COMPARE Boston MSMFT vs Michigan MFE

[rashna]

Hello all,
I have been admitted to the BU math fin program as well as umich MFE. From what I've heard, BU has better placements while umich is a better school on the whole. Getting a job after graduation is a top priority for me. Can someone please give me inputs to help me decide?

 

[babinu]

Could you please elaborate more on your profile ? Getting a job after graduation would not be fully dependent on the school where you alone. It depends on your strengths as well.

These are the main questions you need to ask yourselves.

1. Do I have relevant work experience to get a job after graduation ?

2. Do I have good programming skills to get a decent job ?

Thanks
Babinu

 

[rashna]

babinu,
My Profile:
Undergraduate: Major in Information Technology Engineering from Mumbai University, India.
Aggregate: 67%
GRE :1480 (Q:800; V:680; AWA:4.0)
No major work experience except for an internship at a broking firm

 

[babinu]

Lack of relevant work experience can definitely be a blocker for you to get the first job after graduation (See initial part of the post by Trader Joe in https://www.quantnet.com/forum/threads/mfe-from-usa-vs-mba-from-iims-india.9157/#post-86198 )

However to see which of the 2 is better, I am sorry I do not have much contact with alumni over there. I strongly suggest you contact alumni of both the schools and decide on this. It would not be a bad idea to have relevant work experience and apply next year as well.

 

[rashna]

Okay. Thanks!

 

[rashna]

Can anyone connect me to alumni who can give me useful insights on either school?

 

[catchuec]

Can anyone connect me to alumni who can give me useful insights on either school?

You will need to put some efforts in getting in touch with alumni/students from UMich/BU. Try contacting them on LinkedIn/QuantNet/Facebook. I personally know a few students in Michigan MFE who will be graduating in 2013.

As babinu suggested, getting a job depends on many factors other than school's brand name and location.

 

[rashna]

catchuec
I have been actively talking to alumni from both schools for a while now. But the feedback I'm getting isn't consistent. My 2 main questions are:
1. Does BU have a definite advantage over umich in terms of placements in the finance field because of it's location?
2. Umich places in the top 15 schools overall while BU barely makes it to the top 50. However FE, even as per quant net rankings, they rank the same. So how much does the BRAND VALUE of umich over BU matter?

 

[Rittik Ghosh]

Both programs are ranked similarly and cost roughly the same
Feedback from alumni & staff of both colleges has been positive and encouraging

The main points of difference, to me, are:
Michigan has superior brand value, where as Boston has superior career services

Is the Michigan brand strong enough to ignore the lackluster career services ?

 

[diegosanaz]

In my opinion, you should also consider the curriculum of the programs before making a decision. Michigan offers flexibility and a more practical curriculum. On the other hand, Boston U offers more mathematical courses.

 

[copyleft]

Math fin BU is in the management school while fin eng UM is in the engineering school.
This is also their big difference.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Keep in mind that the BU program was originally run by the math dept and was only moved under the management school until recently (2 years ago?). It definitely benefits from the more organized career services and marketing.
These programs go through changes all the time so what you heard about 2 years ago may no longer apply. They may be better or worse than before. No program stays the same.

Use the Tracker data to contact current students who got admitted to the programs most recently.

 

[diegosanaz]

On a fb group for admitted students the program director said that the job placement rate is over 90% for 5 months after graduation. By graduation rate is 50%. There is a BU career fair, and as well there is a trip for last semester studets to go to NYU´s National Financial Mathematics Career Fair in NYC.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

On a fb group for admitted students the program director said that the job placement rate is over 90% for 5 months after graduation. By graduation rate is 50%

The standard placement stat is quoted for at graduation and 3 months after graduation. Eventually, say 1 year after graduation, everyone will find something but it's not a useful stat anymore.

 

[diegosanaz]

He said 50% at graduation, 70%, 80% and 90% for 3, 4 and 5 months respectably. How is that compared to other programs?

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Keep in mind that not many programs disclose their placement stats. Of the good ones that do, this number is on the lower side which is understandable given most jobs ops are in big financial centers and everyone wants to be a trader at GS.

 

[diegosanaz]

Yeah, compared to Baruch they do seem low. The program looks great though.

 

[Wendyjiang]

I'm quite afraid that the location of u-mich would be a problem.
anyway, i'm also looking forward to the offer from u-mich.

 

[diegosanaz]

mich

if accepted to u-mich, which program would you join??

 

[Wendyjiang]

if accepted to u-mich, which program would you join??

I guess I'll choose u-mich.