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Columbia MFE vs GaTech QCF? (Might not be as obvious as it seems)

kwatz

kwatz

Joined
2/28/24
Messages
45
Points
18
Hi all, I want to start this post with the disclaimer that this is NOT a political post, and I am not inviting any political discussion whatsoever. Please keep this in mind while replying to my question.

While I am aware that Columbia MFE ranks above GaTech QCF, is it possible that the past year has seen some major changes in employers' perception of both colleges that might affect job prospects?

Georgia Tech has always been a great school objectively, and recently was mentioned in Forbes' "new Ivies" list, which has been picked by many news outlets and has been doing the rounds.

Columbia on the other hand has been under fire due to the politically charged events happening on their campus and their handling of these events. The Forbes article even mentioned that some employers are less likely to hire from Ivy league colleges (though I believe employers largely talk about Law grads when talking about Columbia/Harvard etc).

How likely are such news/opinions to affect career prospects of more technical degrees such as MFE/QCF? What do you guys think?
 
You probably alluded to it - the Forbes article had a political purpose (cherry-picked statistics), so don't read too much into it. Part of the reason employers are hiring less Ivy grads compared to the past is that other schools like CMU, GT, Baruch have been producing excellent grads as well, driving the competition for these spots up even for Ivies.
 
Everyone knows that Columbia MFE has been trading on its good name for a long time. The ROI on their program is not good anymore. Maybe a decade ago when quant jobs were plentiful and the program quality was good, it attracted good students and employers.
These days, they pump out so many students from several master programs under their engineering department that they cannibalize their own market. The career services is very inadequate for the amount of students they graduate each year.
The Columbia name is good brand for people going back to China because they may not get a job in the US.
The NYC market is very competitive with graduates from other top local programs (Baruch, NYU, CMU, Princeton, etc) fighting for top jobs.
Sadly, the program is still attracting a large amount of applicants which result in a lot of unhappy graduates. I don't think the program provides the level of support comparable with the tuition fee. It is fair to say that many students will be very disappointed to see the reality vs expectation.
Just read the reviews and do your own research.
 
Michelle said:
Everyone knows that Columbia MFE has been trading on its good name for a long time. The ROI on their program is not good anymore. Maybe a decade ago when quant jobs were plentiful and the program quality was good, it attracted good students and employers.
These days, they pump out so many students from several master programs under their engineering department that they cannibalize their own market. The career services is very inadequate for the amount of students they graduate each year.
The Columbia name is good brand for people going back to China because they may not get a job in the US.
The NYC market is very competitive with graduates from other top local programs (Baruch, NYU, CMU, Princeton, etc) fighting for top jobs.
Sadly, the program is still attracting a large amount of applicants which result in a lot of unhappy graduates.
Just read their reviews and do your own research.
Click to expand...
+1
 
Michelle said:
Everyone knows that Columbia MFE has been trading on its good name for a long time. The ROI on their program is not good anymore. Maybe a decade ago when quant jobs were plentiful and the program quality was good, it attracted good students and employers.
These days, they pump out so many students from several master programs under their engineering department that they cannibalize their own market. The career services is very inadequate for the amount of students they graduate each year.
The Columbia name is good brand for people going back to China because they may not get a job in the US.
The NYC market is very competitive with graduates from other top local programs (Baruch, NYU, CMU, Princeton, etc) fighting for top jobs.
Sadly, the program is still attracting a large amount of applicants which result in a lot of unhappy graduates. I don't think the program provides the level of support comparable with the tuition fee. It is fair to say that many students will be very disappointed to see the reality vs expectation.
Just read the reviews and do your own research.
Click to expand...
Yeah this is pretty much why I didn't apply to any Columbia program this year. As a student that wants to work in the US post-graduation, I see very little value in Columbia programs when compared with other MFE/MSCF programs. Additionally, Columbia MFE's unprecedented delay in the admission process for this year and the lack of proper communication with applicants make Columbia programs much less attractive in general. At the same time, because of the Ivy name Columbia still attracts many international students, so I don't think they have any incentive to improve their programs tbh.
 
Is there any difference to how you all perceive the Columbia MAFN program vs the points youve made about the MFE? I realize some of the points like location and post grad job market still stand, but do the specific points about the MFE programs lack of career support hold for the MAFN program?
 
quiverquant said:
Is there any difference to how you all perceive the Columbia MAFN program vs the points youve made about the MFE? I realize some of the points like location and post grad job market still stand, but do the specific points about the MFE programs lack of career support hold for the MAFN program?
Click to expand...
I genuinely think MAFN is better. Not sure about career services, but at least the math department doesn't have 1000 new ms students every year!
 
weab said:
I genuinely think MAFN is better. Not sure about career services, but at least the math department doesn't have 1000 new ms students every year!
Click to expand...
Thanks for your help. Dont want to hijack the thread but was wondering myself about GT QCF and Columbia MAFN, so appreciate your thoughts.
 
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