Advices for an atypical profile looking for MFEs

[Econogeek]

Good morning everybody!

I wanted to curate some suggestions and advices regarding my academic journey, as my profile is quite singular.

I entered college without initially considering Quant Trading/Research as a career path. Being particularly fond of mathematics, I enrolled in a specific economics program aimed at less quantitative roles (think PE/VC). However, after interning in a less quantitative position at the end of my sophomore year, I realized it wasn’t the right fit for me. I understood that more mathematically rigorous opportunities would suit me better than what I experiences before. That’s when I discovered this forum and the quant world as a whole, and decided to pivot in that direction. I’m currently at the beginning of my senior year, and I'm looking into MFEs to enter the industry. However, I'm uncertain about the viability of my profile due to its uniqueness compared to other applicants I've seen on this forum. Additionally, because of the nature of my undergraduate journey, I’m not sure I can access all MFEs without some restrictions (e.g., ETH requiring real analysis, which wasn’t offered in my undergraduate program). Therefore, I’m reaching out for advice—specifically on my chances of getting into a good MFE program, suggestions for MFEs that match my skill set, and any general tips you might have.

My credentials:

- I will graduate simultaneously from two bachelors from two high tier universities (I prefer not to name them for anonymity) in both Europe and Asia. One of my bachelors is oriented towards political economics (Large emphasis on macro and international economics, and some social sciences electives), while the other is oriented towards mathematical economics (Micro, Economics, financial mathematics, advanced probability and statistics, Data Science...). I will graduate with 4.0 from the european uni, and a 3.6 from the asian university (The grading is harsher than in europe).

- I've taken all of the quantitative courses I could take through my undergrad (Linear Algebra, Calc III or equivalent, Intro to econometrics, Intermediate Econometrics, Advanced Econometrics, Foundation of Data Science, Probability & Statistics at upper-intermediate levels, Upper-intemediate Micro (which basically was computational methods in micro)) as well as all of the finance courses I could (Monetary Policy, Modern Finance Theory, Advanced Finance, Green Finance).

- I learned quantitative research as part of a research seminar offered by the uni (Using Data Science Methods), and I'm currently conducting financial research in the field of blockchain technology and crypto-markets.

- Proficient in Python and R for Data Analysis

- I have one internship related to finance, but not on the quant side

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I did my best to build a well-rounded profile with the mean I had,but I’m still concerned about how I compare to engineers and graduates from more quantitative degrees. If you have any advices, suggestions to improve my profile before applying, and maximizing my odds, and, most importantly, any suggestions of MFEs program that would suite my skill set, do not hesitate to share!

Thanks a lot everyone!

 

[Andy Nguyen]

I would start with where you want to do your master, Europe or US. They have unique flavors, culture and requirements. Imagine where you want to live and work 5 or 10 years from now.
There are plenty of financial economics programs where there is a strong blend of finance and quant. Columbia Financial Economics, Yale Asset Management, etc typical programs where 1/3 of their incoming students are finance/business majors.
On the other hand, you have true quant programs where majority of their cohort is math, CS majors.
Once you narrow your list of programs, then you can plan to tackle the missing requirement.

 

[Econogeek]

I would start with where you want to do your master, Europe or US. They have unique flavors, culture and requirements. Imagine where you want to live and work 5 or 10 years from now.
There are plenty of financial economics programs where there is a strong blend of finance and quant. Columbia Financial Economics, Yale Asset Management, etc typical programs where 1/3 of their incoming students are finance/business majors.
On the other hand, you have true quant programs where majority of their cohort is math, CS majors.
Once you narrow your list of programs, then you can plan to tackle the missing requirement.

Hey Andy! Thank you so much for your feedback!

I'm interested in both continents, but to be honest, Europe might be more affordable, especially as I am an EU national. I'm looking for more hands-on programs with a strong emphasis on computational methods and modelling--I've checked UCL's Computational Finance Msc and it looks similar to what would work for me (set aside the requirements). Anything of the sort in the US or the UK would suit me perfectly!

 

[Andy Nguyen]

EU is clearly more affordable. Its programs are shorter (1 year vs 1.5 years in the US). There are some that are effectively free if you can get in like UZH ETH.
The issue I see with many EU programs for applicants is that they have multiple programs from the same university, making it very confusing.
Bates (formerly Cass) has 3 quant programs (Financial Mathematics, Quantitative Finance, Mathematical Trading and Finance). You can see the same thing at York, UCL, etc.
The programs in the US is way more expensive, at least 2x or 3x in tuition alone. I suggest that you spend the time to get a list of target program and we can go from there. This step should take the most of your research and it's the most important step. Use the rankings we have here for both US and UK programs. Once you have the list, it's easier to work on the requirements and it's easier for members to comment.
You start your research here which is a very smart move.