Wrong decision?
Well, the MSc programme I am currently in isn't that rigorous you might say, and I can't agree any better. I had initally planned on applying to Financial Math/Financial Engineering programs in US for entry in 2007, but it didn't work out. I wanted a change of scenery so badly that I was too hasty in making the decision to apply for 2006 entry, and in the process of doing so, I missed out on almost all the deadlines for US schools. I only managed to apply to Columbia MAFN, NYU and UK schools.
Even then, with the offers I had, I chose LSE over the likes of Columbia, Imperial and Oxford. Though I have now landed a quant internship with a bulge bracket firm after convincing them I was good enough, the decision still stings somewhow. Right, so in LSE neither did I learn C++ nor Matlab, and the courses are not mathematical enough. Why the heck did I choose LSE then? Sadly, I lost focus along the way, and opted for an easier programme - no math proofs, no programming, just plain theory and applications.
I'm contemplating doing a PhD to have a good shot on becoming a quant, but my math skills aren't quite up there. My programming skills aren't up to par either, though I'm comfortable coding in Excel VBA. Perhaps I should just be content with the internship and work my way through.
I'll think about what I want to do when my exams are over. Over the next few weeks, I'll be blogging on my exams, and perhaps will write an article on "Surviving the MSc Finance and Economics at LSE", much in the spirit of what Vinayak has done for MSc Econ. Hopefully it'll prove useful for prospective applicants.
5 comments:
I find your posts very insightful. I have a couple of questions and seek your advice. Now that you have been working in industry for a while, do you believe joining the 'right' university would have made a difference if you had time on your hand? I ask this as I too am facing a similar scenario - I applied to few UK colleges based on later deadlines. I am waiting to hear from LSE, KCL. Since I am not from UK, I only have blogs, forums as basis of judgment - can you let me know from your experience in both academia and industry if its worth going to the UK esp. to the above mentioned universities.
anonymous: Well, I believe IBs have a list of target schools (even if they say they don't), so you should be aiming at top 5 schools. Most interns are from Oxbridge, LSE, Imperial, UCL and Warwick, not only in my intern class, but also other IBs, from what I gather from friends. Just to set expectations right, going to a good school doesn't mean you'll even get invited to the first round interviews, however, I believe if you're offered admission to the top 5, provided you don't screw up on the online applications/tests, you should have interviews. Which programmes did you apply, and what do you intend to work as?
Hi, I got an offer from Columbia Mafn and LSE MSc Finance. I am hoping to get some advice on choosing between them. Ultimatley, I would like to be a derivative trader. Thanks in advance
Hi;
I am also planning to apply to LSE for 2010 year. I have and Engineering background (Bachelors and Masters in Computer Sceince). Does LSE considers engg background people for admissions? their website doesnt clearly mention any thing about it
Hi,
Thanks for your input. I am in a similar position. I got an offer from Msc LSE in Finance and Msc Financial Mathematics from Kings, London. I would love to study with the Kings curriculum, however LSE has got the reputation. I am in a fix over which one to choose from. Is it possible to land in a Quant role after completing Msc Finance from LSE? Any info around this would be of great help.
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