As a prospective student, you may be wondering:
How do Masters in Finance (MiF) part-time students juggle the programme alongside a full-time job and everyday commitments?
How do they manage to socialise with others and build close friendships?
Do they have time to participate in student clubs?
Hear from some of our alumni who share how they maintained that all-important work-life balance, connected with their peers and managed their participation in extracurricular activities.
Before we hear from them, here’s an overview of the Masters in Finance part-time programme. The 22-month programme is designed for individuals who are in full-time employment within finance. It is taught in person at our London Campus. Classes are held fortnightly on Friday evenings and all day Saturday. The majority of students are based in London and a small proportion commute from Europe.
Managing schedules
I am a driven individual who loves working and working out. In the beginning, I was a bit worried about the work/life balance and I know how hard it is to change daily habits. Knowing that I work and learn best in the evening, I started gradually changing my schedule. I moved my workout to morning sessions two months before the programme to get used to it. It is important to start adapting your time around your study even before the programme begins. The brain and the body need some time to adjust. After a while, the changes will become part of your routine – Sandra Ragues Fernandez (MiF Part Time 2021 Student Ambassador)
Staying organised, making the most of every hour of the day, and blocking times on weekends and nights to unwind and enjoy time with friends and family, without thinking about work or school, helped me immensely in making sure I stayed balanced and enjoyed the experience of being in school – Vartan Indjeian (MiF Part Time 2021 Student Ambassador)
Forming lifelong relationships
What surprised me most about the part-time programme was that there was an immediate social connection and bond formed between the group. In my opinion, this was largely driven by how aware we all were of the challenges of completing a part-time programme, while also looking forward to learning and making the most of it. The cohort was incredibly diverse. Not just in the fields of finance we work in, but also our backgrounds and life experiences. The commitment of the group to enjoy social time together – whether for drinks after a Saturday class or by organising social events for the group – helped our group grow closer. Within the first 6 months of the programme, I could already say that I had made numerous lifelong friends – Vartan Indjeian (MiF Part Time 2021 Student Ambassador)
Club involvement
I was involved in the Squash and People Strategy clubs. My role as treasurer was quite flexible because I could fulfill my responsibility remotely. I stayed connected and engaged with my fellow ex-cos through WhatsApp and google hangouts. I also attended on-campus events as frequently as possible. On those days, I let the team know that I would be around so we could meet in person if necessary – Andrew Yeo (MiF Part Time 2020 Student Ambassador)
I was the VP of Speaker Series for the Investment Management Club and organised events with high-profile speakers on hot topics like quantitative investing, and EM investing. I believe this was one of the best and most active clubs on campus. It was a great way to meet like-minded people, share knowledge and have a drink while discussing investment ideas. Being a club officer while working full-time was challenging and you need to be honest with yourself and other club executives about how much time you can dedicate to it. I made the expectations clear from the beginning but also demonstrated the value I could bring to the club and it worked out pretty well – Tim Bekenov (MiF Part Time 2020 Student Ambassador)
If you have any questions about the Masters in Finance programme you can reach out to our Masters in Finance Recruitment Team by emailing mif@london.edu or calling us at +44(0)207007505.
You can also submit your CV for an informal review of your profile and fit for the programme here.
To get more insight into the MiF student experience and programme content you can connect with our Student Ambassadors here.