Working on your Rotman Master of Finance application? Flummoxed by the video essays? We asked our newly admitted students to share tips on how to complete and ace our Master of Finance video essays. These incoming students only recently completed their applications, so the MFin video essays are very fresh in their minds. Review their tips below and prepare to ace the Master of Finance video essays:
How you express and present yourself is just as important as what you say. As a finance leader, you’ll be expected to present strategies for success; along the same lines, the admission committee is looking to see if you have what it takes when it comes to your presence and ability to clearly articulate your ideas.
Brendon Buschman (MFin 2018) says, “Even if you feel like your response is not shaping up to be reflective of your abilities, keep focused on how you are presenting yourself non-verbally.” This thought is echoed by Jessie Hao (MFin 2018) who emphasizes that, “Even if you are at home, you should dress professionally and be ready to impress.”
Also, don’t be afraid about the content and nature of the questions. As Nicole Chang (MFin 2018) says, “the video essays questions are straightforward and personal in nature. You don’t have to worry about anything too technical or complicated. Brainstorming a handful of experiences about who you are, what you like to do, and the things that make you tick. When answering the question, be confident and get to the point directly within the given time frame.”
“Be confident and get to the point directly within the given time frame.”
Practice like you would for an interview, but don’t memorize a script. Much like a job interview, the video essays are trying to assess what you are like as a person and as a professional. This means that you can use similar job interview preparation techniques. Brendon notes that practice helped him calm his nerves during the video essays. Nonetheless, Daanish Afzal (MFin 2018) reminds us that you should definitely not memorize a script. After all, the video essays are evaluating your ability to think on your feet and communicate effectively. Instead, he suggests to focus on key points you want to highlight and how you’d like to relay this message.
Get used to a recording environment. Last but not least, all students agree that it is essential to get comfortable with a recording environment. Brendon mentions that in order to get rid of the strange feeling of being recorded, he set up his own recording environment and practiced several times through dry runs to get used to it. Jessie points out that you should definitely check for any hardware and software malfunctions. Just imagine starting the video essays and your computer running out of battery!
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