Scholarship insight: Committing to academic and non-academic responsibilities

MSc Business with Accounting & Finance alum Louis shares his experience of studying at Warwick Business School with a scholarship, and how his MSc year prepared him for his current role.

My name is Louis Wang and I am a half-Hungarian, half-Chinese Warwick Business School graduate currently working as a consultant.

Realising my interest in Finance during my undergraduate course

In 2015, I started my university years at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) studying BSc Business Management. I really enjoyed my time at QMUL, both in terms of academic and social life. However, towards the end of my degree, I realised that I had a keen interest in finance and thus I decided to apply for a Master’s degree straight away. This is how I ended up at WBS studying MSc Business with Accounting & Finance with a scholarship. Warwick was an amazing experience and it lived up to my expectations in every aspect. Despite the bittersweet feeling that I finished with 69.6% overall (would have needed +1% in my dissertation to graduate with a Distinction), WBS was another milestone reached and I am very satisfied with the things I have learned during my time there.

The main reason I wanted to pursue a Master’s degree was to learn more about finance as I wanted to enter the industry but I had no prior experience in the area. WBS has provided me with a profound understanding of multiple asset classes and capital markets technical skills which opened up a plethora of opportunities in the consulting, finance, banking and investment management industries.

The scholarship I received allowed me to focus on my studies without having to work part-time, which I did during my bachelor years. This enabled me to fully commit to fulfilling both my academic and non-academic responsibilities and helped me develop excellent time management skills and a very strong work ethic. I used my scholarship to pay off a large part of my rent at the student accommodation in Coventry which felt amazing.

Life after WBS

I am currently working as a Consultant at Earle&Gomes, which is a financial consultancy, providing high-quality resources to clients. We work mainly with COO functions – Operations, Change (project management, business analysis, testing and PMO), Finance and Compliance - across Wealth Management, Asset Management and Investment Banking. I have been with the company for about 9 months now and have successfully completed my first project at a Tier 1 financial services company as a Testing Analyst. My role was primarily to collaborate with internal and external stakeholders on business product testing and the documentation of such tests. The various objectives we had, involved functional testing of the portfolio management platform, test execution and reporting, test strategy preparation for Phase 1, summary of testing completion, assistance in the preparation of client-facing materials, assistance in the preparation of client-detailed end-user guides, assistance in the validation of internal training materials and user guides, and progression of checkpoints between the client and E&G.

Using my course experience to undertake essential elements of my role

The Master’s degree in Business with Accounting & Finance has transformed me into a proactive and highly focused individual with an analytical and logical approach to problem-solving. I also became adept at handling and interpreting data which is essential in today’s data-driven economy. I have undertaken modules such as Business Analysis and Valuation, Corporate Finance and Foundations of Financial and Management Accounting. Therefore, I have a profound knowledge of multiple asset classes and am comfortable with working with large datasets, discounting cash flows for valuation, forecasting, and producing accurate financial statements and reports.

I strongly believe that only those who are eager to learn and socialise with their course mates should pursue a Master’s degree. Studying at WBS has taught me invaluable interpersonal skills and an above-average work ethic, both of which are extremely helpful in a workplace environment. As discussed previously, modules such as Corporate Finance and Business Analysis and Valuation have provided me with insights on how financial institutions operate in the real world and what calculations and methods they use on a daily basis as part of their work.

Advice for anyone thinking of applying to MSc Business with Accounting & Finance at WBS

Firstly, and most importantly, do some research on the courses WBS offers and make sure that you choose the one you are most interested in. There is no point in doing a Master’s degree just for the sake of it, it will be much easier to utilise the benefits an amazing university and a great degree provides you with if you actually care about it. Secondly, use every opportunity to network with people. You will be surrounded by like-minded people and networking with them is and will always be an essential part of your careers. Ultimately, never be afraid to ask questions, no one will think you are ‘dumb’ – it shows initiative and eagerness to understand the topic.