Profile Evaluation

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Profile Evaluation

by rishab1988 » Mon Oct 11, 2010 12:05 am
It would be great if you could evaluate my profile.I'm looking forward to applying to Baruch MFE(Masters in Financial Engineering), CMU MSCF, Oxford MFE,Warwick MSc. Finance,and MIT mfin.

Since, I want to be a quant analyst in the area of fixed income,so Baruch and CMU are my first and second preference.

After that

a) MIT
b) Oxford
c) Warwick

I believe I have some great ideas for SOP. I have jotted down all my ideas, so once I'm done with GMAT, I can quickly start writing my ideas.

Got good Recommendation letters.

1)I'm a computer science and engg. (B.E CSE) gradute from India (2006-2010 batch).So, I basically am a fresher.I scored 69% marks in my engg.,which is first division according to my university grading system.anything above 70% is first division with honors.

2) I've been good at quant throughout my life.I scored 97% in math in class 10, and 90% in math in class 12.I scored 100% marks in math1 and math 2 in the university exam(the only student to do so in a batch of 300 students).I scored 90% marks in math 3 at university level ( again the highest in my class). The math that I studied in college included calculus,probability,complex numbers, matrices etc.

Also, I have studied not only C but also C++ ( With 65/100 marks in theory and 41/50 in internals) at University level. I have also studied Data Structures through C++ at university level ( again total 106/150).I have also studied Advanced Java at University level (104 /150).

In the final year project, I designed a parser generator using Java.

Mind you its pretty hard to get above 70% marks in theory in my university. Almost impossible. The main reason my marks in internals are a bit less is that I couln't maintain a good attendance in my college because my college is about 40 miles from home (In India 40 miles are like 80 miles in US. It takes 2-3 hours for 1 side journey).It used to be very tiring to go to college at 6 am and return at 6pm (including 5-6 hrs of travel everyday). And the weight age of attendance was 40% of internal marks (20/50). But I doubt I can say this in my SOP because I have to show myself as a strong applicant.

3) I developed an interest in finance during the second year of my college, and ever since, I have been trading in markets. Initially, I traded just stocks but later on started trading in commodities, forex. Besides I have had experience in using derivatives such as futures, options and cfd's . But the problem is that I have done this at individual level.

4) I've been reading numerous blogs, forums,books,magazines to get as much knowledge as possible related to finance.

5) I'm going to take my GMAT on the 26th of October,and I'm quite confident that I can score 750+ (Scoring Between 740 and 770 on GMATPrep).I hope my GMAT score conveys the message that my grades are good enough.

I took the IELTS last year (September 2009) and scored 7.5/9.

I'm not planning to take TOEFL.Though if required, I think I can score well on TOEFL too.

6) Besides I am expecting a job offer from either PWC or GS in a month or so, if that helps.

7) Other than this I have done an internship at Ministry of Communication and Technology on SWAN (State Wide area Network) Implementation , a multi-billion dollar project undertaken by Govt. of India.

8) I love to travel especially to beautiful and sparsely populated areas. I also love to photograph. I usually spend loads of time snapping pictures. (Though I doubt that this would count towards my application)


What do you think my chances are at those colleges? What else could I do to improve my eligibility?
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by Lisa Anderson » Wed Oct 13, 2010 9:02 am
Dear rishab1988,

Your chances for these programs will depend on your GMAT score and how well you convey your background and rationale for the degree in your applications. If you do well on your GMAT (700+), then you will be competitive for any program from an academic standpoint (transcripts and test scores). Your essays, recommendations and interviews are also important to demonstrate your reason for pursuing the degree program--how is it necessary for your career goals? what is your career plan over the long-term? why is now the right time? Aside from presenting your background and rationale effectively, the only other question mark will be around your professional work experience. It appears you do not have any yet, but awaiting an offer. Does this mean you plan to only work for a year? You will need to explain your decision here--why only work for a year? How will this experience be beneficial to your career goals?

Good luck,
Lisa
Lisa Anderson
Consultant
Stacy Blackman Consulting

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User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
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by rishab1988 » Wed Oct 13, 2010 10:05 am
My lack of work experience is the main reason why i'm choosing programs where avg work of class is 2 yrs or less, for eg MIT's work ex is 13 months.The rationale behind applying directly is that I wanna study in the area of fixed income, and there very limited such opportunities in india (primarily stock market).Also, since I don't have the skills required to work in this field, I want to acquire those skills and then use them in the industry (probably will work in either london or new york).