Which Masters at LSE to apply for

Hi,

I am currently a senior majoring in sociology at an ivy league university. I started undergrad as a premed and that severely killed my gpa so I will only be graduating with a 3.6 despite the easy major. Major gpa is near 4.0.

At the end of sophomore year, I decided that I wanted to go into finance and through some intense networking, I obtained an internship with MS pwm then for junior summer GS s&t. Unfortunately markets were bad and even with a good review I didnt get a FT offer from GS. Full time recruiting has also been dismal with a lot of banks not hiring.

So, I've decided to apply for some Masters program with the goal of recruiting again for either S&T or IBD positions. Given that my major is sociology and have basically close to zero coursework within finance, should I apply for LSE Master of Finance or a Masters related to sociology. I would def have a higher chance of being accepted to a humanities related Masters at LSE, but would this impact my chances at recruiting? I am hoping to be able to recruit using LSE's solid network despite the unrelated Masters. Does this seem viable?

Also, what are my chances at the MSF program? Getting into this program would be most ideal because I'm really hoping to take some finance courses to augment my knowledge.

Thanks!

 

The MSc Finance at LSE only asks that you bring a good quantitative background/skills. If you're GMAT is in the 650-700 range you would be competitive with your 3.6. However, getting into the MSc Finance at LSE is like playing the lottery so you might want to find other programs to apply to as well. Unfortunately LSE is not like Oxbridge where you can study what you want and still get S&T offers from GS.

I'm talking about liquid. Rich enough to have your own jet. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars, buddy. A player. Or nothing. See my Blog & AMA
 

I completed the MSc Finance course at LSE last year (part-time). I disagree with the Chinese comment - the course was pretty diverse.

PM me if you'd like, but with your academics and, with some good references, you should be in with a shot.

 

It is extremely competitive but as long as the applicant can demonstrate reasonable numerical ability and a genuine interest in finance (and coupled with his experience at GS) i don't think his bachelor degree will be too much of a problem.

 

Thanks for the input and advice! I am also looking at Management Programs at other UK colleges such as Imperial and Warwick that are designed for ppl with a non-finance/management background.

Would a Masters of Management be more relevant and help with recruiting? If you guys have any recommendations for other programs that would be greatly appreciated.

 
Best Response

The MSc Management at LSE is a joke, both in terms of curriculum and organization. I wouldn't necessarily advice against going if you made the choice to apply and got an offer, but you need to realize that this program will probably disappoint you (academically). However, given that its LSE, people without finance backgrounds still got calls from GS this year. In addition, given that it is a two year program you will probably have a good chance of getting FT after doing SA. Be aware that the cost os roughly GBP 50k just tuition though, and London will cost you a lot as well.

Another possibility, which I find even better, is the LBS MiM. It's just one year (and very expensive, I believe something like GBP33k) but it will definitely give your CV a great boost in the business world, for both consulting and IBD (and maybe even PE). From the 2011 class I know two guys who secured FT at BX without SA there.

I'm talking about liquid. Rich enough to have your own jet. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars, buddy. A player. Or nothing. See my Blog & AMA
 

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