u/Nylex12

Title: 5 months to prep (Sept to Jan/Feb), no real maths in 3-4 years, targeting 655+ Focus. How would you structure it?

Hi all, planning my GMAT Focus attempt for late January or early February and want to sanity-check my prep structure before I start in September.

Context:

- Business bachelor (applied sciences, Netherlands), so no serious maths since high school, roughly 3-4 years ago. Comfortable with finance concepts (I work in wealth management, some derivatives exposure) but my algebra and arithmetic fundamentals are rusty

- Starting a pre-master at a research university in September, so prep runs alongside coursework. I can realistically commit 10-15 hours per week, more during breaks

- Target: 655+ Focus, stretch 675. Applying to European MiFs (HEC/EDHEC/ESSEC tier) about a year after the test, so the score just needs to be banked early

My questions:

1. How would you phase 5 months from a rusty-quant start? Foundations first, then topic drills, then sectional practice, then mocks? How long on pure foundations before touching OG questions?

2. Best resources for rebuilding quant from near-zero: is TTP still the default recommendation for weak quant, or is OG plus GMAT Club enough?

3. Verbal and Data Insights: I read a lot in English (C1/C2) but have never done CR/RC under time pressure. How early should DI prep start? It seems to be the section people underestimate.

4. Mock cadence: how many official mocks across 5 months, and when should the first scored one happen?

5. Would you book the test date now for accountability, or wait until mocks hit target range?

Blunt answers welcome, including "your timeline or target is unrealistic" if that's the honest read. Thanks!

Hi all, I'm 21, based in the Netherlands, aiming for a career in wealth/asset management, ideally buy-side at a top institution. I'd like a reality check on my plan and to hear what you would do in my situation.

My background:

- 4-year bachelor (240 ECTS) in International Business from a Dutch university of applied sciences (so not a research university), taught fully in English, with an exchange semester in Hong Kong

- Starting a pre-master at Erasmus University, then an MSc at Rotterdam School of Management (either Strategic Management or Accounting & Financial Management)

- 1 to 1.5 years in wealth management at the number 1 private bank in the Netherlands (full-time internship plus a part-time working student role on a private banking desk)

- Languages: Dutch native, French fluent (lived in France for 9 years), English C1/C2

- Planning to sit the GMAT before applying, targeting 645+ on the Focus scale (roughly the old 700+)

- Grades around 7.5-8 on the Dutch 10-point scale

The plan: finish the RSM master, then apply for a second, finance-focused master at a top French school (HEC, ESCP, ESSEC, EDHEC, maybe SKEMA or Dauphine) for the September 2028 intake, and use that to break into internships and roles at top banks and asset managers.

My questions:

1. Is that second-master jump realistic from my background, or am I overreaching?
2. What would you do in my position: the two-master route, or go straight into the market after the RSM master and skip the extra year and roughly 30k in tuition?
3. Does the applied sciences bachelor still hold me back internationally once I hold a research university master's plus a solid GMAT?
4. Which first master would you pick with a finance second master in mind: Strategic Management or Accounting & Financial Management?
5. What would strengthen my profile the most over the next two years that I might be overlooking?

Blunt answers welcome. If the honest take is "skip the second master and go get experience," I want to hear that too. Thanks!

Hi all, I'm 21, based in the Netherlands, aiming for a career in wealth/asset management, ideally buy-side at a top institution. I'd like a reality check on my plan and to hear what you would do in my situation.

My background:

- 4-year bachelor (240 ECTS) in International Business from a Dutch university of applied sciences (so not a research university), taught fully in English, with an exchange semester in Hong Kong

- Starting a pre-master at Erasmus University, then an MSc at Rotterdam School of Management (either Strategic Management or Accounting & Financial Management)

- 1 to 1.5 years in wealth management at the number 1 private bank in the Netherlands (full-time internship plus a part-time working student role on a private banking desk)

- Languages: Dutch native, French fluent (lived in France for 9 years), English C1/C2

- Planning to sit the GMAT before applying, targeting 645+ on the Focus scale (roughly the old 700+)

- Grades around 7.5-8 on the Dutch 10-point scale

The plan: finish the RSM master, then apply for a second, finance-focused master at a top French school (HEC, ESCP, ESSEC, EDHEC, maybe SKEMA or Dauphine) for the September 2028 intake, and use that to break into internships and roles at top banks and asset managers.

My questions:

1. Is that second-master jump realistic from my background, or am I overreaching?

2. What would you do in my position: the two-master route, or go straight into the market after the RSM master and skip the extra year and roughly 30k in tuition?

3. Does the applied sciences bachelor still hold me back internationally once I hold a research university master's plus a solid GMAT?

4. Which first master would you pick with a finance second master in mind: Strategic Management or Accounting & Financial Management?

5. What would strengthen my profile the most over the next two years that I might be overlooking?

Blunt answers welcome. If the honest take is "skip the second master and go get experience," I want to hear that too. Thanks!

Hi all, I'm 21, based in the Netherlands, aiming for a career in wealth/asset management, ideally buy-side at a top institution. I'd like a reality check on my plan and to hear what you would do in my situation.

My background:

- 4-year bachelor (240 ECTS) in International Business from a Dutch university of applied sciences (so not a research university), taught fully in English, with an exchange semester in Hong Kong

- Starting a pre-master at Erasmus University, then an MSc at Rotterdam School of Management (either Strategic Management or Accounting & Financial Management)

- 1 to 1.5 years in wealth management at the number 1 private bank in the Netherlands (full-time internship plus a part-time working student role on a private banking desk)

- Languages: Dutch native, French fluent (lived in France for 9 years), English C1/C2

- Planning to sit the GMAT before applying, targeting 645+ on the Focus scale (roughly the old 700+)

- Grades around 7.5-8 on the Dutch 10-point scale

The plan: finish the RSM master, then apply for a second, finance-focused master at a top French school (HEC, ESCP, ESSEC, EDHEC, maybe SKEMA or Dauphine) for the September 2028 intake, and use that to break into internships and roles at top banks and asset managers.

My questions:

1. Is that second-master jump realistic from my background, or am I overreaching?

2. What would you do in my position: the two-master route, or go straight into the market after the RSM master and skip the extra year and roughly 30k in tuition?

3. Does the applied sciences bachelor still hold me back internationally once I hold a research university master's plus a solid GMAT?

4. Which first master would you pick with a finance second master in mind: Strategic Management or Accounting & Financial Management?

5. What would strengthen my profile the most over the next two years that I might be overlooking?

Blunt answers welcome. If the honest take is "skip the second master and go get experience," I want to hear that too. Thanks!

Hi all, I'm mapping out my route toward the MSc Finance at ESCP and would appreciate honest input from current students or alumni on whether my profile is realistic, and what would strengthen it most.

My background:

- 4-year bachelor (240 ECTS) in International Business from a Dutch university of applied sciences (hogeschool), taught fully in English, including an exchange semester in Hong Kong

- Currently on the pre-master track at Erasmus University, after which I'll do an MSc at RSM (either Strategic Management or Accounting & Financial Management). So by the time I apply to ESCP I'd hold a research university master's on top of the bachelor

- 1 to 1.5 years of experience in wealth management at the number 1 private bank in the Netherlands (full-time internship plus a part-time working student role on a private banking desk)

- Languages: Dutch native, French fluent (lived in France for 9 years), English C1/C2

- Planning to sit the GMAT before applying, aiming for 645+ on the Focus scale (roughly the old 700+)

- Grades around 7.5-8 on the Dutch 10-point scale

My questions:

1. Does the applied sciences (hogeschool) bachelor matter to ESCP admissions if I hold 240 ECTS plus a research university master's, or is that a non-issue?

2. Does the choice of first master (Strategic Management vs Accounting & Financial Management) make any difference for admission or for the "why a second master" question in the interview?

3. The official requirements don't formally list the GMAT. Is a strong score still worth submitting, and does it actually move the needle?

4. With fluent French, is a French-taught track realistic for a non-French applicant, and does French help in admissions or placement?

5. Any tips on application rounds, the interview, or what made the difference for admitted people from non-target backgrounds?

Honest takes welcome, including "don't bother" if that's the reality. Thanks!