Too late for MSc Finance?
Hi guys! I'm 24/M from Ireland and I'm planning to apply in January '21 for the MSc Finance program at LSE & LBS (MFA) & Imperial.
My profile:
- My undergrad was a Bachelor in Business from non-target in Ireland.
- Taking CFA 2 in December '20 & Passed CFA 1 (90th Percentile)
- My GPA is 3.6/4 (2.1 - Upper-second class honours).
- 680 GMAT
- 1 year work experience at FinTech Start-up - Wealth Management role with considerable responsibility (fund manager)
- 4 Languages (ENG/ESP/FR/PT)
Objective: TOP MScFinance --> IB SA --> IB Analyst (London).
My main worry is that by the time I would potentially start the programme** I will be 25 and have 2 years work experience**. Will this hurt my application?
If I plan on applying in early January, what are my chances of getting in? Also, at this stage should I just wait a little longer and consider doing an MBA in a couple of years?
Let me know what you guys think!
I have 2 years of work exp and will be attending the mfa this year. I don't think an mba is worth it in Europe since there are fewer associate positions than in the US and you get the same experience with an Msc and cheaper. Actually Id say there are at least 30-40% of peeps with 1-2 years exp.
I applied in September but January is not that late, just consider admission deadlines.
The age is not really an issue tbh. There are a lot of European guys who do these programs who are older than that.
Your profile is solid, and I think you have a strong shot at LBS and Imperial. I would consider re-sitting the GMAT if you want LSE. Agree with the other poster about the MBA.
Thanks for the replies! I plan on improving my GMAT score and then applying in January (beginning of January).
Unfortunately, I won't have my CFA 2 results by them. Should I wait until I get the CFA 2 results (30th Jan) and apply in a later round? Or would that push it too much?
I think you are in a good spot. Doing MSc straight after BSc adds much less value than working for 1 or 2 years (especially if you don't have strong SA roles), and many people come to this realisation. Also, a lot of people can't afford the tuition fee and want to save at least a chunk of it and not take a full blown 50-60K loan (including living costs in London).
If I were in your shoes, I would apply ASAP. Why? LBS, they value strongly work exp and if you have CFA lv1 which you do, then you don't need the GMAT. With your profile, if you add a strong cover & recommendations and apply early, I would be really surprised if you don't get admitted. LSE, same thing, they want the GMAT for people coming from other educational systems, with CFA you have shown your quant abilities and you already have BSc from the UK. Imperial, pretty much the same as LSE, maybe slight more as the program tends to have more quant focus. However, if you want to break into IBD, I don't see why you would take Imperial over LBS/LSE. Yes, if you have the time, try to get that 700 score on the GMAT as that will help. However, IMO this would be a cherry on the top rather than make it or break it case.
MBA is definitely another good option, especially given that you speak 4 languages and have diversified work experiences. If you want solely IBD, I am not entirely sure pursuing CFA is worth it? PM me if you want, I am in the same boat. Good luck to you!
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