MSc Finance Application

[barath.rook]

Hello Stacy,

I am writing this in anxious times. I have just completed my application for the Masters in finance program. I have applied to HEC Paris and London School of Economics. My profile is as follows.

Currently in the final year of under graduation: Bachelors in Business Management (Major in International Business) from Bangalore University, Bangalore, India. 72%.
Completed professional examination 1, Chartered Accountancy affiliated to the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) the Indian equivalent of ACCA
NCFM (a certification in financial markets from the National Stock Exchange of India) 93%
GMAT 740, Q50,V39. AWA. 5.0
ive got strong math scores. 91% during graduation
and my school scores are as follows
12th AISSCE (84.6%) mathematics 86%
10th AISSE (84.2%) mathematics 99%

the abbreviations are:
AISSE- All India Secondary School Examination (CBSE)
AISSCE- All India Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (CBSE)

ive got recommendation letters for a finance event as part of a business school meet hosted by my college for which i was the student coordinator for winning awards in national level business school finance case study competitions and for writing articles on finance, economics and international affairs. My analysis of the union budget was published in a leading indian business newspaper.

I am an Indian national. I did my schooling in Bahrain, college in Bangalore, India.

my activities include. setting up a mock oil trading pit for business school participants at an event, setting up a mock stock trading competition for MBA students joint program (PES IM, Bangalore and Indian University Pennsylvania).
athlete in school; won medals and certificates for 400 metres relay, 200 metres.
extracurricular s: playing the violin, stock trading , football, public speaking


i dont have corporate work experience. i have tutored ESL students from the age of 16. ive written an SOP showing my motivation in the field of finance. ive talked about my experiments with finance from when i was a 10 year old to the present. ive talked about why i would like to take up finance despite the current turmoil. My career goal is to be a CFA charter holder. To work in the banking and insurance sector (the vanilla segment not investment banking)

I have the following questions:
1. Should i apply to other schools also as backup, or just count on these two? can you recommend some good business schools for masters in finance for recent undergraduates in USA/Europe/Canada/Australia?

2. what do you think my chances for a scholarship are? I am applying to LSE under the Graduate Support Scheme.

3. LSE works on a rolling admission system, they have started their admissions for the september 2009 programme from October 2008 itself.. do you think applying in middle of april was too late? The only relief is that their program status is constantly updated and its is not showing almost filled/closed.

once again thank you very much for reading my questions and helping me out during these anxious times.

Barath.rook

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Barath,

1. Should i apply to other schools also as backup, or just count on these two? can you recommend some good business schools for masters in finance for recent undergraduates in USA/Europe/Canada/Australia?
If you feel you are a strong candidate for these 2 schools, then perhaps you don't need to apply anywhere else. However, I think it is always good to have more than 2 possible options and applicants should have at least one safety school on the list. You are applying to 2 highly selective schools at the end of the admissions cycle, so you might want to think about adding some others to your list. I encourage you to visit our sticky on school selection for tips on identifying other programs.

2. what do you think my chances for a scholarship are? I am applying to LSE under the Graduate Support Scheme.
Without knowing what the applicant pool looks like and how LSE determines scholarship awards, I really cannot comment on your chances.

3. LSE works on a rolling admission system, they have started their admissions for the september 2009 programme from October 2008 itself.. do you think applying in middle of april was too late? The only relief is that their program status is constantly updated and its is not showing almost filled/closed.
It might be too late, but if the school is still accepting applications, then you should apply. You never know what the school might be looking for in applicants for the remaining seats.

Good luck,
Lisa

[barath.rook]

Dear Lisa
Thank you for your reply. I am going to apply to some more schools today.
I will update you once i get an offer from either of my first choice schools.

Barah.rook