How to improve my current profile

[Le Van]

Hi all,

I'm a third-year undergraduate from National University of Singapore (NUS) with a BSc (Hons) in both QF and Statistics. My current GPA is 4.36/5 and I'm hoping to increase it to 4.5/5 (3.6/4) to get into 1st Class by the time I've graduated next year. I'm aspiring to get into a top MFE program in the US and seeking for advice to evaluate my profile and how I should work on improving it.

I feel like I did relatively well on my math courses; I scored 4.5/5 out of 5 on most of them, which include, among others, Stochastic Calculus for Finance, Discrete Optimization, Financial Time Series, and Numerical Analysis. However, my experience with finance and programming courses was not that great: I got 3.5/5 for both Corporate Finance and Intro to C++. I've already devised a plan to help myself with C++ skill, but I'd love your feedback regarding my finance background. I know I'd have to read more books on the topic, but I'm also thinking of studying for either FRM 1 or CFA 1 to make up for the bad grades on my transcript. Do you think I should proceed with it?

Also. I'd like to ask which kind of internships/jobs would make a great selling point and how long I should work on one before starting with my application. I have none currently and am looking for one to gain some first-hand experience and more important, to save for my study. I'm considering working until I have saved enough - I don't want to rely on my parents anymore - but given the massive tuition cost, it would probably take years after I graduate, by which time I've forgot most of what I'd learned in college.

Any input would be much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Don't waste time on the exams (CFA/FRM). The consensus among senior employers here are that they are not useful without context and everyone has them so it does not provide competitive advantage.
Get a hardcore skill instead. Be really good in programming. You will have more chance of employment if that's the only thing you can proudly show on your resume.
Go network and ask people what they do (use formal networking events, LinkedIn, etc) so you can narrow down your path. This makes you more focused, a better candidate for master program.
Find an internship that put you close to that path.