Chicago MSFM Chicago MSFM Application Discussion

[YuminWu]

I got the same update... perhaps we will find out soon what this means.

My guess is that we are placed in round 2 since we didn't receive a waitlist decision by the end of March.

 

[meowminimeow]

I sadly did not get any update

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Greetings. I noticed some changes in my portal. This morning in China time, I found that I was automatically assigned to the 2025 REF, MSFM. What does REF mean? I am an R1 applicant and was placed on the waitlist on March 4th. I am still waiting for a decision. Thanks.

That makes sense. REF may mean referral or some other shorthand.
I hope you get in, your C++ skills is extremely strong compared to other applicants. Very few people got distinction on both C++ courses. Maybe only @pierreyvessojic got more distinction
Looking at your Chicago tracker, you are right in the middle of that waitlist/admit cloud. It would have been better if you got a 170 GRE Q but I bet other parts (such as essay, recommendation letters) will play the deciding role.

 

[YuminWu]

That makes sense. REF may mean referral or some other shorthand.
I hope you get in, your C++ skills is extremely strong compared to other applicants. Very few people got distinction on both C++ courses. Maybe only @pierreyvessojic got more distinction
Looking at your Chicago tracker, you are right in the middle of that waitlist/admit cloud. It would have been better if you got a 170 GRE Q but I bet other parts (such as essay, recommendation letters) will play the deciding role.

Thank you for your kind words, Andy!

Since being placed on the waitlist, I’ve been actively submitting additional materials to strengthen my application, including the project I completed in the advanced C++ course and other writing samples. I believe they’ll be very helpful in this process.

I also noticed the new feature in the tracker. Very useful!!

 

[vanessax]

All the best! @YuminWu! Also, did you submit your additional materials via the portal or via email to the admissions team?

 

[YuminWu]

Thank you! @vanessax Wish you all the best too!

I only submit additional materials through portal-"Miscellaneous".

 

[matinal]

I got the same update... perhaps we will find out soon what this means.

Call them. They are really nice and answer questions.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Call them. They are really nice and answer questions.

Agree. As an applicant, the general advice is to always call them if possible, if not email for any question, update, etc.
Do not wait when some deadline has passed or your application is taken longer than the normal time.
Just don't call them several times a day or be a nuisance. Keep it formal and professional.
Exercise your right as a customer.

 

[rallen]

Has anyone received any updates among those who were placed on the waitlist on March 4th? It's already mid-April, and there are still no results, even though the email mentioned the end of March. However, I don't think it's worth reaching out to them, since if there were any positive news, the admissions office would probably have reached out themselves.

 

[YuminWu]

I sent them an email last Wednesday and inquired about the waitlist timeline. The admissions committee said they do not have an expected timeline for when current waitlisted applicants for Round 1 will receive a final admission decision.

 

[zhyimin]

Greetings. I noticed some changes in my portal. This morning in China time, I found that I was automatically assigned to the 2025 REF, MSFM. What does REF mean? I am an R1 applicant and was placed on the waitlist on March 4th. I am still waiting for a decision. Thanks.

I got rejected but saw the REF thing on my portal too.

 

[YuminWu]

I got rejected but saw the REF thing on my portal too.

Thank you for letting me know that. Last time I emailed the admissions committee, they told me that was a technical issue but did not tell me what 'REF' is. I guess they might have done some operation, possibly a certain decision. But I didn't get any more useful information, so I didn’t mention it here.

 

[Yash Jain]

Anyone know when there will be updates for people who applied second round?

The average processing time is ~58 days, but it would be great if we could filter by submission date on the tracker to only include R2 results.

 

[Yash Jain]

Just got accepted as a round 2 applicant! With 30% scholarship!

 

[Andy Nguyen]

More admits are showing up today. Looks like the final results are coming.

 

[James King]

That makes sense. REF may mean referral or some other shorthand.
I hope you get in, your C++ skills is extremely strong compared to other applicants. Very few people got distinction on both C++ courses. Maybe only @pierreyvessojic got more distinction
Looking at your Chicago tracker, you are right in the middle of that waitlist/admit cloud. It would have been better if you got a 170 GRE Q but I bet other parts (such as essay, recommendation letters) will play the deciding role.

The REF is an automatic application to their online program. I received admission letter today in the REF, but I actually never applied to the online program. I guess that’s the ‘technical’ issue they are referring to.

 

[LostMySimCard]

Hey. I just got into UChicago's MSFM. I am an undergraduate Econometrics student from Erasmus Rotterdam. Here, they have a QF Master which is THE target programme for Dutch roles (IMC, Optiver, Flow, GS AM, Robeco, etc). Given the big difference in fees (75k after Maroon Scholarship vs 3k) I am having a hard time deciding which offer to take. I would welcome any viewpoints and suggestions (How good are careers after graduation at UChicago? Do most people land FO roles or do most people end up at BO roles in reality? Is the difference in fees worth it, given that the benefit is that the uni is recognized not only in the NL but also in UK and US? etc etc)

 

[the_bolt_the_lightning_the_thunder]

Hey. I just got into UChicago's MSFM. I am an undergraduate Econometrics student from Erasmus Rotterdam. Here, they have a QF Master which is THE target programme for Dutch roles (IMC, Optiver, Flow, GS AM, Robeco, etc). Given the big difference in fees (75k after Maroon Scholarship vs 3k) I am having a hard time deciding which offer to take. I would welcome any viewpoints and suggestions (How good are careers after graduation at UChicago? Do most people land FO roles or do most people end up at BO roles in reality? Is the difference in fees worth it, given that the benefit is that the uni is recognized not only in the NL but also in UK and US? etc etc)

I don’t usually comment on here, but i feel like since the difference here is too significant, it would be very bad to make the wrong decision. Anw, DO NOT take the UChicago offer unless you ABSOLUTELY want to work in the US. Their placements are underwhelming (i stalked their alumni on linkedin lol). Like one or two students from their program gets trading offer from the firms you mentioned and i have seen none that got offers from top US firms (think JS, 2S, HRT etc.) They have partnership with some good firms in Chicago where their students do their finance lab at or whatever, but almost none of them managed to get an offer from those firms (why?)

I’m not saying their program is bad (it’s ok if you want a back/middle office role at a smaller firm), but you seem to have a much better choice that is 72k cheaper.