Msc Finance at Warwick : impressive figures

woop woop// just received the official letter for financial math at Warwick...conditional on getting a first..

Edinburgh is not as prestigious as Warwick/LSE/Oxbridge I guess? No IB/Hedge fund recruitment on that college?

anyway, I asked this question in another thread but since this one seems more active I guess I could repeat it here: Does it matter a lot what your extracurriculars are? Me and a few friends are considering starting an investment club at the university (which currently doesn't have one). I'm thinking that would be a good thing on your CV. If I had that on my CV (co-founder of investment club) + five references (two from finance teachers, the rest economics) + a degree in finance/economics with a business minor + being a board member of a political society + somewhere between 65-70 %.... might I have a shot at admission to some decent school then? I go to a non-target school btw (top #5 in Ireland so not too bad, but not exactly Oxbridge).

By decent school, I mean Warwick, Oxbridge, LSE, Imperial... you name it. Edinburgh could be an option too of course. But you get what I mean; some place with decent on campus recruitment.

You know, LSE has a programme in Finance and private equity. Since it is less known than the regular finance program, I'm thinking it could be slightly less competitive (although it's never easy to get into LSE).

I am going to write an undergraduate thesis (mandatory part of the program). I'm thinking writing it about Private equity (I have already checked with my teacher and he said it's possible) may increase my chances. I actually called the program co-ordinator and he said that the most important things were a good 2.1 and that I could prove I had an intensive interest in private equity which goes a long way back in time. Incidentally, I have a teacher who can certify that I am interested in PE/VC.

I am of course interested in other programs too, not just the one at LSE. I actually think it's much more likely I end up in Warwick, which I would be perfectly happy with.

I can definitely get a first in my third year. In my second year, I think I blew my chances because this exam period didn't really go very well The interesting thing is that even in those courses where my exams didn't go very well, the teachers have agreed to remain as references because, as one of them put it, "I am aware of the ability that you have". Maybe if you have a teacher who can confirm that you're a lot better than the exam says, they'll take their word for it? I'm also thinking advanced courses should matter more than introductory. Like, I had an introductory course in corporate finance where I dominated every class and did extremely well, right up until the exam when I ran out of time. The teacher understood and is therefore still my reference. Thing is, I have another course in corporate finance this semester. If I do really well in this, slightly more advanced corporate finance course, do you think a university may "tolerate" the fact that my grades in the introductory course are less than stellar (I haven't gotten them yet so I can't give you a number)?

/John

Nope, no internships unfortunately. They are hard to come by in Ireland (not because I haven't tried). I don't know if work experience is expected to be honest, it doesn't say a word about it on their website (but then maybe it's just me not being so good at reading between the lines). They did tell me for a fact that you don't need experience in PE, just something that proves you are interested in it. It may be easier to prove that you're interested in PE if you have or have had a job in IB (you could talk about how you think PE is the next natural step - a not-too-hard story to tell).

As I said, I'm about to found an investment club at university (together with two other guys but still). That ought to make me stand out a little, right?

Also, I may get an internship this summer, only it won't be in finance (I could be volunteering full time for a political campaign). I guess I could still mention it though. My dilemma is that Irish banks have collapsed, and taking in interns is not their first priority. In my home country, an education from an Irish university simply doesn't have the same ring to it as an education from Stockholm School of Economics does.

I'm Swedish. Thanks for the advice on the IC, we plan to put together a, do some investing together and stuff like that probably (of course we'll discuss finance too but that won't be all of it). We just started to we haven't got everything clear yet. I imagine it can't be a negative anyway.

You mention a finance conference. What do you do on such a conference? Just curious.

Okay, thanks for the advice. I do have a bad feeling about this after the exams; it seems like I always fail when I have to succeed. I freaking dominated every finance class for the past semester, but then I ran out of time during the exam. It's been almost a week but I still can't get over it

If you do well (think, first class) in your third year but not so well in your second, can you then still get admitted to a program straight out of undergrad? Let me explain: At the time when you apply for an MSc in most cases, you just have your second year results. I won't get my third year results before the end of june 2012, but I'll have to apply october this year. Most programs I guess you have to apply early to have a chance, and so most of them will be full by the time I get my third year grades.

So, could I apply on my second year grades, get rejected (that risk is substantial) and then apply again in late june 2012 and ask them to reconsider? Or would I have to wait and not do a master's degree until 2013? Could I get an offer, on the condition that I improve my grades (ie get a first)?

I'm sorry I'm asking so many questions. I'm really eager to do a master's and I feel pretty clueless to be honest (well, I guess you've already figured that out).

I assume you mean apply for september 2012 intake. Look, I'm in second year right now, I graduate in 2012. What I am asking is; even if my second year grades aren't good enough, could I still be admitted to a program starting fall 2012 if my third year grades are good?

Thanks for your help