Programme: MSc Investment & Wealth Management 2015
Nationality: Chinese
Undergraduate degree: BSc Mathematics with Statistics for Finance, Imperial College London
Employment prior to studying at the Business School: Summer internship at Neuberger Berman Investment Management Consulting Co.
Employment after studying at the Business School and what is your current position: Graduate Analyst at Barclays Treasury Division
Why did you choose to study your programme and why specifically at Imperial College Business School?
I chose this particular programme mainly because I was interested in investment management. I did an internship in a US asset management firm the summer prior to my MSc programme, and really wanted to gain more theoretical knowledge related to this area since my undergraduate background is mathematics. In addition, there were a lot of electives to choose from, especially helpful when I wanted to learn more about other areas of finance.
Imperial College Business School is famous for its MSc Finance programme as well as its Careers service. When I was studying for my Bachelor's degree at Imperial, I knew the Business School would prepare me with everything I need to find a job in financial services in London.
What advice would you give to a prospective student considering studying the same programme as you?
The year at the Business School was one of the best years in my life. I have been very busy studying for my MSc degree and looking for a job, while doing CFA level 1 at the same time, I still made lots of friends. Besides fellow students within the College, there were plenty of networking events to meet people. So make use of all available resources at Imperial.
How did you find living in London?
London is the most amazing city to live in. I can get feeling of the history by wondering around the museums, or get feeling of the modern world by deepening into the heart of the City. It is a fantastic place to make friends and have fun.
What was the Business School community like?
The Business School has a great and diversified community.
What was a typical day the Business School like?
Lectures are usually in the morning. Afternoon is mainly for coursework, either staying in the library and working on individual projects, or preparing presentation with a group of fellow students. Later in the day there will be career events, representatives from different firms coming to talk about their companies, followed by Q&A session and networking opportunities.
What do you enjoy most about your work and what are the main challenges that you face?
My work involves both financial knowledge and computational skills, so everything I learned from university and the MSc is essential for my day-to-day work. I enjoyed the fact that every colleague in my team treats me as a huge asset, and makes the effort to help me understanding every piece of information.
The main challenge I’ve faced so far was being given a development project, which I was solely responsible for, on my first day at work. I had to push myself really hard to generate ideas, ask questions and learn new programming language. Luckily, the best thing I got from Imperial was the ability to learn things quickly.
In what way is remaining connected to your alumni network important to you? What value do you get out of your connections with the Business School and your fellow alumni?
I was surprised at the number of Imperial alumni I met after I entered into workplace. All of them are very nice and approachable, making me feel really proud and grateful to be an Imperial graduate.