CMU MSCF CMU MSCF Q&A (ask a current student)

Helengirl said:
Hi Ivan, Swathi, Piyush, Max, and Adelyn (I hope I haven't missed anyone :P ) - you guys are great for doing this! I originally wanted to be a quant, took a few math courses, then got side tracked into accounting. I have my BBA and MPA in accounting with additional hours in finance and am a CPA. I am currently taking linear algebra and differential equations. I do not have any programming at all so will do C++ as well. I will have had 6-8 mths experience by the time I apply but it is not math or finance related (I am a tax consultant). Otherwise my resume should look very good – very good school (non Ivy), 4.0, awards and honors,… GMAT that meets the average class profile,... But am I in trouble? Reading this thread, applicants seem to have a lot more math, CS, and finance schooling and/or experience. :eek: Do age and sex play any role in admission? Can’t wait to hear back from any or all of you! Any help you can give will be treasured. I so want to be a CMU MSCFer! Helen
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You should be fine. Just make sure you can articulate why you want to do MSCF and convince the admissions officers that your background is sufficient. This is a very challenging program and you don't want to go in unprepared.
 
mhy said:
You should be fine. Just make sure you can articulate why you want to do MSCF and convince the admissions officers that your background is sufficient. This is a very challenging program and you don't want to go in unprepared.
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challenge is what I crave - and what I don't have. Hopefully that counts!
 
not as smoothly as they went for Ivan though
dude is a straight up genius
 
Max B. said:
@Piranut I would try to stick to the 300 word maximum as best as you could. Just make sure to get across all the important points you would like in those 300 words and to answer the question as specifically as you can.
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Hi @Max B. @Piranut

I tag Piranut because he asked the original question.

I also have a question about 300 words. I saw the 300-word instruction in the online system 2 weeks ago and wrote my essays accordingly but I got back into the online system a few hours ago and saw that the 300-word instruction disappeared and the new instruction is now: Maximum 2 pages double spaced, 12 point font.

I have already edited my essays as less than 300 words but now that the instruction changes again, shall I expand the essay to meet the new instruction? I am really confused and look forward to any advice. Thank you!
 
vixiyu said:
Hi @Max B. @Piranut

I tag Piranut because he asked the original question.

I also have a question about 300 words. I saw the 300-word instruction in the online system 2 weeks ago and wrote my essays accordingly but I got back into the online system a few hours ago and saw that the 300-word instruction disappeared and the new instruction is now: Maximum 2 pages double spaced, 12 point font.

I have already edited my essays as less than 300 words but now that the instruction changes again, shall I expand the essay to meet the new instruction? I am really confused and look forward to any advice. Thank you!
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I would go with the new instructions with the caveat that you should not unnecessarily bloat your essay just to meet the limit. After all, it does say maximum not minimum.
 
Hello everyone,

I would like to know what will be the total expense cost for this program. I know that tuition fees costs $80,000 for international students, apart from that what will be the cost for text books, food, transport, housing things like that
How is the tuition fees paid, all at once or in 3 installments
 
K.Rajesh said:
Hello everyone,

I would like to know what will be the total expense cost for this program. I know that tuition fees costs $80,000 for international students, apart from that what will be the cost for text books, food, transport, housing things like that
How is the tuition fees paid, all at once or in 3 installments
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It really depends on which campus you choose to live at. In general NYC tends to be more expensive than the Pittsburgh campus. Information can be found on the website. Tuition is paid in three installments (at the beginning of each semester).
 
K.Rajesh said:
Hello everyone,

I would like to know what will be the total expense cost for this program. I know that tuition fees costs $80,000 for international students, apart from that what will be the cost for text books, food, transport, housing things like that
How is the tuition fees paid, all at once or in 3 installments
Click to expand...

Visit the MSCF website to learn the differences including cost between the Pittsburgh and New York campuses MS in Computational Finance Life at Carnegie Mellon | Carnegie Mellon. You can also arrange for a visit at both campuses. Contact our admissions department for more information. We would love to have you! Good luck and let us know if you have any additional questions.
 
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Just giving this a bump in case anyone in the incoming class had questions.
 
Hi mhy,

I have a couple of questions.

1) Is attending the lectures mandatory? (Or can I just watch the videos afterwards)

2) How important is the trading competition?

3) If you attended the New York campus, can you share some advice regarding apartment hunting?

Thank you!
 
BeepImaJeep said:
Hi mhy,

I have a couple of questions.

1) Is attending the lectures mandatory? (Or can I just watch the videos afterwards)

2) How important is the trading competition?

3) If you attended the New York campus, can you share some advice regarding apartment hunting?

Thank you!
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1) No, you can watch the videos if you want. But it's always better to attend, especially if you're in Pittsburgh, or if you're in NYC and the professor is live in NYC.

2) I think it led to a few internship offers my year. But it's not a kill or get killed kind of deal.

3) See https://www.quantnet.com/threads/nyc-2013-housing-cmu-nyu-columbia-baruch-etc.13274/#post-112271
 
Hi, I have another question for any former MSCF graduates. Is is worthwhile to get exemption from certain courses even if you can? Are there certain courses that don't offer much in terms of relevant educational material or take a disproportionate amount of time?
 
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BeepImaJeep said:
Hi, I have another question for any former MSCF graduates. Is is worthwhile to get exemption from certain courses even if you can? Are there certain courses that don't offer much in terms of relevant educational material or take a disproportionate amount of time?
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It is worthwhile in the sense that you will be able to spend more time on other classes / recruiting. Note that you do not get any tuition refunds for exempting classes.

The following are the courses I've seen people exempt. It may be possible to exempt others, but I think they are rare.

-> MSCF Finance (this is basic stuff like discount factors, cash flows, corporate valuation)

-> Financial Computing I / II / III - people with BS / MS in Computer Science or who otherwise work as professional software developers.

-> Macroeconomics for Computational Finance (people with econ degrees / who took macroeconomics in college)

I think some people have also exempted Probability or Statistics, but I can't confirm.
 

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