Please help me find MSF programs with GOOD PLACEMENT

Graduate School Business School - MBA
1

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I'm writing this because I'm stuck for now in a dead-end sales job, which is hilarious because before I went to college, my parents told me I should get a good degree so I don't wind up in a dead-end job. I'm trying to get up and out of this. If you can help me, I would truly appreciate it.</p>

<p>I graduated in May from Wash U Olin with a BSBA in Finance. I had a 3.6 GPA (3.7 GPA in my major), and I got a 710 on the GMAT (76% M, 95% V). During undergrad, I held executive positions in a student investment fund, ran a community service program that taught financial skills to poor people, and was a member of a fraternity. My weaknesses are poor Excel/MS Office skills, poor accounting skills, and really weak internships during undergrad. Needless to say, I've never had any banking or consulting internships. </p>

<p>Now I'm up in the NW, trying to find any sort of finance-related work--paid or unpaid-- that would give me a reason to quit selling shards of broken glass to haemophiliacs via door-to-door cold calling. Yeah-- "Here! Hold these shards of broken glass! I swear they won't hurt!" --that's my life right now.</p>

<p>I am not well-connected or well-networked, and I think my best shot out of here is a MSF (not MFE or quant finance programs). MBA is out of the question because I need and want more work experience before doing that. </p>

<p>I am academically and personally interested in finance, but ultimately I am going to grad school solely to get a job. I don't care about geography, and I don't care about the price. I just want to apply to places where a) I have a decent shot of being accepted, and b) there is good, consistent recruiting. </p>

<p>Which MSF programs can I get into with my credentials, plus zero meaningful work experience?</p>

<p>Thanks!!</p>

2

<p>[Masters</a> in Finance HQ](<a href=“http://msfhq.com/]Masters”>http://msfhq.com/) would be one place to start.</p>

3

<p>yikes, tough one…</p>

<p>you sound a bit like a younger version of myself, our grades, scores, background, etc. are about identical.</p>

<p>I literally couldn’t sleep at night because I hated my first job out of college so much, it was all of my worst fears realized.</p>

<p>I wound up getting a much better job in less than a year, and going off to a top grad program a couple years after that. Now I’ve graduated and landed a job where I’m making literally 5x what I made in that miserable first job.</p>

<p>So… there is hope for the future.</p>

<p>There are some great finance masters programs out there. If you’re willing to go abroad there are actually more based in Europe. Google is your friend on this one, but a couple thoughts on this side of the pond are:</p>

<p>Competitive:
BC
Vanderbilt
Rochester
Wash U?</p>

<p>Stretches:
MIT
Princeton</p>

<p>Safety:
Bentley
Brandeis
Fairfield
Nova
Pepperdine
Purdue
(value of attending these some of these safeties is debatable IMO)</p>

<p>FYI; being in sales and with a 95% Verbal score, your “soft skills” will be a big selling point, as it makes you “diverse” from a finance masters standpoint, (ie most of your competitors for spots will be total nerdbombers)</p>

<p>Maybe think about taking a math class or two at night to prove your committed to improving your quant skills? (that’s what I did)</p>

<p>taking CFA 1 in Dec wouldn’t hurt either</p>

4

<p>BC is a good program if you want to work/intern during the day since all the classes are held at night. Bentley and Brandeis are decent programs in the area.</p>

<p>WUSTL has a great MSF as you know (or should). </p>

<p>Vanderbilt has a good program also with a mix of placements.</p>

<p>MIT and Princeton are going to be the “elite” so to speak. I think you would be competitive with those programs</p>

<p>As for everything else, UoR is more of a F500 corporate finance school. There are some capital markets placements, but I would not consider that to be their bread and butter. Know this before applying. </p>

<p>Additionally, lumping Villanova with Fairfield, Pepperdine, Purdue, etc is almost insulting. </p>

<p>The MSF degree is extremely regional. It is also broken down along the lines of how a school decided to go about the degree. Some schools make you take MBA level classes. Others have dedicated MSF programs. There is a big difference between these. MBA level finance classes are rather rudimentary out of necessity for the varied make up of an MBA cohort. MSF programs tend to be all finance kids and the level of finance is much higher. </p>

<p>In California, the Claremont McKenna program is tops. Placements are outstanding and the caliber of students is top notch. Pepperdine is a great school, but I do not think their MSF program is a main focus. </p>

<p>Villanova has an established cohort program and places very well in the Philadelphia area as well as NYC. There are a couple school in Philly that have MSF programs, but if you want to work in NYC I think Villanova is the one with the most prominent alumni. </p>

<p>Fairfield is very small and in CT. I do not think much is being done with their program. </p>

<p>Purdue will do well in the midwest. I would look at them if you were interested in Chicago. DePaul has an MSF also and would probably have Chicago alumni. UIUC also. </p>

<p>Check out my website (posted above). You will find reviews for most programs, links, costs, placement stats, etc. I went to Villanova for my MSF and only want to promote a degree that I think is valuable and a smart choice.</p>