MSF candidacy and letter of recommendation advice
Hello everyone,
I am currently applying to MSF programs in the US, and had a few questions about the process, especially with regards to the recommendation letters. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
My background: I am an accounting major at a non target school, with a 3.54 gpa that is very strong upward trending (average 3.9 for the past three semesters with relevant courses). EDIT: I took the GMAT for the first time today, 2/10/17, and my unofficial scores are the following: 640 (70th percentile), Q45 (57th percentile) V31 (62nd percentile), IR 3 (26th), and obviously waiting on AWA, which I don't anticipate on being above average. I know these scores aren't good, and I'm very frustrated, but nonetheless I must continue on to the next step of the application process. Additionally, I have good extracurriculars, playing varsity collegiate sports for my first two years, serving on the board of the university's accounting society, etc.
Last summer, I interned at a top 15 accounting firm, working on the Financial Advisory Services team performing work such as Transaction Services, Valuations, and CFO Advisory. I am interning again with them this coming summer, and I accepted a full time offer with them starting in the fall of 2019. One of my senior managers has agreed to write me a letter of recommendation, and has requested some talking points for the letter.
Since the applications for the schools that I am applying to do not provide me specific instruction on what my recommenders should include in their letters, I was hoping to hear some ideas from you guys, and maybe even a general format to follow.
Additionally, technically I interned with this accounting firm a year earlier than I was supposed to (with regards to when I will have enough credits to take the CPA exam), which is why I am interning with them again this summer, and not starting full time with them for another year after. Because I already have accepted this full time position that starts after the MSF program ends, I was wondering if this will harm or benefit my application, and resultantly if I should either emphasize or exclude this information.
Additionally, with my provided gpa and GMAT score, are there any good schools in particular that you think I will have a shot at getting into (especially considering the late application)? I'm not as concerned about program placement as I am the actual curriculum, especially as I am also considering an doing an MBA a few years down the road (and definitely studying more for the GMAT).
Thank you in advance!
You're competitive everywhere really with the exception of MIT's MSF. With your background, and if you're open to Bval, you should look into Vanderbilt's Masters in Valuation. Strong placement in IB as well.
Thanks, Esuric. I'm a little hesitant to consider any Masters in Accounting programs, because if I do want to do IB or PE, I wouldn't want to be stuck in back office, which is why I was pursuing Masters in Finance programs. Do you have any more thoughts?
My uncle is an adjunct prof at Vandy's MACC valuation and they do have quite a few placements into IB, and especially good for PE down the road if that's a thought. Vandy's MSF is also very good alongside University of Texas, WUSL, LSE. MIT and Princeton require quite a bit of quant and programming knowledge, unfortunately.
Thanks a lot @IBHopeful09", unfortunately I don't meet the required grades for one of the Vandy MACC Valuation prerequisites. Do you have any thoughts on less prestigious MACC programs in regards to placement in IB and PE?
To be clear: WUSTL's MSF in corporate finance does not require a quantitative background with programming knowledge.
To answer your question directly: I would only recommend Vandy's MACC in valuation. No other MACC program is relevant for anything other than audit. I'm surprised to hear that you don't have the grades for it. Reach out to TNA to see if strings could be pulled.
I honestly did not do too much research on MAcc programs since I don't have an accounting background and the only reason I know about the placements of Vandy's MAcc Valuation is my uncle who recommended it. They're the only one (supposedly) like it in the country that blends a background of accounting into valuation and places into banking.
Look into the placements. You'll be surprised how applicable a valuation/financial statement analysis skill set is in banking.
640 is kinda low, but the work experience and being a varsity athlete helps. The MAcc Val is a solid program. I’d email Cherrie who heads the program and try and talk with her. Work experience really means a lot for Vandy.
Why was the verbal so low? That’s an easy bump if you can retake it. AWA is useless for domestic applicants.
Thanks for the response @TNA" . I'll see if there is still time to take it again, but I'm not sure if I want to further increase the chance of me not being admitted by postponing my applications any longer.
Honestly, I'm not sure why the verbal was so low. On the GMATPrep practice tests I have consistently scored higher on the verbal, and lower on the quant. For example, just last night I took a practice test and scored 640 (73rd percentile), Q39 (48th percentile) , and V38 (84th percentile). This was the highest verbal I have scored, although my average for all of the other practices were roughly around the 70th percentile. Clearly I didn't reach my full potential, but as we all know taking the actual GMAT is far different than a practice test.
What do you think my chances are with some other decent programs?
Thank you again, your help means a lot!
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