MiFFT2007 Diary entry 1
A personal account
After five weeks into the first term of the full-time Masters in Finance, we asked five of our students to write a personal account of their experience to date. Below you will find their views on a range of issues including, why London Business School; expectations for the year; moving to London; classes and group work and a typical day on the MiF. These are their stories so far:
| Malvika Agarwal | Nationality: Indian Job before MiF: Associate, JP Morgan Chase, Mumbai |
| James Davidson | Nationality: British Job before MiF: Strategic Director, Continuity Planning, London |
| Ana Escobedo Conover | Nationality: Mexican Job before MiF: Project Finance, San Paolo Imi, London |
| Steven Reid | Nationality: Canadian Job before MiF: Analyst, CIBC World Markets, Toronto |
| Ellen Zhu | Nationality: Chinese Job before MiF: Director, Structured Markets China Bayerische Hypo-und Vereinsbank, Hong Kong |
| Name Malvika Agarwal MiFFT2007 Nationality Indian Job before London Business School Associate, JP Morgan Chase, Mumbai |
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This is probably the first time, I'm reflecting on the past few weeks. Wow! It's been a whirlwind, but a fantastic one. The past few weeks have had so many social events, preparatory classes, CFV and FAA assignments, Career Services events and more that I feel like I've definitely been here more than what has just been about 5 weeks.
Moving to London: I had quit my job, I had my UK visa and my flight was booked. Ah! I'm done I thought – the past few months of paperwork and checklists and then saying good-bye to everyone was a thing of the past now. It would be smooth sailing from here, right? No, not really. Just a few days before I was to fly, there was a security alert which came with several restrictions on flying and baggage allowance. I'm glad a major disaster was avoided.
I remember thinking on the drive into the city after what had been excruciatingly long immigrating queues and a 9 hour flight, that I was really going to London Business School Yes, I know it was rather late to realize this after I has already moved here, but I guess I was so involved in the details that the bigger picture dawned to me just as the City skyline approached. My feelings about London were mixed – great city, not so great weather. (But to my surprise the first month we were here, we got some good sun.)
The first meeting: My first interaction with a few of my fellow MiFs was at a Meet and Greet session. It was great to hear everyone's tales of why they had decided on London Business School and how they had made their way up here.
And then many - many more: The Annual MiF barbeque came along soon after. It was fun, some recent graduates came in and gave us some good advice, how much of that we remember or use, let's just wait to see. Introduction Day was packed with a lot of information and the Trading Game was a great – it was the first time I was meeting most of my fellow MiFs and the sheer diversity of our class was definitely something to write home about.
But the event that was probably the most fun and one that I think I will remember for a long time was Away Day. At 35 feet on a 12" x 12" platform, you have no choice but to get to know your fellow MiFs – and well. It offered us a unique opportunity to get to know each other.
Classes: After what had been 6 weeks of 'free time' I was refreshed for the preparatory module. The pace wasn't too fast and it was a good way to hit the books again after several years. Covering the basic in detail definitely helped and it was a great time to get to know others in the class.
Core classes are fast-paced and demanding. Yes, I know we were told that, but to experience it is something completely different. It doesn't take too long to have assignments, cases and reading that you almost never have enough time to complete. The impressive backgrounds and prior work experiences of students in class, adds a very valuable layer of learning.
With the CFV project coming up so quickly, I'm looking at very late nights spent here at school. I spend almost all my waking hours here and over the past 5 weeks working together on cases and planning for the project, I've gotten to know my study group very well.
What it's all about: We really don't have any 'free time' between class-work, skimming the FT, Career Services events, applications and more, but we do get to know our peers very well. Although there is a lot of work to get done, there is always time to grab a beer at the Windsor Castle pub. I don't think there was a "getting adjusted to London Business School" phase for me; I don't think there was time. And even if there was, it wouldn't be an issue – the support from the MiF programme staff is excellent and yes 'Sundowners' and 'Tea and Sympathy' do help! I'm excited about what lays ahead and building on new friendships. About London, now I love the place.
| Name James Davidson MiFFT2007 Nationality British Job before London Business School Strategic Director, Continuity Planning, London |
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Finding Accommodation
For me it was easy – I lived in London already and so could stay in my house in Fulham. I remain jealous of those that stay right next to School, although being some distance away allows me to relax more and separate work from play.
Preparatory Modules
I elected to undertake the preparatory modules in Accounting and Statistics/Regression. Despite having covered these many years before, I found the classes to be an extremely good warm-up for the main course, and a great way of meeting a core group of fun people on the course. I am sure these courses will pay many dividends later in the course when we get into the weeds of option pricing theory et al.
A typical 24 hours in Week 5!
| 0630 | Wake up |
| 0715 | Cycle 6 miles to school |
| 0745-0815 | Gym |
| 0815-0900 | Read the FT |
| 0900-1230 | Corporate Finance & Valuation class |
| 1230-1330 | Lunch |
| 1330-1700 | Study Group meeting to finish valuation project |
| 1700-1730 | Cycle Home |
| 1730-2130 | Prepare assignment for Financial Accounting & Analysis class |
| 2130-2300 | Complete a job application for Merrill Lynch |
| 2300-2359 | Finish reading 'When Genius Failed' – a fascinating account of the failure of Long Term Capital Management – and why academics employed in commerce must be careful! |
| 2359-0630 | Rejuvenation! |
Expectation versus Reality
Having come to an introductory afternoon at the school, which included a sample lecture, I expected the quality of teaching to be very high – and it is. The classes are extremely stimulating, are referenced to practical examples, and involve considerable participation from the class. As there is such a wide range of experience there is always an interesting anecdote or practical issue that can be raised by one of the other students. There is a strong programme of Tutorials, taught by the PhD students, which is really useful for reinforcing the topics taught in class – often there is a particular emphasis on solving real world problems which is of course extremely useful.
Study Groups
A considerable amount of time has been spent in our study groups of six people. My group has the typical multi-cultural mixture of the remainder of the course – 1 x Canadian, 1 x Korean (South!), 1 x Chinese, 1 x Iranian, 1 x Indian and finally me (British). It has been really fun learning about other cultures, the reality of internal politics, and in particular benefiting from the diverse experiences each has to offer. It is interesting considering the different approaches that each person adopts in tackling a problem – I am sure that by the end of the year these will have converged significantly.
Social Life
The School has a fantastic social life. Being the hard working Masters in Finance students that we are, we do not perhaps have as much time as the unruffled MBAs, so tend to cram in intense bursts of activity. A highlight has been the boat trip down the Thames last week when we hired a boat for the whole course, plodded up and down the river, and enjoyed a number of beverages. Despite having lived in London for years, it was fun to see the city from a different perspective – and especially at night when it looks fantastic. It was interesting sailing around the Isle of Dogs and seeing the buildings where a considerable number of us will inevitable end up working.
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Name Ana Escobedo Conover MiF FT2007 |
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Prior thoughts to start the MiF
To be honest I was a little nervous about becoming a student again, I knew that the MIF programme was going to require a lot of discipline and effort, but I also knew that it would give me the chance to meet a lot of amazing people from all around the world. After going to an information session in early May, I got to know some of the people involved with the programme and their inspiring attitude helped me to confirm my decision to come to London Business School. After fulfilling all the application processes I got my password to the London Business School Portal - this may sound insignificant but it really is the key to a new world. Before even visiting the school for a second time, I had the opportunity to meet many MBA and MiF admits. Every interaction was organized through the Portal and I even met some future students whilst on my holidays at home as they were travelling around Mexico.
The start of the Beginning
The initial process of being part of London Business School was pretty easy; I was so surprised that the people in charge of the programme helped me so much to be organised and ready. I decided to take the Statistics Preparatory module and not the Accounting one (I have a background in accounting). It was a wise decision, because it helped me to warm up for the big time, and what was even better, I started to get to know my future classmates.
So, the end of the pre course arrived and the Introduction Day started; another day not to be forgotten. Although I already knew many people from the programme, it was fun to have a proper introduction and a really nice dinner, and of course, a fun party afterwards.
The big run
After the first week at the programme I was feeling almost like at home, what I mean is I felt like if I had been on the programme for months. It was very easy to start working with my study group; an amazing combination of backgrounds, cultures and personalities, situation that made the experience even better.
I still remember receiving my first e mail in my London Business School account, I read it carefully and with joy. However, by the second week I was receiving around 40 mails a day, almost every one of them related with homework, new slices for class, opportunities to participate in Club events, conferences, and a huge amount of other interesting things. It has been impossible to catch up with all of them.
At the beginning of the third week, the preparation for looking for a job started (milkround weeks), it was almost like trying to run a marathon without previously warming up. Combining classes, individual assignments, group cases, corporate finance project, writing the Cover letter and the CV, and enjoying a precarious social life required an amazing effort.
The extra time
I had heard many MiFs from previous years saying that it is almost impossible to have extra time to socialise, do some sports or party a little bit. I can say that as a consequence of the hard work we are doing, the group is getting really close, some are doing sports together whilst others are in charge of organising parties or pub meetings, but we are taking advantage of every moment.
It has been hard to keep in touch with my MBA friends, but thankfully there are common social events that can be used as an excuse to improve the inter-programme link. One of these opportunities is Tattoo, a really folkloric party, where almost every student is involved in organising by preparing their national dishes, playing some music or just having fun.
The most amazing thing of being here is that I am looking forward to what is going to happen tomorrow, for whom am I going to convince to skip some minutes of his/her study time and have a quick lunch with me, or just to see how I am going to deal with the rest of my day.
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Name Steven Reid MiF FT2007 |
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After getting accepted to the Masters in Finance programme at London Business School this spring, I could hardly wait to finish my job and get to London. While I didn't know anyone else in the programme yet, I was sure it was going to be a year filled with amazing experiences and unparalleled learning.
I arrived in London in mid-August. Most of the MiFs hadn't arrived quite yet but there were lots of friendly MBAs all over the place. I met my roommates my first night at the student-run flat hunters pub crawl - a great event for students to meet each other before the school year begins.
As luck would have it, we found our flat by the end of our first day flat hunting and we were lucky enough to move in one day later. I felt a little guilty being settled so quickly; most students' flat hunts took up to 2 weeks but I guess we lucked out.
After a few weeks getting to know London, it was time to hit the books. First up was the Statistics prep module at the beginning of September. It was nice to get back in the swing of things, meet some fellow MiF'ers and learn a bit too. The professor came across well and kept it interesting – it was a good sign for what was in store…
The programme officially kicked of with introduction day. There were some unique class bonding events and speeches from the Associate Dean, Faculty and Alumni to round things out. It was also a chance to meet all of my classmates and get a feel for the people I would be spending the next year with.
Classes started in mid-September and we jumped right into things. The pace has been quick and we've covered a lot of material but it is what I was expecting for such an ambitious programme crammed into just one year. I definitely have to keep up with the course work but the professors are great - never shying away from topical debates or a theoretical challenge in class.
At the same time, things have gradually been getting busier and busier. The group work has started to pile up, our valuation project is due next week and the milk round recruiting is in high gear. I think we're all looking forward to catching our breath during the mid-term break.
On the social side there have been lots of events for everyone to get to know each other. A couple of MiFs organized a London Business School wide boat cruise during the first week of October which was a great time and something I probably wouldn't have done on my own. The campus wide multicultural festival, Tattoo, was really impressive too. I wasn't sure what to expect but it was the best (and by far the tastiest) multicultural event I've ever attended! There was every type of food I could imagine, local music, dancing and students wearing their national dress. It was a night that won't be easily forgotten.
Overall my first 5 weeks at London Business School and in the MiF programme have exceeded all my expectations. I've learned a ton, met many distinguished professors and classmates while getting a chance to experience a city like no other. Life is busy but I can't wait to see what unique experiences the next 9 months will hold…
| Name Ellen Zhu MiFFT2007 Nationality Chinese Job before London Business School Director, Structured Markets China Bayerische Hypo-und Vereinsbank, Hong Kong |
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House hunting made easy via Portal
For newcomers to London, the house hunting process can be a nightmare, or so I had heard from a lot of friends. But the discussions going on on the London Business School Portal worked miracles for me. As I had to relocate first from Hong Kong back to Shanghai, it was impossible for me to come to London to search for a flat before the programme started. I simply went online through the Portal and spotted several nice flat share advertisements with pictures by London Business School students. I selected one of the best, wired my deposit to the flat mate (who happens to be my classmate at MiF), and deal done. You could say that it is too risky to close the deal before you actually see the flat, but my experience has led me to believe that trusting your MiF classmates can save you great troubles in house hunting and land you, upon your first arrival in London, in a cosy and welcoming flat, fully furnished in every aspect by your classmate who has already been living there for several weeks, instead of livingin an expensive but mediocre hotel room.
Great Expectations
My expectations for London Business School and London were very high, but after just one week in London they were surpassed to a great extent. London is such an international and lively city that almost all your desires can be meet somehow. For me the city has just gone from good to great with the fantastic Chinese restaurants in the best China Town I have ever seen. The reputation of the School's finance faculty was one of the most important reasons that had led me to London Business School, and I was amazed at the way the professors made difficult subjects so easy to understand and so relevant to the real business and finance practice. One thing that I was not so well prepared for was the intensity and speed with which the programme proceeded. Of course, I know it is a short programme (only 10 months) and the work load will be heavy, but the reality is still well beyond my imagination. Lectures, individual assignments, group case studies, Career Services workshops, presentations by companies, applications, club events all pour down on you at the same time. Juggling could well be one of the most useful surviving skills here.
Social Life MiF classmates got to know each other through an interesting Trading Game designed by the programme officers on the MiF Introduction Day. It can be difficult to remember the faces and names of 143 students from all over the world (literally), but you got to see a bit of the personality unravel in the trading session which made remembering some people easier. Then came the Opening Dinner which was an excellent occasion for faculty members, students and partners to mingle in and share delicious food and drinks. Regular events at school like Sundowners and Tea and Sympathy (a MiF tradition) together with colourful club events all serve to bring London Business School students from different degree programmes closer to each other. I was still immersed in the hectic schedule of meeting every deadline (assignment submission, group case submission, application submission, project submission) when Tattoo was announced for the following weekend. It is one of the most important traditions of the school during which we can "go around the world" with festivities, food, dance, drinks and more. The timing is not so good for us, as most of the MiFs still have the pending Valuation project weighing on their minds (due next week). Nevertheless, we still had a lot of fun!
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