Anyone else applying to B-School this fall hoping to sit for LIII in June?
here!
i am in my 2nd yr, part time of course.
yes sir… just took my GMAT last week. Going to start LIII in Jan. Do ya’ll think having passed lvl’s I & II will have any impact on the MBA application process?
Yep, I’m doing that. The application process is a little gruelling but that will all be over by the time CFA L3 studying gets into full gear. Then I’ll have a few months off before school starts. That’s the hope anyway.
me too. I do think having an extra qualification earn you points…both from academic and motivation angle.
There was a discussion on gmatclub.com about using CFA in MBA applications. There are some marginal benefits.
I’m at a top 10 school. I went through the application process twice. My experience is that admissions committee people don’t understand the CFA and consequently don’t value it. If you get unlucky enough to interview with a student who isn’t in finance, they don’t understand the CFA program either. My best story comes from my Northwestern interview when the admissions woman asked if the CFA were similar to the CFP. I explained that it wasn’t. I think CFA Institute needs to focus more of its efforts and educating the schools about what the program is. My best advice is nail the GMAT. That seems to be the only metric the schools understand or appear to care about.
dfifeshire or anyone else for that matter, Do you know how much weight admission committee’s give to other Master’s degree such as a Masters in Accounting from University of Michigan (also were I did my undergrad) & a CPA. Also would ya’ll consider a 710 on the GMAT - 10 ten competative in this market?
mzwerner Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > dfifeshire or anyone else for that matter, > > Do you know how much weight admission committee’s > give to other Master’s degree such as a Masters in > Accounting from University of Michigan (also were > I did my undergrad) & a CPA. > Also would ya’ll consider a 710 on the GMAT - 10 > ten competative in this market? IMHO Anything above 700 is competitive and unless it is 800 and point over 700 will only add very marginally to your application
I agree with comp_sci_kid. Getting 700+ GMAT is sufficient. Make sure that your application package is well rounded. Write excellent essays, get decent recommendation, do well on the interview and you will be fine.
dfifeshire Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I’m at a top 10 school. I went through the > application process twice. My experience is that > admissions committee people don’t understand the > CFA and consequently don’t value it. > > If you get unlucky enough to interview with a > student who isn’t in finance, they don’t > understand the CFA program either. > > My best story comes from my Northwestern interview > when the admissions woman asked if the CFA were > similar to the CFP. I explained that it wasn’t. > > > I think CFA Institute needs to focus more of its > efforts and educating the schools about what the > program is. > > My best advice is nail the GMAT. That seems to be > the only metric the schools understand or appear > to care about. Wharton knows about the CFA. it’s even mentioned on their website regarding what Wharton is looking for in terms of accomplishments (academic factors) GMAT and SAT have been said to favor only those with good resources (e.g tutoring, private education…etc)…
I am sitting for L3 in June and in 2nd year top 10 MBA.
orm - what was your background like prior to applying? Thanks.
I sure as heck hope the CFA helps a little at least. I’m going to apply next October - I know it will be a competitive year so any little advantage helps. From what I’ve *heard*, it doesn’t help that much, but it certainly can’t hurt and may help marginally if you’re on the bubble. What is encouraging is that if you can pass the CFA, you will likely nail the GMAT, or at least the math portion. I’m putting as much effort into cracking the GMAT as I did into each level of the CFA, with the goal of 750+. I know it won’t be easy, and anything over 720 is probably just gravy, but I don’t want to take any chances with my application next fall. maratikus - can you post the link to the gmat club discussion on using CFA in the application process?
DirtyZ Wrote: > maratikus - can you post the link to the gmat club > discussion on using CFA in the application > process? http://gmatclub.com/forum/103-t63245?sk=t&sd=a&hilit=Chartered+Financial+Analyst
> Anyone else applying to B-School this fall hoping > to sit for LIII in June? Yes, and I am slacking horrendously with application essays. >Also would ya’ll consider a 710 on the GMAT - 10 ten competative in this market? I think with this year’s applicant pool, it will be all about work experience and extracurriculars. There will be lots and lots of people applying with 700+ scores, and the only thing setting us all apart will be the “wow factor” (as much as I hate that term). To give you some perspective, I am applying with a 730, 3.7 gpa and 3.5 years at one of the big firms, and highly doubt I will get into any of the top 5 schools. I hope I’m wrong.
yeap
Just an observation that MFE programs give big points for having a CFA.
I am hoping to get a favorable response from a Top 5* B-School in a few weeks. So far I got one interview at a top 5 and one rejection from a top 5. The odd thing about MBA rankings however is there is very little consistency. Between the WSJ/FT/Business Week/US News there seems to be a lot of different opinions on which are the very best. As for the CFA, as part of the MBA evaluation process I guess I got mixed signals on its value to schools. I think it helped in the interview which was with a finance alum in NYC. However, a lot of non-finance MBA’s think that an MBA is the end all be all. I see value in both obviously. Plus I actually really enjoy learning so they both make sense. Final thought: You should do the CFA just for the party scene. It is a lot of fun and like Woodstock: if you remember the 2008 Level II CFA Exam you weren’t there man! *US News/Business week