gtamatwork

Hi fazzuoli, Thanks for your inputs. That confirms what I've heard from other students of LMEC. I'll be hearing about funding in a couple of days from them and I will most probably attend the program. Thanks a ton again for your contribution!

Not yet. Wrote to them asking about it last week but did not get a reply.

I checked a couple of programs in the US where students specialize in Financial Economics so what you are saying makes sense and sounds like a good plan. Thanks for your inputs :)

Well I did apply to LSE (MSc Fin and Econ), Tilburg (MPhil Fin), Tinbergen (RM Fin), IHS (MSc Econ) and got rejected everywhere. I am waiting to hear from CEMFI (MSc Econ and Fin) but I am not too hopeful on that since it looks like most of the admits have already been sent out. I am not too surprised by these rejections to be honest given that they are extremely competitive, and my academic record and LORs from unknown and inactive researchers aren't that great- my only discernible plus is a sound GRE score. So now I have to choose from these two programs - Bologna (Master Econ) and UC3M (Master Business and Quantitative Methods)- as I had discussed previously in this thread http://www.www.urch.com/forums/phd-business/155000-choosing-right-masters-program.html

Haha. Thanks for letting me know. I might be going off topic by asking this- do you know the why this happens? Is it geographical/cultural preference or something else?

Thanks for your inputs. Yes the faculty seems really good with a few active researchers (although Ichino left recently) but since this program has not gotten any attention in this forum before I wanted to ask your advice.

I tried GradCafe but no luck there too. What do you mean by 'Milan'? Are you talking about Bocconi or is there any other school that I am missing?

Anyone?

Dear all, I have been admitted to University of Bologna 2yr Master economics (LMEC - Laurea Magistralis in Economics - Università di Bologna) and would like to know if anyone has information about this program. I intend to pursue PhD in Financial Economics or Econometrics in T50 US or European school after completion of this master. Will this program be a strong stepping stone towards achieving my goal? The faculty seems to be good and their placement record is decent. However, I am not entirely convinced with the syllabus- Macro/Micro/Metrics sequence is great but there aren't enough math/stats modules which I have read in this forum is crucial to convince adcoms. I have about 9 days to accept/reject the offer so please provide your inputs. My profile is given below for reference. PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: BEngg, Computer Science from decent Asian school (6yrs back) Undergrad GPA: 74% Type of Grad: MBA Finance unranked European school (qualitative). I guess this degree is irrelevant for PhD (4yrs back) Grad GPA: 65% GRE: 168Q/155V/4.0 Undergrad Math Courses: Mathematics I,II,III (Covers LA, Calc I,II,III, Differential equations),Probability and Queuing theory, Discrete math, Numerical methods- but not at rigorous level. The syllabus had more applied focus. Decent grades. Econ Courses (grad-level): Nil Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Nil Other Courses: Tons of programming courses. Decent grades. Letters of Recommendation: Hoping to get it from Profs at Bologna who hold PhD from LSE/MIT/Columbia etc Research Experience: Nil. Teaching Experience: There is opportunity to work as TA in second year of Bologna program and I will take that up. Other Experience: Quantitative analyst at private sector firm- proficient in R,MATLAB,SQL,VBA etc. Worked on Time series and stochastic forecasting models. Currently working here. Concerns: 1) Grad from unranked school, very normal grades in both grad and undergrad. Will strong grades at master program override this? 2) I'd be 29 when I apply for PhD. Does this matter? 2) Will LORs from economists be recognized at Finance PhD programs which I will to? Applying to (after this master): T50 US or Europe schools. Mix of Econ and Finance programs. Appreciate your thoughts. Thanks.

Thanks a lot for your insights YaSvoboden. Actually I was pretty convinced with Bologna program given their excellent faculty, encouraging atmosphere and prior placements. But recently I wrote to the program director explaining my goals and seeking suggestions regarding program fit. I was told that if I wish to specialize during my PhD in my research interests -which are asset pricing and/or financial econometrics- then this program would not be the right choice for me since the goal of the program is to teach pure economics. That is when I started pondering whether pure econ would be the right preparation for a Finance PhD. I have 10 days time to accept/reject the offer and I am gathering all possible information that will help me decide. Any other thoughts are extremely appreciated.

Anyone?

Dear urchins, I am in a dilemma and I would be glad to hear your thoughts. My main goal is to get into a good PhD Finance program in the US (top 50) or Europe. Due to lack of enough preparation academically I had decided to take the Master route to Finance PhD. I got admits in a couple of Master programs and I have great trouble in choosing the right one. I list my concerns below- 1) I have been admitted to University of Bologna Master in Econ program (LMEC, as they call it- LMEC - Laurea Magistralis in Economics - Università di Bologna). They have sent students to top schools in the past three years (it is a new program) who are now in UPenn, Chicago, LSE, Princeton etc. The thing is they are all in Economics PhD program. I guess all of them were interested in economics. Assuming that I work really hard, be in top 5% of the class and obtain decent LORs from Professors (who by the way hold PhD from MIT, UPenn etc), will I be able to obtain PhD finance positions in my target schools? I have searched this forum and the consensus is that a master in econ would be a good preparation for Finance PhD. But perhaps when people say that they mean programs like CEMFI, IHS etc which does have quite a bit of finance modules as electives. What about a pure economics program like Bologna? Although this program is quantitatively rigorous with micro/macro/metrics sequence taught at grad level, there are not many electives from the field of finance or math/stats. 2) I am also positive on UC3M Master in Business and Quantitative Methods (Finance track) and I have a strong feeling that I will get in. I absolutely love their curriculum- lots of finance and stats modules like Financial economics (I/II/III), Stochastic processes, Time series etc. But the problem with this program is that the faculty is not much enthusiastic about sending students to other PhD programs. I am not sure if I would like to do my PhD there. Like I said before, my previous academics are weak. I am going to rely solely on the master program that I choose to get into graduate school. In this respect, I absolutely love Bologna program as their faculty is supportive and since it is 2 year program I can bond with them well and get to know what research is all about. But it worries me whether not taking enough finance or math courses would put me in a disadvantaged position. Another worry is whether the adcom at Finance school value LORs from economists (top 10% in IDEAS ranking). Any suggestions or thoughts from you are welcome. Thank you.

I'm not an expert but you should read this in case you haven't already- Core Economics | For the ambitious, prospective PhD student: A Guide

Thanks for the information jofischer. Let us hope for the best.

Hello, Has anyone heard from Tinbergen Institute for MPhil yet? I got an email from Professor M. Giuliodori stating that they are currently still assessing my application and I will hear from them over the next two weeks. He also said that I should ask him questions should I have any. Is it appropriate now to ask about courses, progression to PhD etc? Has any one else got an email like this? Thanks.

Hi Kenn, I've heard good things about Warwick from my friends so it is a good choice. But please also inquire about the student-faculty interaction as some students have complained about this in the past. As you would already know, strong interaction is key in case if you decide to apply for PhD afterwards (LORs, RA etc). Btw, did you get any scholarships from Warwick or LBS?

Has anybody found out the answer to OP's question? I wrote to some of the previous students and it is in fact true that they have sent few students to top schools for PhD. Any inputs would be helpful. P.S. Sorry to dig up old thread. Curious to know the answer.

I guess it makes sense to do an economics master. I am also keeping that option open.

Thanks for the information. You are right indeed. I heard from one of Queen's graduate that out of 300 applications, they select 4 students. Looks like the program is awfully competitive. I'm not sure whether I should go ahead with the application or not.

Yes I'm based in India. I am a working professional in quantitative finance field.

Guys, anybody with any insights/suggestions? Would really appreciate your help and in dire need of it. Thanks.

Hi, My motivation is to enter into good US/European Phd program after a research master. I am considering master programs in Canada mainly because of their good PhD placement records (from their website) and scholarships. I had a look at Queen's MSc Management (Finance specialization) and UBC's MSc Finance. I have an engineering plus finance background but I think I am eligible to apply for UWO's MA Economics program since they do not require previous economics background. I am interested in Financial Mathematics mainly but I am also willing to explore economics. Apart from these three programs I am not able to find any other Finance programs in Canada that are especially meant for PhD preparation. Given below is my profile. Please realistically evaluate my chances of getting into Queens, UBC, and UWO. Since the application fees are high, I don't want to apply if I don't have any chance of getting in at all. Undergrad: Bachelors of Computer science and engineering in India, 75/100 overall (bombed my scores- mistake of my youth). Top 30 school. Math courses: Calculus I/II/III, Linear algebra, Numerical methods, Probability and queuing theory, Discrete math. Lots of programming modules. Grad: Master in Business administration from tier-4 UK school, 65/100 (top of the class) CFA Level 3 passed GRE: Yet to give (targeting 165+ quants. Is verbal score relevant?) IELTS: 8.5 Work experience: 3 years as Quantitative Analyst in Indian KPO. Worked in forecasting models (ARIMA, Vasicek etc), and statistical analysis of multi-asset portfolios. Proficient in R,SQL, S+,VBA etc. Referees: Okay-ish. One Professor has written that I am top of class and obtained distinction in dissertation thesis. SOP: I hope that I can write well. I have a strong motivation to study PhD in Finance and I am going to count on a strong SOP to compensate for average grades. Please let me know whether my grades are going to hurt my chances and what are the areas that I need to focus to impress the admissions committee. Suggest some other schools where I stand good chances too please. Thanks.

Thanks for the reply fakeo. WU Vienna is definitely in my list. Any good finance phd forums that you know? If anyone else have an idea about research oriented finance programs that has good phd placements, please do post here. Thanks again in advance.

Here's my case: My interest lies in Mathematical/Quantitative Finance. That's the area that I want to do my PhD. But I'm not aware of any Master Finance programs that are particularly tailored to send students to US Finance PhD programs. I can't get into good PhD programs directly and hence I am keen in European Master to US PhD route although I wouldn't mind doing top PhD programs in Europe as well. I am lured by placement statistics of few Master econ programs in Europe. So I'm thinking about taking Master econ route to PhD. But I don't know squat about Macro and Micro economics. I have a good work experience as quant analyst, cleared CFA Level 3 exam and meet all required math and stat courses from my engineering background. Will I have problems getting admitted to Bocconi, Bologna, BGSE, WU Wien, Hanken etc for MSc econ? Assuming I get into my target schools, does the above mentioned schools send students to top Finance PhD programs too from their econ department? I've browsed through this forum and it looks like Bocconi, Bologna etc are very good to get into US Econ PhD. But I'm not sure whether I will be able to apply for Finance PhD upon graduating from MSc Econ from these schools. Can someone pls shed lights on this? Thanks.

Thank you for your response. Can you tell me where shall I find information about the MSc? Is it the same as "MSc in Finance/Economics" from their website? Also, what is the proportion of students who get scholarship and stipend?