On September 28th, current student Xiaoxuan Li from the MS in Quantitative Finance (QF) program Class of 2022 shared her program experience and interview preparation tips during the NYU SH-NYU Stern MS programs webinar. Xiaoxuan graduated from Shanghai International Studies University this year, majoring in Accounting. She also works as a graduate student ambassador.
Xiaoxuan: Hello! I am Xiaoxuan, a current student in the Quantitative Finance program. I completed my undergraduate studies at Shanghai International Studies University, majoring in Accounting. I am very excited to be sharing my application experience today.
Q: You started the program in June, and have been in the program for three months now. How is your experience in the program so far?
Xiaoxuan: I would like to talk about my program experience from three areas: the cohort, the faculty, and the campus environment.
First of all, our class size is expanding as the NYU Shanghai - NYU Stern programs gained more traction in the past two years. This year, there are 64 students enrolled in our MS in Quantitative Finance program. We come from diverse undergraduate backgrounds, some went to undergraduate in China and others overseas. Everyone is so interesting. Based on my experience interacting with my classmates in the past few months, I believe that everyone has a global perspective and critical thinking abilities. I have learned so much from my peers, and I believe that you would also be able to meet like-minded classmates in the program.
I would also like to talk about our program faculty. In terms of the overall structure, our faculty come from both the Stern Business School and NYU Shanghai. As the Summer term at the beginning of the program focuses more on honing the basics, the faculty would focus more on theoretical concepts and help us build a strong foundation.As we are currently entering the Fall Recruitment season during the Fall term, our professors would invite senior guest speakers from academia and industry to share with us their career paths and industry insights. There is so much to learn from each professor. You will learn a lot from visiting professors during their office hours as well.
Finally, I want to place my program experience in the context of the overall campus environment. Currently, we are based in the Century Avenue campus. The geographic location and campus vibe are both convenient and comfortable. We are located in the Lujiazui Business District, and the campus can be easily accessed from multiple subway lines: #2, 4, 6, and 9. This makes it very convenient for daily commute, internships, and extracurricular activities. Although there is only one building on campus, we have a plethora of academic resources, including the library, and online resources and databases. Other facilities such as the gym, and dining hall are fully functional as well. Please feel free to refer to my earlier post on ChaseDream for a more detailed program experience recap here.
Q: From the admissions committee perspective, we would like to include some additional information for your reference. You might wonder, can I still apply to one of the NYU Shanghai - NYU Stern MS programs if my undergraduate major is not Business or Finance-related?
The answer is yes. Take the MS in Quantitative Finance cohort as an example, we can see that in addition to Business and Economics majors, we have students from STEM, Humanities, and Arts undergraduate backgrounds. If you are clear about your interests, have relevant work or internship experience in the field, or if you think that our program can help you reach your future career goals, we encourage students from different academic backgrounds to apply to our programs.
We also have a diverse team of faculty, which includes professors from both NYU Shanghai and NYU Stern. This picture shows our Capstone Directors from the DABC and QF programs: Professor Ming Liao and Professor Han Shen Lin. Professor Liao Ming previously worked at Facebook, Unilever, and HUAWEI. Professor Han Shen Lin worked for the Shanghai branch of the Wells Fargo bank. Our professors have both solid academic training and rich industry experience and resources.
Our new campus will officially open in the center of Qiantan in Summer 2022. Qiantan is a part of the Lujiazui Financial District in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone. PwC and other financial services companies will gradually move to Qiantan as well.
The upgraded campus still follows New York University's unique school philosophy of "In and Of the City." We hope the new geographical location can provide our students more resources and opportunities brought by the city, whether you are here for employment opportunities or career exploration. Compared with the Century Avenue campus, the new campus has a major upgrade in both hardware and software facilities.
When did you receive an interview invitation?
Xiaoxuan: I applied on December 14th, a day before the second deadline. On January 27th, I received an email requesting additional materials. I then received a meeting invitation the next day after I had promptly submitted the requested materials. In the email link, I had the option to choose my interview time.
Q: How did you feel at the time?
Xiaoxuan: I was nervous and excited. I applied on December 14th and I had not heard back for nearly a month and a half, so I did not know how the application review was going. When I received the interview invitation, I felt that I moved forward in the process, and I have an opportunity to prove myself. Interviews, especially ones where you get to meet with an admissions officer, are actually opportunities to advocate for yourself. You have a chance to leave an impression beyond your application essays and materials. It’s also a great way to communicate one-on-one with an admissions officer, and get your individual questions answered.
Q: How did you prepare for the interview?
Xiaoxuan: I first went to online forums to research last year’s interview recaps. Applicants who were interviewed in previous years had shared their interview experiences on the forum. I also looked up current students on LinkedIn and asked about their experiences. My approach was that I first used an internet search to get a general understanding of the interview experience and overall content, so I had something to work with. This helped me see that the interview revolves around the resume, where the admissions officer will ask questions based on my resume and application materials, and other things that need clarification.
I used my resume to go through takeaways and skills from each of my internships, and then connected them to my future career goals. This experience also gave me a chance to know myself better.
Q: How did you plan your interview preparation process?
Xiaoxuan: I received the interview invitation on January 28th, and the link gave me several different time slots. It was my first interview with a real person, so I felt that I needed sufficient time to prepare and chose a time that was nearly ten days away. In the first few days, I combed through my resume, and then in the last several days, I worked with my classmates and friends who were also applying to graduate school on 1-on-1 mock interviews to familiarize with the entire process, including the audio and video environment setup. I was not nervous during the actual interview since I had the mock interviews.
Q: Each student might have a different idea about the best time to interview. Once you receive the interview invitation, please note that you will have a chance to log into our system and select a time that works best for you. Asking friends to give you mock interviews is also a great tip. How did you feel during the interview?
Xiaoxuan: I had a 10:30am interview, so I tried to get into interview mode as soon as I woke up in the morning. I logged in five minutes early, and waited in the Zoom waiting room until I was added into the meeting by the admissions officer at the scheduled time. Before the interview, my interviewer told me that it will last 25 to 30 minutes. I think it is important to take this opportunity to showcase yourself and engage with your interviewer.
Q: Were there any particularly memorable questions or moments in the interview?
Xiaoxuan: I had a sense of what the questions would be since I had looked up interview recaps online. My most memorable part of the interview was the Q & A section. I remember asking the admissions officer, how do you ensure the diversity of students in your program? The graduate programs I was applying to all highlighted their diversity. Would I be able to experience the cultural and intellectual diversity in this program as well?
My interviewer responded that it depends on how diversity is defined. If you view diversity in terms of intellectual diversity, you would find that many of our students completed their high school and/or undergraduate studies abroad, or come from all over China. And we also have students from other countries. Everyone has such a different upbringing, and a unique way of thinking and making sense of the world. All of this makes up the diversity of the cohort, so there is a lot of program diversity in terms of intellectual diversity and exchange of ideas.
Q: What advice would you share with students who are currently in the application process?
Xiaoxuan: I have four main pieces of advice.
- Take advantage of online resources. You can find interview recaps as well as current and former students who can help you better prepare for admissions.
- Have a comprehensive understanding of yourself. Go through your resume to understand your strengths and weaknesses and build on those strengths to showcase your best self.
- Conduct in-depth research for every graduate program to increase your chances of admission. Take advantage of the interview to engage with the admissions officer, or get your unique questions answered.
- Remember to relax and smile. You will leave a positive impression if you can confidently showcase yourself to the admissions officer.
I hope you will find these tips helpful.
Our interviews are invitation-only, which means that not every applicant needs an interview to be admitted. If you receive an interview invitation, it is a great opportunity to help you stand out from your essays and transcripts. We encourage everyone to ask questions related to the program in the interview. We look forward to speaking with you in the interview.