year programme? Not sure about Bocconi can you confirm?
Hi LongTermWarrior -
Thanks for the congrats! Sorry for only getting back to you now.
I took about a month to get to the 680 and another month of cramming to get to the 720 (I did use some LSAT review materials to get my Verbal scores up, so that was effective for me)
And Merlo97 is correct, both programs are 2-year programs.
Hope this was helpful :)
If you're looking to work in front office banking, move to Western or Southern Europe, or back to the US, Bocconi is the better pick. SSE will have an edge in Scandinavia, but that's probably it.
True.. and the alumni network is way bigger (especially in LDN)
Congratulations! If you have any questions regarding the Bocconi program, shoot me a PM, I am currently a student there.
Hi quire2
Thank you! And I'd love to get in touch for questions I will almost certainly have about the program, thank you for offering!!
Hi, I am wondering if studying in Bocconi or Stern for a MFin program. Some of the Asian students I know who studying in Bocconi at present are really negative in studying in Bocconi. They told me that I will attain nothing there because I am an Asian student. They told me that the only EU students value most from there. Please tell me if they are right about this. Thx a lot
I am guessing it depends on where you wanna go after graduation, US or Europe. Can't really see how being Asian would affect what you extract from the program, if you are driven, your nationality won´t matter in most cases. With regards to visa issues, I got the feeling that it is easier to get sponsored in the EU than in the US. Good luck!
Be forewarned the academics in the first year are pretty crushing compared to the US. Just remember you don't have to take the test on the first try in Italy.
Hi GoodBread-
Thanks for the heads up, I'll definitely keep that in mind. What do you mean by not having to take the test on the first try? I'm honestly not too familiar with the way Italian universities operate so I'd love to get any tips and insights you might have. :)
you have multiple "shots". Usually, you can take it in one of the 3/4/5 sessions. And if you don't like how you've performed, you can withdraw from that session.
Hey! Congratulations for the admit! I also got my acceptance today for MFin. After how many days did you receive the scholarship information?
Thanks, congratulations to you as well. :)
I received my scholarship info about two days after my acceptance, so hopefully you'll hear from them soon too!
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