Shichu Wang, '24 Master in Finance: Building Academic and Career Success Through Faculty Connections
Monday, September 9, 2024
Program
'24 Master of Science in Finance, Research Track
Hometown
Inner Mongolia
Current Job Title and Employer
Rice University, Ph.D. program
Fun Fact
A big fan of Omnipotent Youth Society Band (万能青年旅店乐队)
Meet the Carlson School community and learn about the experiences and career connections we offer.
What was your initial reason or motivation for pursuing a Master of Science in Finance?
The Master of Science in Finance program equipped me in two ways. On the research side, I took the same Ph.D.-level finance courses as first-year and second-year Ph.D. students. I learned a lot about asset pricing and banking from these courses. On the teaching side, by taking the Master’s level courses, I know how professors in a top US business school design and teach the classes. These courses become stepping stones for me to grow up to be an excellent scholar.
Why did you choose the Carlson School?
The most important reason is that the Carlson School has excellent academic resources. The research productivity of the Carlson School of Management consistently ranks among the top 30 in the world. Professors publish their papers in top journals such as the American Economic Review (AER), The Journal of Finance (JF), and the Journal of Financial Economics (JFE). In the last four years, its finance Ph.D. program placement of Chinese graduates is among the top 10 in the US, including Columbia University, Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), and University of California, Davis. I am the first alumnus in the MS in Finance Research Track, so minimal placement data exists. I believe learning in such an environment can help me be placed in an excellent Ph.D. program.
What was your most valuable Carlson School experience?
My most valuable experience is the faculty connection. Whenever I need help, I can contact my professors, who always help me. For example, Professor Thakor gave me great guidance on my writing sample and Ph.D. application; Professor Loualiche and Professor Szydlowski gave me good suggestions on my career development and helped me immensely with my application. I also worked with Professor Cespedes on her projects. Professor Lin helped my friends a lot with their job-seeking reference letters. In those large-size programs, having such connections with professors would be challenging.
My experience at Carlson School has totally changed my career path. I built strong connections with many Ph.D. students from each area this year. They helped me learn about academic life in each area and allowed me to discover my real academic interests.
How has your Carlson School experience helped you change your career path and get to where you are?
My experience at the Carlson School has totally changed my career path. I built strong connections with many Ph.D. students from each area. They helped me learn about academic life in each area and allowed me to discover my real academic interests. Eventually, I realized that accounting is my most interesting area, and I then successfully became an accounting Ph.D. student. My most meaningful experience at the Carlson School is that life is not easy, but I always feel grateful to those who have helped me.
What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Carlson’s MS in Finance program?
- Apply as early as possible. Early rounds of admission should be less competitive.
- If you apply to the research (Ph.D.) track, emphasize your research background. Convince the professor that you are a research-oriented student.
- You are more than a standardized test. For TOEFL, 95 is good, and the GRE is optional. I recommend putting more effort into internships and/or research projects.