What did you do before this Master?

I originally graduated from Sciences Po Lyon a French “Grande école” where my majors were Arab studies and Economics. I came into this school in 2008, also the beginning of the economic crisis an interesting time to study economics. Lately, thanks to an internship I realized I wanted to learn more about the financial world and about coding.

Why did you decide to do this Master?

My school was not a engineering school. And I came to a point where I needed to understand maths and statistics to go further. I wasn’t sure about working in a bank or in the financial world. But Solvay’s Advanced Master in quantitative finance was the only one teaching in one year the maths behind finance, computer tools used by the industry and more general courses on the financial world such as new regulations, the organization of the industry, the vocabulary of financial products...

Why did you choose this school?

I wanted a short program in English. And being French it is easier to move to Brussels than to any other country. Besides, the reputation of the school consolidated my choice.

What did you experience during the program?

It was a tough year. But in a way I expected it. The class was composed mainly of engineers or academics and I had to work all night long to keep up with lessons. But it was very rewarding. Teachers helped as much as they could. Providing books, article, exercises, advice.

How did you benefit from the program?

The goal of the program is to prepare students to enter the financial world. And as part of the final examination we had to do an internship. Mine was at a Belgian bank. And at the end of the summer I was employed as a quantitative risk analyst in the risk management team. I don’t know if I could get a better benefit from the program.

Why would you recommend this program to others?

This program is a springboard into the financial world. It provides you both with the theoretical background and the network necessary to achieve your goal.