Developing my skills in a high-level financial context with MSc Financial Mathematics

Luke Jeeves, MSc Financial Mathematics student, shares his experience of studying at WBS, and explains how his course has provided him with the knowledge and skills required to pursue a career in the investment sector.

Building my future

I am a current student on the MSc Financial Mathematics course. After completing my undergraduate studies in Mathematics at Lancaster University last year, I wanted to deepen my understanding of mathematics, specifically in a high-level financial context, in order to pursue a career within the investment sector. I was first attracted to WBS based on its stellar reputation for MSc courses, and MSc Financial Mathematics in particular. The course here is the longest running in the UK and is recognised globally for the calibre of the graduates it produces. Secondly, after showing an initial interest in the course, WBS reached out to me to attend offer holder open days and webinars, which I gladly took up. From these experiences it was clear that WBS lived up to its reputation, with world-class facilities and staff.

My advice to anyone starting on the MSc Financial Mathematics course here at WBS would be to prepare yourself to commit everything to your studies, full-time, for the entirety of the course. It’s a highly intensive programme, and at times it can be a great struggle, but this is why it’s recognised as one of the best programmes in the world. The better prepared you can be to give 100% when you arrive here at WBS, the faster you’ll transition into the course and ultimately be successful in your studies.

Expanding my knowledge

For me, the best thing about the MSc Financial Mathematics course is the depth of understanding that is expected from all students. From day one, the academics set their expectations high for the cohort, and I find this to be highly motivating. The course modules interweave and overlap with relevant concepts and ideas, emphasising the fundamental underpinning of quantitative finance and giving real-world applications of the rigid theoretical content. The lecturers are all in the top of their field, showcasing WBS’ commitment to delivering the highest quality teaching.

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Broadening my horizons

The CareersPlus team here at WBS are solely focused on supporting MSc students in their search for employment after finishing their studies. Within the first week, they had organised many seminars and talks from leading industry experts across a wide array of sectors. The aim of these events is to give WBS students the best insight into a variety of careers and help them maximise their chances of success when applying for these roles. They also offer a dedicated specialist careers coach who is knowledgeable in the application process for careers relevant to your background, providing a wealth of advice on a one-to-one basis. I found this really useful, especially in my first term, in order to roadmap my approach to applications and plan the best route into my ideal career path.

Achieving my ambitions

Throughout this course, my biggest inspiration has been the career path I aim to pursue. This course is one of the most respected of its kind and can lead to some fantastic careers in the investments or banking industries. Knowing that these future employment opportunities exist for me because of my course at WBS, I feel twice as motivated to work hard and succeed. I have a six-month placement lined up at an asset management firm, starting in August 2019. I am excited to get started and hope it will give me invaluable experience in the investment management sector. After this, I plan to take some time out after completing my A-levels, Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree back-to-back. I plan to travel in this time, improving my language skills and getting some real-world experience.

Creating new experiences

Being from the North of the UK, I was keen to join the Warwick University Northern Society. This has been a great opportunity for me to unwind with people from a similar area to myself and take part in activities with new friends. I have also joined the Warwick Volunteers Society, working as part of a campaign to support the elderly and their use of technology, helping to keep them connected to friends and family. This has been a great outlet for me to do something totally different, away from my intense course programme, as well as helping in my local community. Within my first few weeks here at Warwick I joined the gym at the Sports Centre on campus. Recently the university has a brand new, state of the art Sports and Wellness Hub with amazing facilities and activities to get involved with. I find that going to the gym is a really convenient way to de-stress after a long working day, and I would say it was good value for money too.

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