A New Journey Begins…

Hello to all who are reading this, my name is Nirvair Vig but I’m known as Niv. I am a first time blogger and will definitely learn from this blogging experience as I hope you all will to as I aim to give you a sense of how it’s like studying at the Imperial College Business School. I am a student on the MSc Risk Management and Financial Engineering course class 2012-13 and I am very much enjoying my experiences on the course so far. I have only been here 7 weeks but time is flying. Within this time, I have attended over 20 events (mainly consisting of presentations from investment banks), attended some of the most interesting lectures and have also managed to become student ambassador and academic representative for the RMFE course this year. 
I chose to do an MSc because I am extremely passionate about the financial markets and I am certainly intrigued by the paradoxical nature of stock returns. I would be lying if I said that my decision wasn’t influenced by an increase in job prospects upon completion of the MSc, however, contrary to the general census, my main decision to spend a year tackling a highly technical MSc was influenced by the strong affinity I have with the financial markets. Risk Management and Financial Engineering was a programme I carefully thought about before applying to, especially with other high calibre programmes such as MSc Finance available. Having sat down to think about market trends and how I thought banking in general would progress over the years, especially in light of the recent economic crisis, I was compelled to study risk management whilst complementing this discipline with financial engineering- that, plus it’s a much better course than the MSc Finance program!!
I am finding the MSc program stimulating, demanding and I look forward to being able to utilise the skills and principles taught on the course in a pragmatic nature. I think a day in the life profile would probably suffice in understanding how life is at ICBS at the moment. So far, I am awake by 7.15am to be on time for a 9.00am lecture. Lectures are generally 3 hours long (don’t worry, there are breaks in the middle) whilst tutorials are 90 minutes. Spending 9am-5pm at the Business School is typical and the precious little time that is free in between lectures is spent sending applications, refining CV and cover letters and working on group projects. Finishing at 5pm, I get home for 6pm and I am tired. Tonight will be spent watching the champions league game and possibly doing a numerical test for an investment bank application. I have already realised the importance of time management and the need to relax when required as the day is extremely intense. The main bulk of my revision is done at the weekends, but this will of course overlap on to the weekdays as application deadlines close and work gets harder.
I am really enjoying my experience at ICBS so far. I have met some great people from all around the world who I am glad to call my friends. I am particularly excited about learning from them and their experiences as Imperial truly pick some of the brightest and entrepreneurial of people to study at the institution.
Please do not get comfortable with the length of this blog ;). I have no doubt that my writing capacity will diminish heavily as work load increases, however I will try my hardest to keep updating this blog with my experiences so you can get a real feel for what it’s like to undertake MSc RMFE at the Imperial College Business School.

2 comments for “A New Journey Begins…

  1. hey Nirvair,
    hope you are well? i would like you help please. i am a third year undergraduate studying economics and i am thinking of studying risk management and financial engineering at imperial. can you give me any advise on the application process and also any other thing i need to know.
    thanks a lot and good-luck!

    1. Hi, I am glad that you are considering the RMFE course- it really is a special course in terms of the progression you make not only with regards to education but also overall personal development.
      In terms of the application process, I would definitely say try and incorporate as much character and personality in your Personal Statement whilst still being professional. I believe ICBS looks for a career driven but well rounded individual as opposed to a student who can demonstrate only academia. I would also mention econometric modules you have taken, especially those regarding statistics as the first term is based heavily around estimation techniques.
      You can contact me on facebook (niv vig) or linkedin, i think details of that are on my page somewhere.
      Good luck with your application

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