Imperial College London
London
Imperial College - Unsuccessful MSC Finance 2020-2021
3 days after I got my last reference I got an email from imperial refusing my application that even though I met all requirements I could not get an offer due to the quantity of applications for this MSc.... I applied in January. My second choice is still in "completed" status so I havent received an update on it yet... anyone in the same situation as me? second choice is investment and wealth management.
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Don't go to Imperial College as student Life doesn't exist at all and the environment is very unpleasant.
What MSc is that? Financial Mathematics?
What MSc is that? Financial Mathematics?
Imperial College London
London
Original post by Lucifer323
Don't go to Imperial College as student Life doesn't exist at all and the environment is very unpleasant.
What MSc is that? Financial Mathematics?
What MSc is that? Financial Mathematics?
From personal experience?
Master of Science in finance (MSc Finance)
Original post by deyaniramunoz
3 days after I got my last reference I got an email from imperial refusing my application that even though I met all requirements I could not get an offer due to the quantity of applications for this MSc.... I applied in January. My second choice is still in "completed" status so I havent received an update on it yet... anyone in the same situation as me? second choice is investment and wealth management.
What is your profile - I just applied for the Msc Finance too.
Not from personal experience. A friend of mine did the course a few years back and he didn't like it. His other Co-Students also had similar experiences .
I know that Imperial is not a friendly University. It's quite posh...
I know that Imperial is not a friendly University. It's quite posh...
Original post by 80tek
What is your profile - I just applied for the Msc Finance too.
Sure!
- Academic Excellence/Honor Student throughout my undergraduate degree in Accounting & Finance - LATAM
- First place in my graduating class of Accounting & Finance
- 1.5 years experience in a Big 4
- 2 years experience as credit trade risk and associate business analyst in a commodities trading company in USA.
- 101 TOEFL
I did not do GMAT/GRE, I didnt have the time to prepare as my decision was mostly last minute.
Original post by deyaniramunoz
Sure!
- Academic Excellence/Honor Student throughout my undergraduate degree in Accounting & Finance - LATAM
- First place in my graduating class of Accounting & Finance
- 1.5 years experience in a Big 4
- 2 years experience as credit trade risk and associate business analyst in a commodities trading company in USA.
- 101 TOEFL
I did not do GMAT/GRE, I didnt have the time to prepare as my decision was mostly last minute.
- Academic Excellence/Honor Student throughout my undergraduate degree in Accounting & Finance - LATAM
- First place in my graduating class of Accounting & Finance
- 1.5 years experience in a Big 4
- 2 years experience as credit trade risk and associate business analyst in a commodities trading company in USA.
- 101 TOEFL
I did not do GMAT/GRE, I didnt have the time to prepare as my decision was mostly last minute.
You do have a good profile man. Bizarre that they did not enroll you.
Original post by 80tek
You do have a good profile man. Bizarre that they did not enroll you.
Imperial College is a very cliquey University.
Many think it is very selective which is true but the selective word here is hiring some unpleasant surprises.
It has been argued that at Imperial good contacts and politics play an important role when it comes to selection of MSc and PhD Students .Especially the latter one.
The above is true .You need to know s lot of people people or at minimum the right people who are in the right places.
It matters who do you know in order to get accepted, get a grant or scholarship etc.
Original post by Lucifer323
Imperial College is a very cliquey University.
Many think it is very selective which is true but the selective word here is hiring some unpleasant surprises.
It has been argued that at Imperial good contacts and politics play an important role when it comes to selection of MSc and PhD Students .Especially the latter one.
The above is true .You need to know s lot of people people or at minimum the right people who are in the right places.
It matters who do you know in order to get accepted, get a grant or scholarship etc.
Many think it is very selective which is true but the selective word here is hiring some unpleasant surprises.
It has been argued that at Imperial good contacts and politics play an important role when it comes to selection of MSc and PhD Students .Especially the latter one.
The above is true .You need to know s lot of people people or at minimum the right people who are in the right places.
It matters who do you know in order to get accepted, get a grant or scholarship etc.
Sucks that Ive worked so hard to have a good background (academic/profesional) to fall through the cracks because of this...
Im waiting for Warwick. They are reviewing my app...
Im also debating if I should apply to UCL... but the cost is almost double as Imperial.. and I dont wish to pay 200 dollars when Ill end up rejected as Imperial.. would you recommend?
Original post by deyaniramunoz
Sucks that Ive worked so hard to have a good background (academic/profesional) to fall through the cracks because of this...
Im waiting for Warwick. They are reviewing my app...
Im also debating if I should apply to UCL... but the cost is almost double as Imperial.. and I dont wish to pay 200 dollars when Ill end up rejected as Imperial.. would you recommend?
Im waiting for Warwick. They are reviewing my app...
Im also debating if I should apply to UCL... but the cost is almost double as Imperial.. and I dont wish to pay 200 dollars when Ill end up rejected as Imperial.. would you recommend?
I can't recommend you where to go I am afraid. That depends on your taste and what you want to do.
I have another post which has attracted many views but I think it's the best from all I have written. Because I have written a lot of comments in the religious & politics forums.
It is called: University Self Regulation: Dictatorship
Have a look when you can and tell anyone you know.
Many student especially the 1st and 2nd year undergraduate ones are very naive and inexperienced when it comes to University Governing and Politics within the structure.
Universities are unfortunately, money production machines and have gone way beyond their scope. They are actually counter productive in many cases.
In such an environment if you want to get accepted for any course or continue in research you need to have great connections and contacts that matter the most.
If you want a career as someone said in a University you need to become a shameless cynic and compromise your ethics.
Many students have an idea that a University is an ideal environment where morals, ethics, ability, integrity and dignity, count the most. But it is exactly the opposite.
The more connected you are and the less ethics you have the higher the chances of succeeding!!
Universities are unfortunately, money production machines and have gone way beyond their scope. They are actually counter productive in many cases.
In such an environment if you want to get accepted for any course or continue in research you need to have great connections and contacts that matter the most.
If you want a career as someone said in a University you need to become a shameless cynic and compromise your ethics.
Many students have an idea that a University is an ideal environment where morals, ethics, ability, integrity and dignity, count the most. But it is exactly the opposite.
The more connected you are and the less ethics you have the higher the chances of succeeding!!
Original post by deyaniramunoz
3 days after I got my last reference I got an email from imperial refusing my application that even though I met all requirements I could not get an offer due to the quantity of applications for this MSc.... I applied in January. My second choice is still in "completed" status so I havent received an update on it yet... anyone in the same situation as me? second choice is investment and wealth management.
A good tactic is to go on your own to the College and to the Admissions Tutor and try to argue to show you and explain you clearly why you were rejected .Number of Applications is not a good reason as you know.
They have to prove to you that the other applications were better than yours ..
Then you will start realizing the significance of my posts in your thread .
Original post by Lucifer323
A good tactic is to go on your own to the College and to the Admissions Tutor and try to argue to show you and explain you clearly why you were rejected .Number of Applications is not a good reason as you know.
They have to prove to you that the other applications were better than yours ..
Then you will start realizing the significance of my posts in your thread .
They have to prove to you that the other applications were better than yours ..
Then you will start realizing the significance of my posts in your thread .
Thank you, I will definitely send them an email. As I am not physically in the UK.
Sorry to hear that. Same boat as you. Although they did tell me that I would me more suitable for Finance and Accounting which is my second choice so I'm waiting for that. Did they mention anything about your second choice. As far as selection goes, Imperial's Finance programme is very quantitative and the requirements are really high. Most people that get an offer are from a background like economics, maths, engineering etc. So that could be a reason.
Original post by rm0068
Sorry to hear that. Same boat as you. Although they did tell me that I would me more suitable for Finance and Accounting which is my second choice so I'm waiting for that. Did they mention anything about your second choice. As far as selection goes, Imperial's Finance programme is very quantitative and the requirements are really high. Most people that get an offer are from a background like economics, maths, engineering etc. So that could be a reason.
They did not mention my second choice at all in the rejection letter... did you call them and ask them?
Regarding the quantitative background, this should be the main reason as it took them less than a week to reject my application "Even though I meet all requirements" their words...
Original post by deyaniramunoz
They did not mention my second choice at all in the rejection letter... did you call them and ask them?
Regarding the quantitative background, this should be the main reason as it took them less than a week to reject my application "Even though I meet all requirements" their words...
Regarding the quantitative background, this should be the main reason as it took them less than a week to reject my application "Even though I meet all requirements" their words...
No they mentioned it in my email. I did not call them.
Original post by rm0068
No they mentioned it in my email. I did not call them.
Thanks! Ill send them an email.
Original post by IBFinancegirl
Sure!
- Academic Excellence/Honor Student throughout my undergraduate degree in Accounting & Finance - LATAM
- First place in my graduating class of Accounting & Finance
- 1.5 years experience in a Big 4
- 2 years experience as credit trade risk and associate business analyst in a commodities trading company in USA.
- 101 TOEFL
I did not do GMAT/GRE, I didnt have the time to prepare as my decision was mostly last minute.
- Academic Excellence/Honor Student throughout my undergraduate degree in Accounting & Finance - LATAM
- First place in my graduating class of Accounting & Finance
- 1.5 years experience in a Big 4
- 2 years experience as credit trade risk and associate business analyst in a commodities trading company in USA.
- 101 TOEFL
I did not do GMAT/GRE, I didnt have the time to prepare as my decision was mostly last minute.
Sorry to hear that you got rejected.
MSc Finance at Imperial is a very quant heavy and competitive degree. Nearly 70% of students come from an economics, maths, engineering background. Furthermore, Imperial highly values GRE/GMAT score. Getting a 700+ adds considerable weight to an application considering how competitive it is.
You have good experience hopefully you get an offer from other finance courses in the UK.
I personally would not recommend UCL as their schol of management is very new and is not regarded as highly as other business schools. Most of MSc Finance graduates from UCL find it tough to secure jobs in IB/S&T/Asset Management.
I would recommend cass's MSc Finance and warwick's MSc Finance, as they are well regarded in the city and do not require GMAT.
Best of luck!
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by IBFinancegirl
They did not mention my second choice at all in the rejection letter... did you call them and ask them?
Regarding the quantitative background, this should be the main reason as it took them less than a week to reject my application "Even though I meet all requirements" their words...
Regarding the quantitative background, this should be the main reason as it took them less than a week to reject my application "Even though I meet all requirements" their words...
Imperial is a world class university specializing in engineering, medicine and STEM subjects in general. Because of that their MSc in Finance is very quantitative, I would even argue that it is something between a MSc in Finance and a MSc in Mathematical Finance. The degree has core modules in Financial Econometrics, Derivatives and Mathematics for Finance and the level of mathematics used in these courses is quite advanced. At the MSc in Finance at Imperial you will be exposed to Partial Differential Equations, Stochastic Calculus, Advanced Linear Algebra and Advanced Statistical and Econometric Methods.
I strongly believe that you go rejected because your undergraduate degree is in Accounting and Finance and probably the admission tutor believes that your level of mathematics is not up to standard (whether he is right is irrelevant since perceptions matter also).
With your background I would have applied at the MSc in Accounting and Finance that Imperial offers. May I also ask which university you also attended? Since the prestige of the university is also an important factor.
On the other side you have LBS which is also a well renowned university but their MSc in Finance is more like a mini MBA, a lot of corporate finance and accounting and little use of mathematics unless you desire to do so in their electives. So I guess what I am trying to say is that there is considerable variability from one MSc in Finance to another in terms of content and entry requirements.
Other good options for a MSc in Finance in London are: LBS, City/Cass, LSE, UCL, Kings, Queen Mary and maybe also Birkbeck which has also a very academic rigorous MSc in Finance. Outside London I would recommend Warwick and York.
Hope this helps a bit.
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by IBFinancegirl
They did not mention my second choice at all in the rejection letter... did you call them and ask them?
Regarding the quantitative background, this should be the main reason as it took them less than a week to reject my application "Even though I meet all requirements" their words...
Regarding the quantitative background, this should be the main reason as it took them less than a week to reject my application "Even though I meet all requirements" their words...
Original post by ppapanastasiou
Imperial is a world class university specializing in engineering, medicine and STEM subjects in general. Because of that their MSc in Finance is very quantitative, I would even argue that it is something between a MSc in Finance and a MSc in Mathematical Finance. The degree has core modules in Financial Econometrics, Derivatives and Mathematics for Finance and the level of mathematics used in these courses is quite advanced. At the MSc in Finance at Imperial you will be exposed to Partial Differential Equations, Stochastic Calculus, Advanced Linear Algebra and Advanced Statistical and Econometric Methods.
I strongly believe that you go rejected because your undergraduate degree is in Accounting and Finance and probably the admission tutor believes that your level of mathematics is not up to standard (whether he is right is irrelevant since perceptions matter also).
With your background I would have applied at the MSc in Accounting and Finance that Imperial offers. May I also ask which university you also attended? Since the prestige of the university is also an important factor.
On the other side you have LBS which is also a well renowned university but their MSc in Finance is more like a mini MBA, a lot of corporate finance and accounting and little use of mathematics unless you desire to do so in their electives. So I guess what I am trying to say is that there is considerable variability from one MSc in Finance to another in terms of content and entry requirements.
Other good options for a MSc in Finance in London are: LBS, City/Cass, LSE, UCL, Kings, Queen Mary and maybe also Birkbeck which has also a very academic rigorous MSc in Finance. Outside London I would recommend Warwick and York.
Hope this helps a bit.
I strongly believe that you go rejected because your undergraduate degree is in Accounting and Finance and probably the admission tutor believes that your level of mathematics is not up to standard (whether he is right is irrelevant since perceptions matter also).
With your background I would have applied at the MSc in Accounting and Finance that Imperial offers. May I also ask which university you also attended? Since the prestige of the university is also an important factor.
On the other side you have LBS which is also a well renowned university but their MSc in Finance is more like a mini MBA, a lot of corporate finance and accounting and little use of mathematics unless you desire to do so in their electives. So I guess what I am trying to say is that there is considerable variability from one MSc in Finance to another in terms of content and entry requirements.
Other good options for a MSc in Finance in London are: LBS, City/Cass, LSE, UCL, Kings, Queen Mary and maybe also Birkbeck which has also a very academic rigorous MSc in Finance. Outside London I would recommend Warwick and York.
Hope this helps a bit.
Obviously Imperial College is a world class University and competition is very high.
However .... Let me give you another dimension in relation to admissions especially when these involve grants, studentships, or scholarships, or even casual admissions.
You may or may not be surprised to hear that at Imperial College and many other Universities a key factor for admission at any course, not always but quite frequently, is how many people you know, what connections and contacts you have, and what is your social and economic background.
In a few words is who you know andnoy what you know in most cases.
You obviously are both inexperienced as I assume you are at your early 20s. The main issue is thst it usually takes a decade to realise and appreciate fully how systems or systems of Governance work. Unless you are let's say a little smarter and you have the balls to challenge matters, like myself, you spend a lot of time trying to figure out what is going on.
Let me accelerate your learning.
Merits do count, there is no doubt about this. But contacts, connections, and politics count much more than merits. That's my understanding.
Even the people you come across at Universities and teach you, no matter what their merits are, do you think that they are best in what they do? And only those ones can do it? There are many more who can do the job equally well and much better.
If you realise the above it will help you when making decisions.
You didn't get the MSc in Finance. Ok there are Universities that can take you. However if you had some good connections within the Department you would have been successful. Most likely. In many occasions they don't need to be spectacular, but if for example you went to speak to thr admissions tutor or the head of the Department and they knew you for a couple of months prior to selecting candidates, and if you were going to seminars and licking people's arses then you would have been successful...
It depends how much dignity you have. I was always against these measures and tactics and criticised those who did it.
Or if your father made a good 'donation' to the College then your chances would have been much higher.
University lecturers are not as bright as the common mortals outside think and you can easily buy their loyalties with a bit of money, licking their arses, becoming their waterboy, etc....
I hope this helps.
Don't worry even without connections you will find something sooner or later. It just takes more time.
I wanted to warn you that Imperial College is a very cliquey University with many unpleasant characters.
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