Background/Hope to be Background good for MFE program?

[zaydalnakib]

Hello All,

I am curious to know what my chances will be for getting into any top 10-20 program. I have not completed this background yet, but am in/hope to be soon. I currently work full time in finance industry (in an operations role with no finance or math involved but learned VBA from it also just graduated past May 2014). I hope to complete all three levels of the CFA (studying for level 2 now), I have graduated from a not-top tier school with a 3.95 major GPA in finance and 3.69 overall GPA. I am taking Calculus 3 this summer and have received A's in calc 1, 2, linear algebra, and an introductory Java course (all while working full time but these classes are from a community college). After calc 3 will be taking ODE's and try to locate a course in calc based probability. I am confident I can receive A's in these courses for it just takes hard work to do that. I hope to get 90% on GRE. I can get rec letters and I'm sure i can write a convincing statement of purpose. Please don't tell me I can't speak because I haven't done these things yet, I am just curious to know if I am wasting my time fulfilling the background for most MFE programs... It seems everyone has PhD's/engineering/CS/Math degrees all from top schools and are all international students... I am non of these things.... which is why i work so hard just to try and get into a decent program. Do I have a chance at all? Seems like I don't and am wasting my time creating this idea that I will be able to make it to a program. Please share your experience/thoughts. Thanks.

 

[implol]

it looks like a good profile. it may depend on where you take these courses and your undergrad reputation. grades only mean something in the context of how rigorous these classes are.
for example, i know at nyu-poly, linear algebra are all calculations. but at my school, it is mostly proofs (i also study at an engineering school).

anyway, do well on GRE Q and take PDE instead ODE. nothing to learn in ODE.

also maybe take C++ course on quantnet. VBA is not used in mfe program.

 

[CasanovaJ]

It seems everyone has PhD's/engineering/CS/Math degrees all from top schools
.

This isn't true, but most do have at least an undergraduate degree that was solidly quantitative, if not a Masters too.

and are all international students...

This is true-- and because of it, MFE programs (even the most prestigious ones) are all so desperate for domestic applicants that if you're a US citizen, you will absolutely have a chance at getting into a top program. There are a few Americans in mine that began the program after having taken even less math than you have.

The significant catch to this, though, is that while you might get in, if you don't take enough statistics beforehand to actually have a legitimately solid grounding in math, you'll end up being so brutally slaughtered academically by the program that within a month, you'll no longer be interested in quant finance.