Can you tell us more about yourself?
My name is Benjamin. I am currently a Fund Manager for Invesco Ltd. Prior to that, I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a Master’s degree in Finance - Wealth Management. Before working as a Fund Manager I worked as an assistant for an MP at the European Parliament for two years.
What prompted you to apply for an MBA?
My dream is to work as a Fund Manager in Wall Street in America and I know that the type of education and experience that I have that is mainly in France is not enough to help me reach my career objectives. For this reason, I need an MBA from a reputable and well-known institute which will help open the doors of Wall Street for me.
I chose MIT as it is a very recognized school and has a great network. MIT is also renowned for its technology. As I believe that Fin-Tech is going to be the next step in the finance sector, going to MIT will help me brush up on my knowledge of Fin-Tech.
What did you find the most difficult in the application process?
As an assistant for an MP at the European Parliament, I would write various pieces like speeches and press releases. As such my Writing skills improved over time. But as someone with a liberal arts background, math was something that I was very poor at. So when the time came for my GMAT, I fared poorly in the math section. I was lucky to have received the help of Dr. Hubert Silly with whom I spent long hours working on my GMAT for six months to finally get the 700 required by MIT. I had been recommended Dr. Hubert Silly and MBA Center by other friends who had worked with him before and got into top MBA programs like IE, LBS, etc., and I was very grateful for the recommendation as I believe that without the help of Dr. Hubert Silly I would not have been able to get the required score in the GMAT for MIT.
What is life like at MIT?
My interest in FinTech led me to MIT and I was not surprised by the quality of the curriculum there. Each course is meticulously planned to help the student develop the best of himself. I believe that MIT is a great place for innovation because of the amount of nurture it gives its students. There are a great many talks by entrepreneurs and businessmen to help the students gain an idea of the world of business and help with building networks amongst the students.
What would be your advice to someone applying for an MIT program?
Dream big and give yourself the means to reach your objectives. I do not have a degree from a top business school, having graduated from a University. And yet I dream of working as a Fund Manager in Wall Street. And my dream will soon turn to reality due to my education in the US which I have worked hard for.
Don’t hesitate to invest in an MBA. I know that a school like INSEAD would be much cheaper than MIT and probably has a bigger network in Europe. But my goal was to go to America and that is what I aimed for. People need to understand that there is a clear correlation between the place where you will do your MBA and the place where you will work. So it is better to invest in the beginning and reach where you want to than invest halfway and reach nowhere close to your dream.
Finally, I believe that the support of Dr. Hubert Silly and the MBA Center team was essential to my success. I can only recommend that you meet these experts who can help you with your GMAT and applications to guide you through to your dream schools.