As I mentioned in my previous post, the University of Southern California MSF program has been amazing and has helped me with a number of student perspectives and reviews of their MSF program. My goal is to post a student review ever couple of weeks. These reviews are all from recent graduates and showcase a variety of experiences in the program. This is amazing and I am definitely grateful for all the help and I am sure all of you can appreciate this as well. Enjoy!
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Why did you decide to pursue a Masters in Finance degree? Why USC specifically?
After spending two years in the workforce, I realized that the knowledge and tools I had acquired during my undergraduate degree were not going to provide the career skills and options I previously thought it would. I wanted to bridge the gap between jobs that I was interested in and ones I was qualified for, and I knew an MSF would do just that. After applying to various schools and programs, I chose USC because the curriculum was more in-depth than most MSF programs I had researched. With over 20 graduate-level finance electives to choose from, I felt that I would be able to tailor my degree more towards the topics I was interested in rather than having a pre-set schedule. Secondly, the ability to have a summer internship was a huge factor in my decision. I knew that being able to apply the tools acquired during the first two semesters in a live office environment would benefit my overall experience, as well as prepare me for a full-time position upon graduation. Lastly, the USC Alumni network is top of the line. I have found that the Trojan community is extremely generous when it comes to helping current students with recruiting and take pride in expanding the network across the business world.
From the start of the program, the one aspect I was looking forward to the most was how diverse the cohort was when it came to each student’s background. Having the ability to interact with my fellow classmates that have different perspectives on finance is one of the best ways to differentiate oneself as a future employee. The faculty of the USC MSF program does a great job at enabling group interaction by setting up each class to feel more like conversations rather than lectures. The most challenging part of the USC MSF so far has been the online format due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has limited in-person interaction from all sides. Being able to engage with other students, build in-depth relationships with professors, and attend recruiting events is what differentiates USC from other schools, so not having the ability to take full advantage of those aspects has been frustrating. With that being said, I believe the faculty has done the best they could with what has been available. I’m confident the normal, in-person format will live up to the standards of USC.
Who would you recommend the University of Southern California MSF program to?
I would recommend this degree to anyone who is interested in pursuing a career in finance and desires to be challenged on a daily basis. The USC MSF does a great job of preparing students for their post-graduate careers by creating a curriculum that is very realistic and application based, which I believe is important given how the economy is constantly evolving.
Anything else that you would like to talk about?
I think it’s important to know that the USC MSF is not a “one-size fits all” graduate program; it’s constantly ranked among the top MSF programs in the country and I believe that’s because it prepares each student for a different career path, whether that be Investment Banking, Management Consulting, Private Equity, or Corporate Finance. I think my favorite aspect of the USC MSF program thus far has been realizing how competitive each and every student is while still having a genuine camaraderie among one another. I wanted to be challenged by the best of the best and the students of the USC MSF have done just that.
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Really appreciate this review and I hope all of you do as well. I have a number of other ones getting ready to post so please check back routinely.
Here is a link to the University of Southern California MSF Program
