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[TrevorZhou]

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[DannyF]

Yes, you do. Go ahead and apply when you are done with the programming class (Is the class through UofT?).

Be careful that you study enough for the verbal section of the GRE. Example: "amble" means "to walk around slowly," "ample" means "many & enough."

 

[TrevorZhou]

Yes, you do. Go ahead and apply.

Be careful that you study enough for the verbal section of the GRE. Example: "amble" means "to walk around slowly," "ample" means "many & enough."

Thank you Danny. Can you be more specific about the applications? I am really into Berkeley but they said work experience is very much emphasized there. also thank you for pointing out my mistake I will correct it right away. I will work hard on GRE for sure.

 

[DannyF]

Regarding the application process:

-letters of recommendation are more important than GRE. Letters are probably more important than GPA, as long as the GPA is decent.
-Don't brag about GPA or achievements in the essay (do mention them on the resume and the "achievements/awards" section of the application). Use the essay to talk about academic interests, personality, and whatever the prompt asks for.
-do not stress. You will get accepted to many places.
-you might as well apply to Berkeley. But I think they do like to see either work experience or high achievement in STEM, so do not get upset if they don't take you.
-It is probably better to study verbal GRE than quant. Adcoms might be impressed that you have outstanding verbal comprehension relative to other people with a foreign background.
And you probably don't need to study these middle-school math brain-teasers, anyways.
-It might be better to work on GRE verbal than to do extracurriculars and more CFA.
-go ahead and apply to all the top schools that you like. If you have good letters, you have a good shot of getting accepted.

Regarding schools:

I feel that somebody else is more qualified to give you advice on this. And the school decision is also based on your interests. You can search the forum for information on schools; there is a lot to be found. There is also a different ranking on thefinancialengineer, with a different methodology.

I like GT, UW, and UIUC for backups. You might not need a backup, though.

 

[TrevorZhou]

Regarding the application process:

-letters of recommendation are more important than GRE. Letters are probably more important than GPA, as long as the GPA is decent.
-Don't brag about GPA or achievements in the essay (do mention them on the resume and the "achievements/awards" section of the application). Use the essay to talk about academic interests, personality, and whatever the prompt asks for.
-do not stress. You will get accepted to many places.
-you might as well apply to Berkeley. But I think they do like to see either work experience or high achievement in STEM, so do not get upset if they don't take you.
-It is probably better to study verbal GRE than quant. Adcoms might be impressed that you have outstanding verbal comprehension relative to other people with a foreign background.
And you probably don't need to study these middle-school math brain-teasers, anyways.
-It might be better to work on GRE verbal than to do extracurriculars and more CFA.
-go ahead and apply to all the top schools that you like. If you have good letters, you have a good shot of getting accepted.

Regarding schools:

I feel that somebody else is more qualified to give you advice on this. And the school decision is also based on your interests. You can search the forum for information on schools; there is a lot to be found. There is also a different ranking on thefinancialengineer, with a different methodology.

I like GT, UW, and UIUC for backups. You might not need a backup, though.

Thanks a lot Danny! Really helpful suggestions. I do get a little bit stressed out about the negative influence of my lack of work experience.

And yeah, I understand the importance of verbal GRE. Financial industry in my eyes are kinda verbal industry to some extent, especially the front side. Thanks for pointing that out.

About the reference. Actually maybe you can sense I sometimes get intimidated by those big brands, don't know how good is good for them. Will try my best to get good references though.