Vicente Pascual

DEFINE YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE MASTER IN FINANCE USING ONE WORD.

Advancement

IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU THINK THE MASTER IN FINANCE HAS CHANGED YOUR LIFE, PROFESSIONALLY AND PERSONALLY?

A couple of things come to my mind immediately. The first thing is that the program offered me the opportunity to truly learn about Finance from extremely good professors and industry professionals. I had previous experience working in retail banking before, but the Master in Finance took me to a whole different level in terms of knowledge, expertise and experience in a wide array of financial fields. The second is that the program opened many doors for me, I worked as an Equity Valuation Analyst during the summer and had the opportunity to follow that track afterwards. But instead, I chose to follow a more business oriented career, but in doing so the Master in Finance was also fundamental on landing a job on BCG. Lastly, the program was an extraordinary opportunity to meet people from extremely diverse countries and backgrounds, people with whom I shared so much during that year and that I keep counting as dear friends today.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO STUDENTS WHO ARE ABOUT TO BEGIN THE PROGRAM?

Give your 100% on everything! Push yourself, the professors and your team for more, it’s an extraordinary opportunity to learn and make the most out of it. And bring that 100% mentality out of the classroom too. Have fun! Enjoy Madrid and Spain! Go to lectures, participate in clubs and dive in the immense student network that the school has to offer!

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY OF THE MASTER IN FINANCE SO FAR?

The last night of the program. I was working with my team on the next day presentation. It was 3 a.m. and even though we had been working on this project for a couple of weeks and the master was almost finished for good, ideas kept coming to improve the deliverable: brand-based valuation, real option valuation and so on and so forth. We were absolutely enthused with what we were doing and end up working till the wee hours. I think that day is a good summary of the year, of the learning experience, the effort, the network, the friends and the determination to never stop pushing for more. After the years I kept the contact with my team and we recall that night and, of course, the program as one of the fondest professional and personal memories in our lives.

WHAT IS NETWORKING LIKE IN THE MASTER IN FINANCE?

To be honest, I didn’t expect too much in terms of developing “soft” skills such as networking. Luckily for me, this school considers networking as one of “THE” most important skills. It is deeply ingrained in its’ culture and offers many opportunities to learn and also to effectively do it. The school’s alumni network is extraordinarily diverse and has a giant width and depth. During the Master in Finance I had the opportunity to go beyond and network with students and professors from the International MBA and the Master in Management programs, having the opportunity to develop long term links with extremely interesting individuals.