COMPARE Columbia MSFE VS Cornell ORIE FE

Vincent Yang · 3/6/15

Hi guys,

I am in a bit of dilemma of choosing between Columbia's MSFE and Cornell ORIE FE programs. I know both are great programs that offer solid education, but I was wondering which school has better reputation on the Wall Street. I have heard that Cornell is only a semi-targeted school and is considered as tier 1.5, whereas Columbia is a targeted school and is considered as top tier. Can anyone clear the rumor?

Here is a side-by-side comparison from my research.
Class size: Cornell - around 40, Columbia - around 80
Faculty: Cornell has Jarrow, Columbia has Derman and Glasserman
Program Length: Cornell - 1 .25 year, Columbia - 1 year
Location: Cornell - Ithaca(last term in NYC), Columbia - NYC

Advantages of going to Cornell:
-Small class and less competition within the school
-Longer curriculum schedule(allows students to take more courses)
Disadvantage:
-Not located in NYC(less chance to meet with practitioners)

Advantage of going to Columbia:
-Located in NYC (able to do part-time internship)
Disadvantage:
-Class size is way too large, plus MSFE students are also competing against MSIE MSOR and MAFN for internship opportunities.

Many thanks

mhy · 3/6/15

I would do Columbia. Easier to network and also you can do it in 3 semesters.

IntoDarkness · 3/6/15

cornell has absolutely NO advantage over columbia. not even on the same tier. too many trolls...

RiskNeutral · 3/7/15

Columbia is 1.5 years. You need to complete 36 credits. You can try and do it in 1 sem but that will be just way too much course load. From what I know, bulk of the class will be doing it in 1.5 years this time. It was different before when the program started in summer (so unless they have changed back to the old system it will be a 1.5 year course).

Jedison · 3/7/15

Vincent Yang · 3/7/15

IntoDarkness said:
cornell has absolutely NO advantage over columbia. not even on the same tier. too many trolls...

Can you please elaborate? is it because of the standard of teaching? career service?

TehRaio · 3/7/15

if you do this degree because you want a job, then a top university located in a financial hub, has the definite advantage: that's what Columbia university offers.
your comparison makes it seem like Cornell graduates don't compete against Columbia students for jobs in New York. everybody is competing against everybody no matter where you went to school which is why location is that important.

Vincent Yang · 3/7/15

TehRaio said:
if you do this degree because you want a job, then a top university located in a financial hub, has the definite advantage: that's what Columbia university offers.
your comparison makes it seem like Cornell graduates don't compete against Columbia students for jobs in New York. everybody is competing against everybody no matter where you went to school which is why location is that important.

I think Cornell also holds one semester at NYC(the same building as CMU's NYC campus). Do you think that's going compensate the location disadvantage? The thing is that I really enjoy the picturesque view at Ithaca.

curaider · 3/7/15

Vincent Yang said:
I think Cornell also holds one semester at NYC(the same building as CMU's NYC campus). Do you think that's going compensate the location disadvantage? The thing is that I really enjoy the picturesque view at Ithaca.

Trust me, the view is not worth it -- winter in upstate can be brutal, especially if you don't have a car and have to walk in blizzards

Vincent Yang · 3/7/15

curaider said:
Trust me, the view is not worth it -- winter in upstate can be brutal, especially if you don't have a car and have to walk in blizzards

Thanks for the advice, but I am from a small town in Canada. I got used to the desolated winter anyway lol.

curaider · 3/7/15

Vincent Yang said:
Thanks for the advice, but I am from a small town in Canada. I got used to the desolated winter anyway lol.

lol you have all my admiration

JX.CHEN · 3/8/15

Columbia without hesitation.

Jedison · 3/8/15

I just don't really see the draw of Cornell. I grew up in the area, not a lot going on from a social perspective even though I realize this isn't the biggest factor. Columbia has a better brand by a fair margin. In terms of career services I can't comment as I don't know all that much about Cornell. IMO if you expect the career services team at any of these programs to get you a job you're going to end up with egg on your face. It is %100 on you to make yourself stand out, apply to many jobs, network your face off, and perform well in interviews. The career team is there for support and advice but no one's going to hand you a job at any of these programs and it seems to be a MAJOR misconception both on quantnet and in the MFE community.

Vincent Yang · 3/8/15

Jedison said:
I just don't really see the draw of Cornell. I grew up in the area, not a lot going on from a social perspective even though I realize this isn't the biggest factor. Columbia has a better brand by a fair margin. In terms of career services I can't comment as I don't know all that much about Cornell. IMO if you expect the career services team at any of these programs to get you a job you're going to end up with egg on your face. It is %100 on you to make yourself stand out, apply to many jobs, network your face off, and perform well in interviews. The career team is there for support and advice but no one's going to hand you a job at any of these programs and it seems to be a MAJOR misconception both on quantnet and in the MFE community.

Thank you for your constructive response. The thing that really bugs is that Columbia admits more than 80 students each year, and some students at my university with a mediocre grade got admitted as well. So I am little worry about the quality control on the students they admit.

Jedison · 3/8/15

In case it isn't clear, I am a student at CUMSFE currently. I will say that there's a range in the students. From what I know the program is more selective than Cornell's which is why I chose to go here over Cornell. Not to be repetitive but it is on you to stand out. There's no program out there that only admits geniuses. Everyone here is very smart but once you start the program you realize quickly that getting in was only half the battle. Students who achieve high GPA's first semester have an enormous advantage over everyone else for recruiting. Yes placement rate for jobs is 100% here but not everyone gets front office at their top choice. What I'm saying is that the program has the ability to open any door but it's on you to perform. I would focus on that rather than which program looks better on paper.

Vincent Yang · 3/8/15

Jedison said:
In case it isn't clear, I am a student at CUMSFE currently. I will say that there's a range in the students. From what I know the program is more selective than Cornell's which is why I chose to go here over Cornell. Not to be repetitive but it is on you to stand out. There's no program out there that only admits geniuses. Everyone here is very smart but once you start the program you realize quickly that getting in was only half the battle. Students who achieve high GPA's first semester have an enormous advantage over everyone else for recruiting. Yes placement rate for jobs is 100% here but not everyone gets front office at their top choice. What I'm saying is that the program has the ability to open any door but it's on you to perform. I would focus on that rather than which program looks better on paper.

Thank you so much for the help!

shahab_h · 3/25/15

Hi Jedison, wow, you seem like such a stand up guy. Thanks for all of your feedback and that fountain of knowledge.

COMPARE Columbia MSFE VS Cornell ORIE FE

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