Smart MSF programs to attend?
Hi guys, I'm pretty much brand new here, been lurking around. Apologize if I still sound green.
I was depressed most of undergrad, made a miraculous recovery in therapy and started getting straight A's my final year. Graduated August 2020 from non-target State School with a Bachelor's Degree in Econ, no internships, 2.78 cumulative GPA 3.70 major GPA. Currently enrolled in CFA Level 1. I've decided I wanna become a financial analyst (IB??) and wanna go back and get a Master's in Finance to rebrand, get a stellar GPA, and network my ass off. Just took the GRE and scored 165 Verbal 167 Quant. Just so it's laid out clear:
2.78 Cumulative GPA, Econ
3.70 Major GPA
165 Verbal / 167 Quant GRE
0 internships
Taking CFA level I in May
I'm talking with my mentor and he's telling me that I should aim high, I got a pretty good comeback story going on. Also tells me that I should really only be looking at MSF programs that allow for a summer internship halfway through, so I can build up work experience and a resume. Looking at University of Maryland, Rochester, Georgetown, Tulane, and other programs that run longer than 1 year so I can grab several internships during the semester and a summer internship. Anyone got thoughts on where I should apply?
Hi Manksy, no, I never sleep and so I can respond to any lonely threads (like this one) at all hours of the night. Impressive, I know ;-)
More suggestions...
Hope that helps.
GPA, lack of experience, and undergrad pedigree are going to be huge hurdles that an MSF won’t fix. My advice: join the military, become an officer or something cool, knock the gmat out of the park, and go to a top business school for free on the GI bill. You could go to a top bank from there, and no one will give two shits about your college GPA and other shortcomings.
Join the military, got it
In the United States MSF degrees don't really mean a lot. You have a low GPA but a trending high GPA. A story to tell to back it up. A GRE score that is definitely high. It is definitely hard, but doable. Give a shot and apply for MFIN at MIT (a dream school due to GPA) and Vandy (Feeder for IB).
If you are okay with international - give LSE and LBS (MFA) degrees a shot. Certainly a good starting point for IB in London and than transfer to the states. Europe cares a lot more about MSF than US.
Plus don't worry about no experience. Masters degrees are pre-exp degrees and aimed at individuals with no experience. Schools you have listed are just money grabbers for the degree - nothing special.
Thank you for this. Lot more helpful than being told to enlist in the armed forces lmao
I'll shoot my application over to MIT but I won't hope for much. Like you said, they're pretty much a dream school. Still can't believe their median GRE Math is a 170.
I'm glad you mentioned Vandy. I originally had it on my list but removed it because I thought a 10 month program wouldn't be enough time for me to build up work experience. I'm gonna attend a seminar to talk about my concerns about the program length, but could you give me your idea of the timeline of things? I would be starting the program in the fall (obviously networking my ass off,) but then after the spring semester the program is over, would I be looking at a summer internship for potentially full-time?
I went to Vandy, the program is alright, but the brand name carries a lot of weight. What you do is, after you get in the program, you find an unpaid internship over the summer before the program to get IB experience. Then stay there during the fall, but apply to FT jobs for after graduation. Also class was full im April last year, so better hurry up with applying
This is what most people in my class did and many landed FT jobs.
Thanks for responding.
Think I can get an unpaid IB internship if I don't currently have any internships? Assuming I network my ass off, of course.
BC as well
Yes, you absolutely can. Most people in my program didn't have any prior internships or they were unrelated. You are offering to work for free, so they can't have any expectations. Just find some 5-10 people boutique IB's, call them, and ask if they are interested in an unpaid intern.
There are like 10 of them in Nashville, in case you do Vandy. But overall, there are 100s of them across the country to work remotely for.
In case you don't get into Vandy, BC, Villanova and Texas are good programs as well. Just start networking now.
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