I'm deciding between these two programs..
I also got admissions from Cornell in AOR track and from UChicago MSFM but I'm not considering these options. Since my undergrad institution is in upstate New York I thought NYC is a better choice than Chicago for networking in terms of location (I also read that Chicago has not very good career services/placement).
I'm waiting for results from NYU Math Finance which I will probably join if I get admitted.
I'm graduating this May from my undergraduate institution and entering masters this coming fall.
No plans for PhD and I'm an international student but have no plans on going back to my home country until I work for at least a few years if I find a job here after masters.
Not much work experience except some internships, but these were finance related yet not so quantitative roles. That means, no hands on experience in quantitative finance.
So here are my questions.
1. One thing I like about the Columbia MSOR program is that it's very flexible. I'm going for masters directly out of undergrad so I think the flexibility of the curriculum will be a big plus for me.On the other hand, the MAFN seems more leaned towards core curriculum, which I think could be good if I like it or bad if I end up not liking it. Not having so much work experience, I'm honestly not sure if I will like the curriculum more leaned towards core courses, since I feel that my interest could always change (that's why I think the flexibility of the MSOR program is good for me). My concern about the MSOR program is that it looks like it is less valued in the job market than the other programs in NYC. Is MAFN certainly valued more in the market and has better placement than MSOR? My ultimate goal is in getting a job anyways, so whichever one that puts me in a better position in the job market would be the better one for me.
2. I read from some posts that the MAFN program has almost no career service (although I wasn't sure what this actually meant). Does this mean that other than job postings, there are almost no networking opportunities, no career workshops, no one-on-one advising, and no opportunities to have contact with employers through the program other than on my own? The posts that talked about its career services seemed to be pretty old so I'm hoping it's got better at this point. I'm fresh out of college heading for masters so I think career resources are pretty important for me.
3. How's the career services at MSOR? I'm guessing since it's class size is quite large it's hard for them to provide good care for its students (correct me if I'm wrong)? Do they share career resources with the MFE students and MAFN students?
Thanks all in advance!!
I also got admissions from Cornell in AOR track and from UChicago MSFM but I'm not considering these options. Since my undergrad institution is in upstate New York I thought NYC is a better choice than Chicago for networking in terms of location (I also read that Chicago has not very good career services/placement).
I'm waiting for results from NYU Math Finance which I will probably join if I get admitted.
I'm graduating this May from my undergraduate institution and entering masters this coming fall.
No plans for PhD and I'm an international student but have no plans on going back to my home country until I work for at least a few years if I find a job here after masters.
Not much work experience except some internships, but these were finance related yet not so quantitative roles. That means, no hands on experience in quantitative finance.
So here are my questions.
1. One thing I like about the Columbia MSOR program is that it's very flexible. I'm going for masters directly out of undergrad so I think the flexibility of the curriculum will be a big plus for me.On the other hand, the MAFN seems more leaned towards core curriculum, which I think could be good if I like it or bad if I end up not liking it. Not having so much work experience, I'm honestly not sure if I will like the curriculum more leaned towards core courses, since I feel that my interest could always change (that's why I think the flexibility of the MSOR program is good for me). My concern about the MSOR program is that it looks like it is less valued in the job market than the other programs in NYC. Is MAFN certainly valued more in the market and has better placement than MSOR? My ultimate goal is in getting a job anyways, so whichever one that puts me in a better position in the job market would be the better one for me.
2. I read from some posts that the MAFN program has almost no career service (although I wasn't sure what this actually meant). Does this mean that other than job postings, there are almost no networking opportunities, no career workshops, no one-on-one advising, and no opportunities to have contact with employers through the program other than on my own? The posts that talked about its career services seemed to be pretty old so I'm hoping it's got better at this point. I'm fresh out of college heading for masters so I think career resources are pretty important for me.
3. How's the career services at MSOR? I'm guessing since it's class size is quite large it's hard for them to provide good care for its students (correct me if I'm wrong)? Do they share career resources with the MFE students and MAFN students?
Thanks all in advance!!
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