exbanker2B Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Hello - this is my first post :) Until last year, I had been out of school for 20 years, working in investment banking (now an MD running a 15 person advisory team in a global bank). I don't plan to do banking for another two decades and want to move into academia. I am half way through LSE's two year part-time MSc Finance course (Distinction in year 1 exams) and I will be applying to full-time PhD courses this term. Target schools: UK - LBS, LSE, Oxford RoEurope - Insead, HEC US - top 10 My profile is: Type of Undergrad: Cambridge - BA Economics and Law Undergrad GPA: Average 3.75 (Economics 4.0; Law 3.5) Type of Grad: LSE - MSc Finance Grad GPA: 4.0 expected (4.0 in year 1 exams) GRE: 178Q (97th percentile), 179V (99th percentile) Math Courses: Pure Maths, Statistics Econ Courses: Micro, Macro, Financial Econometrics, Economic History Finance Courses: Corporate Finance, Asset Markets, Portfolio Management, Financial Engineering Letters of Recommendation: Three LSE finance professors (two full; 1 associate; all my recent MSc course lecturers) Research Experience: MSc thesis underway Teaching Experience: None Research interests: infrastructure funds, project finance, cross-border M&A, effects of leverage and cash flow volatility on stock prices I am very interested in any thoughts on : (1) whether my target schools are realistic based on my profile above (2) if my 20 years in banking is fatal to getting into a decent school (I am 42...) (3) whether I should try first for a standalone MPhil (eg Oxford or Cambridge) or an MS in a US school Many thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pemdas Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 (edited) deleted Edited October 31, 2012 by pemdas removed the post to reduce adversarial reaction by others Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivydream Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 x ????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pemdas Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 ????? it should make five characters for a post to appear - to avoid meaningless posts. Do you speak English, or too lazy to post an actual question? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pemdas Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 (edited) deleted Edited October 31, 2012 by pemdas removed the post to reduce adversarial reaction by others Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tension Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 At least Pemdas was not afraid of suggesting other forum members the things they could never allow to think about by themselves - my case. I strongly dislike the threads like this one making seemingly insightful man to dump, and Pemdas should not have posted in this topic. I would like to call on Erin, an Administrator of this forum, to remove the present thread, if it is possible at all. It is not encouraging for any one, a member or a guest, to see such a thread signed off by a member's resignation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatentClerk Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Clearly pemdas belongs to some developing country and for his overly enthusiastic foolishness, needs to be warned but forgiven. As far as I can see the OP made a possible error in writing 178 instead of 168 etc as the percentiles seem just about right. Broadly such a profile is a sure shot at the top 10. Mainly a 4.0 from LSE with that GRE is a sure shot. And the Age issue is generally taken care by a very successful and/or interesting career. I would actually say most Universities are looking for a few guys like this to create a diverse batch. So whether you are real or not, that profile is a sure bet for next PhD season at the top 10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tension Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Clearly pemdas belongs to some developing country and for his overly enthusiastic foolishness, needs to be warned but forgiven. I do not understand how your view of Pemdas' post relates to whatever developing country. It is not even for the fact that I myself come from developing country in the southern part of Europe, but for your assertion and possibly bias against people's intellectual capacities based on their geographical segmentation. This cannot be true, and I again reiterate the possibility of removing this thread along with an unthoughtful point introduced in the last post by PatentClerk. Erin, could this thread be removed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tension Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 PatentClerk, if you were borne in the developing country, it does not imply anything about your superior intellectual abilities or your perfect nature. Please edit your post, otherwise I will follow Pemdas and will be leaving the forum! You cannot judge people based on your intuitive feelings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatentClerk Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 HeHe. Okay that was a bit sarcastic but since I myself come from a developing country I think it is rather foolish to be offended by a remark made in jest. Clearly that pemdas post is nearly hilarious in its mindlessness which mainly shows some sort of difficulty in understanding the English language more than anything else. It was quite clear that OP made a typo error in writing 178 instead of 168. To take that and just castigate him and be extremely negative like pemdas is far more disturbing than a clearly sarcastic post made in response. And I would suggest just deleting that ridiculous post and all that came after instead of deleting a thread started by a possibly genuine person. And it is rather funny to see people make threats about leaving TM! But I will restrain my sarcasm this time as it seems the world of PhD seekers can no longer take any form of humor unless it is about someone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tension Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Ok, PatentClerk, please keep ranking my posts solely. For your information: sarcastic is adjective and means expressing or expressive of ridicule that wounds. Understanding English seems an arduous task for you especially. Do you believe making people to look ridiculous is allowed while to express a castigation is unacceptable? I have not made any threat to leave TM. I only demanded a respect for my developing country, which you were associating with "overly enthusiastic foolishness". We do not need to be vulgar to make a jest. This is not merry andrew place where people seek amusement of some one's ridiculous behavior. No need to be sarcastic, and if you wish to do so, please visit the relevant virtual forums or do act as a clown in life. That you stress my being offended with remark made in your post and say it is foolish is the clear sign of you remaining in the foolish state of mind actually. It is my last post to you, an anonymous member. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatentClerk Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Tension, I really doubt whether my post made the pemdas post or pemdas himself look ridiculous. I thought his piece of writing was enough for that. Maybe you should read that post again. It is by far the most pointless direct attack made for no reason, I have seen in a long time. It is impossible for someone with a genuine sense of humour and no qualms about being politically correct all the time to not post and give people like that a taste of their own medicine. I acknowledge there are now far too many people who get all worked up about small pieces of sarcasm. I didn't respond by saying delete this and delete that. Neither will I respond by saying you are wrong in thinking what you do. To each his own. If you only come here to read statistical data points so be it. But in whatever I do, I prefer an element of fun and an element of questioning the boundaries of accepted stupidity. Funny but I think that is actually exactly what a PhD should be. Anyway I am beginning to get why the state of PhDs is what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivydream Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 it should make five characters for a post to appear - to avoid meaningless posts. Do you speak English, or too lazy to post an actual question? No really, I was just too flabbergasted by the audacity of your response. The post may be in the wrong section etc, but there is simply no need to lay into someone like that. It's pathetic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tension Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 What's wrong with the inquiry below? The stupidity boundaries :hmm:of criticism expressed by Pemdas were estimated by PatenClerk, an anonymous member. Reminds me of the quote: "Sinful heart blames". Let us review the post as intelligent people and provide some valid reason for Erin, an Administrator, to keep or discard this thread along with all its posts. Hello - this is my first post :) Until last year, I had been out of school for 20 years, working in investment banking (now an MD running a 15 person advisory team in a global bank). I don't plan to do banking for another two decades and want to move into academia. I am half way through LSE's two year part-time MSc Finance course (Distinction in year 1 exams) and I will be applying to full-time PhD courses this term. Fair enough, the OP wants to move from the industry to academia which will be either research or teaching oriented or the mixed. There is a big gap in the OP's education between now and 20 years back, so he/she rolls over by taking MS Finance course at LSE. Underneath, in his/her detailed profile he/she will be listing the minimum expected knowledge for being considered by both PhD econ and finance program AdComs (in case the OP makes up his/her mind and decides to apply for a PhD econ program): pure math, stats, micro, macro, econometrics, econ history. Note please, these courses are possibly related to the OP's BA degree curriculum which as he/she disclosed is being dated 20 years back from now. How long did pass between now and then? Why to list the courses which were passed 20 years ago, and no schooling/education has been gained since BA to recover these disciplines? Target schools: UK - LBS, LSE, Oxford RoEurope - Insead, HEC US - top 10 My profile is: Type of Undergrad: Cambridge - BA Economics and Law Undergrad GPA: Average 3.75 (Economics 4.0; Law 3.5) Type of Grad: LSE - MSc Finance Grad GPA: 4.0 expected (4.0 in year 1 exams) AdComs at graduate programs are always having hard time to predict academic success and GPA of their applicants. For this task they use various factors, but none of them can realistically inform AdComs about GPA to be say 3.00 or 4.00 in a year after applicants have been admitted into the program. The pass/fail rates of a similar pool of applicants is one the effective ways to learn whether an applicant will succeed or fail in one's selected course. I doubt the OP has been disclosed all grades and pass/fail rates of his/her program's prior cohorts to realistically predict one's GPA in a year. Sometimes , we make unwarranted statements, and most people, the ordinary people, don't pay attention to such statements. But when people like PatenClerk enter the discussion boards, everything changes. The others' claims will be assessed for stupidity boundaries. Hey Patent, did you start this thread? Note please, I am not taking any side now. All I do is following your advice and rereading the OP's post which I screened initially in the reluctant manner. This time, I read the original post very carefully, and certain connections became visible between the posts made by PatentClerk and the OP. GRE: 178Q (97th percentile), 179V (99th percentile) Math Courses: Pure Maths, Statistics Econ Courses: Micro, Macro, Financial Econometrics, Economic History Finance Courses: Corporate Finance, Asset Markets, Portfolio Management, Financial Engineering Letters of Recommendation: Three LSE finance professors (two full; 1 associate; all my recent MSc course lecturers) Research Experience: MSc thesis underway Teaching Experience: None Teaching experience is non existent. There should be some experience in mentoring to take over Deputy Manager (DM) positions in business. If it is not for research and teaching experience, then what objectives should AdComs seek from the OP's profile? Research interests: infrastructure funds, project finance, cross-border M&A, effects of leverage and cash flow volatility on stock prices I am very interested in any thoughts on : (1) whether my target schools are realistic based on my profile above (2) if my 20 years in banking is fatal to getting into a decent school (I am 42...) PatenClerk if somehow you relate to the OP, please PM me ASAP. I would love to help the OP in meeting one's doctoral ambitions. This is, however, feasible through a DBA (Doctor of Business administration) program not a PhD. I must agree with the tainted Pemdas - there is little chance for the OP to succeed in the US top 10, LSE, LBS, Oxford, Insead and HEC business or econ PhD program admissions. (3) whether I should try first for a standalone MPhil (eg Oxford or Cambridge) or an MS in a US school Many thanks Erin, will you please consider my initial request? This thread has created too much noise ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatentClerk Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 @tension You are perfectly suited for PhD. Look you can have an opinion as to whether someone can get into a PhD program or not. There have been many cases where people close to 40 or above have been admitted in top schools. You should check LSE itself, I know for sure a couple of PhDs itself admitted for another PhD. For me a 4.0 in the first year at LSE recently, a near perfect GRE and an exceptional professional record warrants a high probability of admission. For you with your seemingly much better understanding of the world it doesn't. That much is fine. But it is the way Mr Developing Country (written proudly across his profile) went about castigating the OP that got my sarcastic nerves a bit more enthusiastic about responding. So I can agree if sarcasm is not tolerated here I was wrong. But enough about that then. And personally I think the OP's profile is a sure bet. And he should go forward and apply. And Yes Alan Greenspan got his PhD after 50. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tension Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 (edited) what? How you compare yourself or the OP with Dr. Greenspan. Dr. Greenspan after graduating with honors from NYU obtained his Master's in econ and worked until his 30s as analyst. Later he took over the fed.reserve and guided the brilliant researchers in the US government. Will you quit making unwarranted statements as the portrayed Mr. Developing Country. **** EDITED by Moderator. Inappropriate language. ***** Edited November 2, 2012 by tm_member Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tension Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Patent, you are very intelligent and I am sorry for saying what you did not like. My notifications cannot any longer stand 4 posts ranked as bad by you in one hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I do not understand how your view of Pemdas' post relates to whatever developing country. It is not even for the fact that I myself come from developing country in the southern part of Europe, but for your assertion and possibly bias against people's intellectual capacities based on their geographical segmentation. This cannot be true, and I again reiterate the possibility of removing this thread along with an unthoughtful point introduced in the last post by PatentClerk. Erin, could this thread be removed?Could you please use the "Complain about this post" function to report messages to me? Or post in the post in the feedback forum to ask? I think it goes without saying that I don't read every message in this forum (there are almost a million of them!), so I have not seen the request you're referring to. Reminder: No flaming, no personal attacks, and keep it civil. And please, no sockpuppet accounts. ;) Erin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exbanker2B Posted November 1, 2012 Author Share Posted November 1, 2012 A quick thank you to everyone who has replied to my first post. And yes that includes Pemdas :) . I was told many years ago that feedback is a gift!! [Pemdas - I was also told that "courtesy costs nothing"...]. There were a number of useful points made, including my GRE score typos (they were indeed 168Q and 169V). I am encouraged to proceed but will choose some MPhil and lower tier PhD programmes as fall-backs. Good luck to everyone out there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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