Prompt: How have your personal, academic and professional experiences led you to pursue the MS Finance degree at this time? Please discuss both your short- and long-term career goals, including your vision of your post-graduation employment, and describe how the Texas MS Finance will help you meet those goals (500 words maximum)
When describing what led you to the decision to pursue the MSF degree, personally, academically, and professionally, be sure to provide personal details beyond what is just listed on your resume..
You may be very clear on your personal reason(s) for pursuing the MSF, for example, "My grandfather wants to turn over his 50-year-old company to me, and I don't want to let him down."
However, if like many others you are not sure what might be considered a personal reason for wanting an MSF degree, just describe your motivating desire (beyond money or career).
Here are two examples of personal reasons: "The satisfaction I find in taking on a challenge attracts me to finance and its skills in problem solving and reasoning." "A voice, for the very first time, in the decisions on where and how to invest company resources."
Most people who apply to the MSF do so because they lack a finance background/education. The Admissions Committee just wants to hear why you think that you'll be able to handle finance classses, and that's usually because of an interesting class taken in the past.
The Admissions Committe wants to hear if there is a professional experience that makes you serious about pursuing a finance degree for a year. Hopefully it is an experience that convinced you that you would enjoy finance classes.
Describe where you want to be after your degree.
Ultimately, where do you want to be in 5-10 years?
In just a few words, describe how well you have gotten to know the school through research, information sessions, and/or talking with current students. How will attending a one-year finance program assist you to your goals?
In addition, think about who you spoke to prior to joining McCombs? You might add a quote from someone whom you have talked to at the school.
Prompt: Imagine that you are at a job interview after completing the MS Finance. Give a one- to two-minute argument for why you are the best person to hire. Begin with a description of the job that you are applying for and then use your undergraduate training, your MS Finance experience, and any relevant work experience you have to justify your hiring. (1-2 minutes long)
In this video, you are an interview for a post-MSF job. The prompt asks you to begin with a description of the job to which you are applying. Here are some examples:
The above examples include some or all of the following:
Please note that the introductions make it clear that the candidate is interviewing for a job. The rest of your video is focused on how your past experience and education has prepared you to be effective in the role and industry.
Example: "At UT, I competed in the Equity Research Challenge. My team came in 3rd in the Southwest Division. This gave me my first taste of equity research, and I absolutely loved it."
Example: "I just passed Level 2 of my CFA exam, and am preparing to sit for Level 3 in the next testing window."
Example: "As a financial analyst, I will need to understand urban planning, geography, natural environment, and even local politics. That's where my internship experience provides me an advantage."
Example for a finance role in the movie industry: "At UT's film school, I've had the opportunity to write, produce, shoot, and edit several short films all by myself, so I know what goes into a film from start to finish. And I've had to finance all of those films by myself, which taught me a lot about budgeting."
Example: "I not only constructed quant analysis, but used my interpersonal skills, which is an often an overlooked quality in this field. The ability to communicate meaningful analysis to the maangaement team will allow me to bring value to your firm."