The Art of Perseverance

It has been two weeks since I last put pen to paper regarding my thoughts about the course and the lapse in time is solely due to the ‘hecticness’ of the RMFE course. Mid-November has seen work load increase dramatically having approximately 2 coursework’s due every 10 days (with some projects reaching up to 3000 words excluding Excel calculations) however these are generally team projects which helps lighten the pressure. Exams are a mere 3 weeks away and I still haven’t had time to revise yet- definitely worrying times. On a lighter note, Arsenal did thrash Spurs 5-2 over the weekend, so those 90 minutes definitely allowed me to forget my work responsibilities and relax!

I have to say that this MSc is highly technical, numerical and careful consideration is required to select the right program for you as hard work 24 hours a day won’t be enough to do well if you choose a programme relevant to your interests as opposed to your strengths; I’m just glad I picked the right one.

Learning statistical methods, portfolio management, bond pricing, VaR, time series and stochastic calculus amongst other fantastic topics has really whetted my appetite to learn more and make the most out of the year. It really is a struggle to tame an academic interest sometimes- a lecturer recommended we read a piece of work relevant to tail indices and having read that, I explored further, even though the course does not require it. I just about have time to write this blog let alone research large pools of information for pleasure.

In my personal opinion, I find the ‘Risk Management’ module the most interesting due to its practical nature. It’s been 6 weeks since the start and I’m able to apply risk management strategies to real life data such as the DJIA and postulate rationale behind different observations whilst keeping an eye out on the advantages and disadvantages of different models when deciding which ones to use.

Anyways, this week promises to be another packed week. Monday looks to be getting up to date with Investment Portfolio Management whilst Tuesday is a full day consisting of a 3 hour lecture of Stochastic Calculus and a 3 hour lecture of Financial Statistics. Wednesday is a 3 hour lecture of Risk Management with a 90 minute tutorial for Financial Statistics. Imperial College Business School is also holding an information session for MSc Finance/RMFE and being a Student Ambassador, I will be present to share my experiences and answer any questions future students may have. (If you’re coming along then definitely come say Hi). Wednesday is also the night of champions as Arsenal face Montpellier so definitely a busy day- no revision that day. Thursday is a 90 minute Stochastic Tutorial with the rest of the day going to revision and Friday has a 90 minute Risk Management tutorial and a 90 minute Investment Portfolio and Management tutorial. So, after describing such a busy week, my only advice is- when the going gets tough, keep persevering!

I have invested in a small diary which has allowed to keep my thoughts in order, my commitments fulfilled and my time managed extremely well. ICBS has helped me obtain two telephone interviews so far with Barclays and Santander and I am still waiting on other banks. ICBS has also helped stress the importance of gaining the right fit within a bank and it was only until I was able to network with great banking employees, attend numerous employer events and had a chance to converse with recruitment staff that I was able to gain a strong sense of the direction unique to each investment bank whilst gaining further insight into their culture. I have to say it is a struggle to prepare for interviews whilst work gets harder, but that is what my new diary has helped to negotiate.

I will post again as soon as possible and will try to get some pictures of the lecture theatres, my class mates and the ICBS to mix things up.
Have a good week whatever you guys do.

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