URGENT!!!! CMU MSPPM vs. Warwick MSF vs. Queens' MMF vs. Villanova MSF?

humble_dude:

I was in similar situation a year ago. You need to determine the following first:

1. Do you need brand name on your resume?
2. Where do you want to work?

One question for you is that I assume you want to work in finance since you posted on WSO. So how will a master in policy at CMU help you?

Thanks for your help too~To answer your questions:

1) I earned my undergrad degree at UWO in Canada (honors degree of double majors in Accting & Financial Econ), went exchange at HKU, and did a summer intern in the head office of Bank of China (not finance related, but social security and pension funds related). I also did a summer intern, accounting related, in a small Chinese company, and several volunteers in school clubs.

that's pretty much everything in my resume and I don't know if a brand name like CMU would make more marginal benefits than Warwick or Queens.

2）I want to work in banking or consulting. and from what I know, CMU's public policy master with concentration in financial management has sent many students to consulting area.

adapt or die:

I think it's kinda funny that you describe Villanova as having "no brand name"...yet I've never heard of Warwick or Queens and I live in a major northeast city

Maybe because their are not in NE???Warwick is in UK and Queens Canada.

I agree with the rest of the guys,choose based on the region you want to work.If you want Europe,Warwick has an excellent reputations,but you wont be able to find an internship during your studies,since its on a small city.

adapt or die:

I think it's kinda funny that you describe Villanova as having "no brand name"...yet I've never heard of Warwick or Queens and I live in a major northeast city

Sorry for that, I only said so becoz not so many people in Canada or China know much about Nova.

can_lah:

I'd say that outside the US and UK, more people would know Warwick than Villanova. I think that's what he's referring to.

thank you! that's exactly what I meant.

ANT:

If you want to work in Toronto don't go to Nova. Honestly, if you think the school has no brand name we don't want you to begin with.

I'm sorry my words hurt your feeling, Ant. I didn't mean that. Actually, before I came to WSO the first time, I never heard about Nova. and it was your posts that let me know that there is another choice which is better than many I've heard for years. and I was hoping you can share some suggestions when I posted this. But again I'm sorry I didn't make myself clear about Nova's brand name. I only said so for China and Canada (at least for what I heard)

But do you really mean that I shouldn't go to Nova if I wanna come back to Toronto? Coz that's actually what I was worrying about Nova, I'm not sure if I can land a decent job after Nova as an international student. and I was told that if we couldn't find a job in the States in some period of time after school, we'll have to leave. and I've got a 3-year post-graduate work permit from Canada, thus I was planning to come back to Toronto if so.

ANT:

Warwick if you want to work in the UK.

Queens for Canada.

Villanova for NYC

It really is just that simple.

I am with about 15 undergrads who all have BB FO offers. Half my class went into banking/PE. In the USA, especially east coast, Villanova is well known.

How about international students? I don't have much experience in finance, and I'll find one this summer in China. and do you have any suggestion about which kind of intern I should do？

LLcoolJ:

first of all, disregard everything your prestige whore asian parents say because they probably don't have a clue. secondly, don't make a decision based on a relationship.

the school with the best placements on your list is Warwick, which is very strong in London. personally i would just network like crazy and try and get an unpaid internship at a boutique and take it from there. with your experience, or lack thereof, the only kind of job you will be able to get post-masters is the same as what you can get now (boutique), so i don't really think a masters is good value.

the academic box on your resume has already been checked (honors in accounting/financial econ with a good student exchange), the area you need to improve in is experience. more academics will add very little to your resume, whilst any direct finance work will add a lot. so again, i would just network and try and get any unpaid boutique internship. i'm pretty sure you would be able to land something in HK/SG, and if you speak Chinese on the mainland.

Thank you and I've decided to ask for a deferral and try to get a boutique internship.

LLcoolJ:

first of all, disregard everything your prestige whore asian parents say because they probably don't have a clue. secondly, don't make a decision based on a relationship.

the school with the best placements on your list is Warwick, which is very strong in London. personally i would just network like crazy and try and get an unpaid internship at a boutique and take it from there. with your experience, or lack thereof, the only kind of job you will be able to get post-masters is the same as what you can get now (boutique), so i don't really think a masters is good value.

the academic box on your resume has already been checked (honors in accounting/financial econ with a good student exchange), the area you need to improve in is experience. more academics will add very little to your resume, whilst any direct finance work will add a lot. so again, i would just network and try and get any unpaid boutique internship. i'm pretty sure you would be able to land something in HK/SG, and if you speak Chinese on the mainland.

humble_dude:

Both ANT and LLcoolJ hit the nail on the head: ANY Program you do, make sure you do something relevant to your career goal in the summer before school starts!!

Just reinforce what ANT's idea: If you want to work in UK or HK you can go for Warwick, but I am not sure how are the international student status put you at UK but assuming you area Canadian citizen it shouldn't be a problem to work at UK.

Question for you ANT, it says on the website MSF students at nova have an average work experience of one year, do y'all have prior finance experience? Thanks!

Thank you and i'll definetely find an intern this summer and maybe for the next year.

IlliniProgrammer:

??? I think CMU is the real favorite here, at least for the US. And if you've spent a year in the working world, $90K is a lot less of a burden than taking that on as debt. The more money you have, the more the decision tends to skew in favor of the expensive schools.

Spend a year or two in the working world, save like crazy, go to CMU, graduate debt free- or nearly debt free.

So you still believe that CMU is the best among all the four? even it's a public policy master? After all I'm an international student and I'm not sure if this master would help out in Canada if I can't find a job in the States after the program.

IlliniProgrammer:

Ah, missed that. Thought it was some sort of an MSF-equivalent given the comparison you were doing and the lack of description; Tepper is pretty strong for finance. Villanova and Warwick are probably the best options if you want to do finance.

Well, it could be an MSF-equivalent one if I tailor my coursework on financial management. That's one of the concentration they are offering.

But what is Tepper? Did I mentioned that?

So you are saying that Nova is also help in Toronto?

ethanmasa:

Forget about the Queen's! This program's admission officer is a joke.They constantly change the ladies who is responsible for accepting applications. I would avoid this program. It also seem to me they only have one teacher teach the whole program. It is only part time school. Every Tuesday three hrs pls every Saturday for 6~8 hrs. It starts on June then Whole December has no classes!! I mean, seriously, what can you learn from this program. I don't think they even have the Bloomberg computer for you. I don't think they cover any quant finance at all.

well the lady who was charging my application hasn't been away from her office for a while and no one's taking over her part,,,,

but only one teacher for the whole program?????? if true, I'd avoid this program too!

But I guess it's true that they don't do any quant finance there coz it's more about CFA preparation and the actually 9 month program cover every topic, so not deep in any of them.