SIM - UOL BSc Banking & Finance

[rizzzou]

Hi All,

This thread is for SIM - UOL Banking and Finance students from any year.

Feel free to post and discuss anything related to the course and modules.

Please do introduce youself and let's make as many friends as we can!

Cheers~

 

[rizzzou]

I am from 1st year BSc Banking & Finance Full-Time.

These are my modules & schedule class:
F10 - Econs (Lee Chin Choo)
F25 - STAT1 (Raymond Teo)
F9 - POA (Abdul Jabbar)
F1 - PBF (Richard Yeo & Lim Yean San)
F17 - MATH1 (STEPHENSON PHILIP CHARLES ROBERTSON)

Cheers~

 

[waynerooney]

Hey guys, i'm planning on taking this course.

My sis says when come out to work might have to start off as those ppl who stand outside the banks and persuade ppl to sign their credit cards, packages etc. Is it true?

 

[Mathemagician]

Hey guys, i'm planning on taking this course.

My sis says when come out to work might have to start off as those ppl who stand outside the banks and persuade ppl to sign their credit cards, packages etc. Is it true?

It depends on what kind of bank are you applying to. If you go for commercial bank then yes, if you go for investment bank then no

 

[atlantis89]

which are the investment banks and which one are the commercial banks?
I'm assuming things like DBS, Citibank, OCBC and UOB are commercial banks?
Probably baNKs like Bank of America is different?

 

[low_key_goer]

Actually, commercial/investment banks also have different departments. So being in a commercial bank does not equate to just selling credit cards.

 

[Mathemagician]

Actually, commercial/investment banks also have different departments. So being in a commercial bank does not equate to just selling credit cards.

you are right but common positions for fresh grads in commercial banks involve selling credit cards. But there is no such a thing in investment banks whatever department it is.

 

[Mathemagician]

which are the investment banks and which one are the commercial banks?
I'm assuming things like DBS, Citibank, OCBC and UOB are commercial banks?
Probably baNKs like Bank of America is different?

Yes, those are commercial. Investment banks are Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, Barclays Capital, UBS, J.P. Morgan etc..

 

[Mathemagician]

Now this actually remind me why I didnt choose Banking and Finance back then because I only knew about commercial banks.

You guys may want to do some research on investment banks. Once you know what the pay is like (even for fresh grads), you will never look at commercial banks' jobs anymore

 

[waynerooney]

Yes, those are commercial. Investment banks are Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, Barclays Capital, UBS, J.P. Morgan etc..

I think these investment banks only hire ppl with top top grades right?

 

[Mathemagician]

I think these investment banks only hire ppl with top top grades right?

Yes if you are submitting application through website. You can also get in by networking regardless of your grades as long as you can show them that you are very interested in finance and that you can work 80 - 100 hours per week.

Now that you mention it, actually it is a good chance for you guys to network while you are studying. I do not remember that SIM has investment or finance or whatever-finance related society. So start one, call it Bankers Society or wallstreet or whatever, and become the president of the society. Start cold-calling investment banks and ask them to give presentations for free at SIM (dont freak them out by asking them to recruit at SIM, remember just presentations). Alternatively, ask admins to check whether there are SIM alumni who are already working in investment banks.

This may be a very hard task but it's not impossible. If you succeed, you will enjoy the reward as the president of the society because you show initiative and leadership (both qualities desired by employers) at the same time you get to network. If you guys show the effort, maybe you will see less insurance companies in the next SIM job fair

 

[Victory89]

Yes if you are submitting application through website. You can also get in by networking regardless of your grades as long as you can show them that you are very interested in finance and that you can work 80 - 100 hours per week.

Now that you mention it, actually it is a good chance for you guys to network while you are studying. I do not remember that SIM has investment or finance or whatever-finance related society. So start one, call it Bankers Society or wallstreet or whatever, and become the president of the society. Start cold-calling investment banks and ask them to give presentations for free at SIM (dont freak them out by asking them to recruit at SIM, remember just presentations). Alternatively, ask admins to check whether there are SIM alumni who are already working in investment banks.

This may be a very hard task but it's not impossible. If you succeed, you will enjoy the reward as the president of the society because you show initiative and leadership (both qualities desired by employers) at the same time you get to network. If you guys show the effort, maybe you will see less insurance companies in the next SIM job fair

U saying alot become agents ah?

 

[Mathemagician]

U saying alot become agents ah?

what agent ?

 

[atlantis89]

i think he meant that to become a HR agent la, like recruit express or what.
Recommand jobs to people then earn commission

 

[Mathemagician]

i think he meant that to become a HR agent la, like recruit express or what.
Recommand jobs to people then earn commission

recruit people into investment banks ? oh do you mean headhunter? I am not that pro...

 

[Yaco99]

I am from 1st year BSc Banking & Finance Full-Time.

These are my modules & schedule class:
F10 - Econs (Lee Chin Choo)
F25 - STAT1 (Raymond Teo)
F9 - POA (Abdul Jabbar)
F1 - PBF (Richard Yeo & Lim Yean San)
F17 - MATH1 (STEPHENSON PHILIP CHARLES ROBERTSON)

Cheers~

Haha... I have almost all the same as you apart from POA which I am taking under Chu Mui Kim.

The current PBF lecturer utter failure. I stopped going for his lessons since december, went for the last one, saw that he didn't improve and decided I am not going to go for anymore le. Already hit my 75% attendence anyway so no biggie. He just keeps talking to himself and do no explanation. Only thing he does is to show you wikipedia articles of the subject title.

 

[Yaco99]

Yes if you are submitting application through website. You can also get in by networking regardless of your grades as long as you can show them that you are very interested in finance and that you can work 80 - 100 hours per week.

Now that you mention it, actually it is a good chance for you guys to network while you are studying. I do not remember that SIM has investment or finance or whatever-finance related society. So start one, call it Bankers Society or wallstreet or whatever, and become the president of the society. Start cold-calling investment banks and ask them to give presentations for free at SIM (dont freak them out by asking them to recruit at SIM, remember just presentations). Alternatively, ask admins to check whether there are SIM alumni who are already working in investment banks.

This may be a very hard task but it's not impossible. If you succeed, you will enjoy the reward as the president of the society because you show initiative and leadership (both qualities desired by employers) at the same time you get to network. If you guys show the effort, maybe you will see less insurance companies in the next SIM job fair

Sadly mostly of the people in SIM aren't being prepared for the kind of interviews required though. After reading up on the assessment days and hearing from my batch's female friends who are graduating this year and have already received job offers, I find that there is really a LOT of work that you have to do yourself if you want to have a chance of getting a decent job in those banks.

How many taking the course, even in their final year would be able to do an on the spot presentation using SWOT analysis, BCG matrix or the PEST analysis to evaluate a company and after that, defend your views? I am only currently in yr 1 so I can't be sure but I am guessing that those are not part of the core modules.

And how many from our course will be able to get the internships almost all local Uni grads will have, some having multiple of? This will play a significant part in you even making it to the interview.

I am not paying my own way through Uni to be squashed by my competitors, be it local Uni grads or those returning from overseas Uni so I am trying to give myself every edge I can by networking and stuffing as much relevant job experience as possible and getting whatever internships I can.

Make the effort guys if you want to overcome the disadvantage we have compared to local uni grads.

 

[Mathemagician]

Sadly mostly of the people in SIM aren't being prepared for the kind of interviews required though. After reading up on the assessment days and hearing from my batch's female friends who are graduating this year and have already received job offers, I find that there is really a LOT of work that you have to do yourself if you want to have a chance of getting a decent job in those banks.

How many taking the course, even in their final year would be able to do an on the spot presentation using SWOT analysis, BCG matrix or the PEST analysis to evaluate a company and after that, defend your views? I am only currently in yr 1 so I can't be sure but I am guessing that those are not part of the core modules.

And how many from our course will be able to get the internships almost all local Uni grads will have, some having multiple of? This will play a significant part in you even making it to the interview.

I am not paying my own way through Uni to be squashed by my competitors, be it local Uni grads or those returning from overseas Uni so I am trying to give myself every edge I can by networking and stuffing as much relevant job experience as possible and getting whatever internships I can.

Make the effort guys if you want to overcome the disadvantage we have compared to local uni grads.

SWOT analysis ? BCG Matrix ? sounds like case interviews for consulting.. IBanks do not ask such things in interview...

It is true that UOL do not provide you knowledge to interview in IB. You have to do your own extra reading.

 

[Yaco99]

SWOT analysis ? BCG Matrix ? sounds like case interviews for consulting.. IBanks do not ask such things in interview...

It is true that UOL do not provide you knowledge to interview in IB. You have to do your own extra reading.

They don't? A friend that just interviewed at UBS for a graduate position in the Finance(Internal control, audit) division also got asked these qns though. And it's much more closely related to the investment banking division then the finance division so I can't imagine them not asking those.

Hmm... gotta find out more to confirm then.

 

[Mathemagician]

They don't? A friend that just interviewed at UBS for a graduate position in the Finance(Internal control, audit) division also got asked these qns though. And it's much more closely related to the investment banking division then the finance division so I can't imagine them not asking those.

Hmm... gotta find out more to confirm then.

One possibility that I could think of is that at the assessment center, your friend was asked to make a presentation and then your friend used SWOT analysis or BCG matrix. The interviewer him/herself wouldnt ask for these specifically.