alternative offers

[iniesta]

does anyone know if Columbia MFE gives out alternative offers for OR?

ie. if I apply to MFE but they offer OR to me instead.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Yes, that has happened in the past.

 

[coolharvard]

Yep. It does happen... just check admission result pages, quite a few MSFE ppl got OR offers. But this is not automatic, you still have to have good enough grades/test scores/rec letters/etc....

 

[feelko]

Guys, could you pls advise me on the following:

From one hand MSFE seems like more "elite" Columbia program.
Also they have more relevant courses and they have priority in the career services.

But from another hand, as I understood from Acceptances Rates thread MSOR rates looks more hard to get into rather than MSFE.

From my point of view and for my future career both programs are pretty the same but MSOR is cheaper for almost 20k.

So, I have dilemma to which program should I apply?
To MSOR directly or to MFE (and in this case I will have a chance to be redirected to MSOR)?

 

[DominiConnor]

I'd very easy for someone at my point in life to say "ignore the cost", so I'll say it anyway.

$20K should be a tiny % of the area under your earnings curve, less than one part in 10,000, possibly one part in 10^5, add in the 2012 inflation spike, and it might be 10^6

'Harder to get into'; has value as a signal for the NPV of a course, but it's a very noisy one.

You need to look in some detail at the modules in the course and optimise for the set that you feel that you are excellent at. When you come out the other side, it's going to be viciously competitive.

With all due respect, you're mediocre at some things and crap at others, identify where you can beat the (circa) 20,000 poeple who will emerge with quantish qualifications that year, and buy the basket of options that maximises that.

 

[feelko]

I'd very easy for someone at my point in life to say "ignore the cost", so I'll say it anyway.

$20K should be a tiny % of the area under your earnings curve, less than one part in 10,000, possibly one part in 10^5, add in the 2012 inflation spike, and it might be 10^6

'Harder to get into'; has value as a signal for the NPV of a course, but it's a very noisy one.

You need to look in some detail at the modules in the course and optimise for the set that you feel that you are excellent at. When you come out the other side, it's going to be viciously competitive.

With all due respect, you're mediocre at some things and crap at others, identify where you can beat the (circa) 20,000 poeple who will emerge with quantish qualifications that year, and buy the basket of options that maximises that.

Thank you Dominic!