2025 Admissions dilemma

[Abhijeet Avhale]

Hi everyone,

I want to start a thread related to a problem I think a number of people are facing. Maybe someone can shed some light on this.

Recently QuantNet 2025 rankings came out and I think it left a lot of people like myself in dilemma. The job market for the previous year was not good - even esteemed programs from universities like MIT had 66% placements in the USA. The problem comes when people from a financially backward background apply to these courses, one cannot come back to their home country and pay back the high loans(upwards of 100,000$) - where the job market is not as strong.

I talked with multiple people currently enrolled in MFE and it has left me with more doubts
One of the conversations attached below from UW:

The only solution seems to apply to top-tier programs where chances of getting in are very low but still seems to be the only safe option. I don't know how the market will be in the next two years, but the political and economic situation does not relieve me.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

As an active member of QuantNet and using our resources, you are actually more informed than most applicants to these quant programs.
Reaching out to current students and recent graduates is an important step. So are reading reviews on QuantNet and looking at the data from our website.
Comparing programs with similar placement stats is tricky if you don't know where to look for clues. Two programs may report the same 100% placement rate but one knows where every graduate ends up and the other just take a survey of their graduates and just count those who responded.
So yes, the only solution is to get into a program that treat your success as part of their mission, not just one cog in an assembly line. There are few and far of these programs unfortunately. Most people will end up in a situation where they end up disappointed.
The job market for MFE graduates is very competitive and will be more so in the foreseeable future with changes in AI and political environment.

 

[fatcatking]

Hi everyone,

I want to start a thread related to a problem I think a number of people are facing. Maybe someone can shed some light on this.

Recently QuantNet 2025 rankings came out and I think it left a lot of people like myself in dilemma. The job market for the previous year was not good - even esteemed programs from universities like MIT had 66% placements in the USA. The problem comes when people from a financially backward background apply to these courses, one cannot come back to their home country and pay back the high loans(upwards of 100,000$) - where the job market is not as strong.

I talked with multiple people currently enrolled in MFE and it has left me with more doubts
One of the conversations attached below from UW:
View attachment 55287


The only solution seems to apply to top-tier programs where chances of getting in are very low but still seems to be the only safe option. I don't know how the market will be in the next two years, but the political and economic situation does not relieve me.

I think the political forecast is exaggerated by many. Take an informed decision, but also go with your gut. Just because the job market is suffering now does not mean it will be 2 years down the line.