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Profile evaluate

by wanttogo » Wed May 05, 2010 7:05 am
26 at matriculation - w/m
State School - Double major in Finance and Real Estate
3.2 gpa
720 GMAT (46Q 44V)
CFA L2 candidate. (taking this June...will passing level 2 make a considerable difference?)
should have great recs
Volunteer for two non-profits (one of which was a client at the previous job-I ran the project, and have stayed in contact with the organization)

Work History:
-1.5 years global markets client services: supported trading desks for BB bank

-6months government relations consulting: Got great exposure to city council members, state senators, large corporation's C-Level employees, led 2 separate projects

-2 years(at matriculation) at a global macro hedge fund: analyst/trader
Have steadily increased responsiblities (2 raises in 1 year) bringing me up 75% over my original base
Will also be getting intl exposure, as I will be moving to London.
much more quant than previous jobs (hoping with cfa this will offset some questions with my quant stats: C+ in a calc class in UG and 77% in Gmat.


Reaches: NYU, Columbia, Dartmouth, Yale
Hopeful: Cornell, Virginia, Fuqua
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by Betsy Massar » Wed May 05, 2010 5:48 pm
Hi wanttogo,

I think you are, as they say, a contender. The CFA is really very difficult and requires a lot of discipline. If you pass Level 2 (on your first attempt too), that's saying something. I think what will really be interesting about your application is your approach to the last several years in the financial markets. Some schools, such as Virginia, in their class of 2012 application, had an essay specifically addressing the global financial crisis. I think a thoughtful approach to your industry could really tip the scales.

I also liked that you weren't only in finance -- govt relations (lobbying?) is interesting and requires a lot of organizational and communications skills.

As for your C+, well, it is what it is. What about any statistics or hard science courses in undergrad that demonstrated your aptitude? And your quant GMAT score is only slightly below the 80% mark that some schools use to determine if you need to take a math prerequisite.

If you are in New York, NYU and Columbia might be competitive because there will be a lot of guys like you applying. I take it all back if you are a female, since women traders are rare. (I worked on the buy and sell sides for many years). Moving to London will be helpful, fun, and broaden your horizons.

Sounds like you are on the right track.

Best regards,
Betsy Massar
Master Admissions
www.masteradmissions.com
Betsy Massar
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by wanttogo » Thu May 06, 2010 6:11 am
Thank you very much for your respone!

what do you think of my list of schools?
Any other opinons?
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by Betsy Massar » Fri May 07, 2010 6:16 pm
Hi again,
As for your list of schools, it really depends on what you want and where you want. I think it seems like a good mix. But in this world of "no guarantees", you may want to investigate more options. Researching and investigation is part of the journey!

Good luck,
Betsy
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