The Villanova University Masters in Finance program is routinely asked about and is a program that I am particularly familiar with. It is also one that I have been lucky enough to have numerous student reviews on over the years. A student from a year or two ago just recently took some time out of their schedule to write a recent review of their experience during the program. Hope it helps anyone thinking about going.
1) Why a MSF in general? Why Villanova specifically?
I chose to pursue a MSF in my senior year of college. Coming from a non-target school, the networking was limited to whenever companies would come on campus to recruit. I’ve always preferred to have interaction with these senior people (VPs or higher), and that’s when I realized that I needed to relocate to be closer to a major financial hub. I applied to various MSF programs, but ultimately chose Villanova because of the program’s curriculum and the networking opportunities since there are numerous BSDs from Nova working on Wall Street.
2) Who would you recommend the program to and why?
I’d recommend this program to those who’d like to work in finance in a front-office capacity and are willing to work hard for it.
3) Pros and Cons of the Villanova MSF program?
Pros: small class size so you’d get to know your classmates and the faculty very well. Great network.
Cons:not much hand-holding in securing a job offer, but I did fine…it’s more like a survival instinct.
4) Anything else you’d like to add?
It’s never too early to start making connections and you don’t have to limit your networking to only alumni. I’ve had great success cold-messaging/calling people. People love talking about themselves.
I’d say a MSF holds more weight on the buy side, especially with hedge funds. My current job requires me to interact with fund managers all the time, and they’re often impressed by the degree as most people in my field doesn’t have it. I’m sure it will come in handy once I transition into a fund placement/capital introduction role.
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You can find the previous 4 student reviews here:
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