Feedback on Plan for MFE 2027 attendance

[kakimochi]

Hi everyone,

I’m currently planning my pathway toward applying for MFE programs and would love to hear your honest feedback on my profile and expectations. I have quite a bit of math background up to Calculus 3, linear algebra, and Prob Stats because I learned it for fun on my own and I taught some lessons on those subjects for one on one cram school students. (I just don’t have official math credits)

Background:

• BSc in International Business, Temple University (GPA: 3.92/4.00)
• Internship Citi Quant Research for Coffee Futures (Through Raptor Fintech CEO connection)
• Internship C++ Engineer at Raptor Fintech (building systems for HFT)
• Currently working at FPT Software, NVIDIA Team (AI/ML-focused role)
• Professional Soccer JFL (Japan)
• US citizen

Quantitative Business Courses (All Completed):

• Business Statistics and Probability: A
• Macroeconomics: B
• Microeconomics: A
• Global Finance: A
• Managerial Economics: A

Computer Science Courses:

• Intro to Programming: A
• Data Structures and Algorithms: A
• Baruch Pre-MFE C++ for Financial Engineering (work in progress)

Math Coursework (Planned):

WHILE WORKING FULLTIME:

• Calculus II and III (Planning for A’s) Jun 2025 - Nov 2025
• Linear Algebra (Planning for A) Dec 2025 - Feb 2026
• Number Theory (Planning for A) Mar 2026 - May 2026
• Real Analysis (Planning for A) Jun 2026 - Aug 2026

STUDY FULL TIME FROM HERE:

• Probability and Statistics (Planning for A)
• ODE/PDE from DATASIM Sep 2026 - Nov 2026

APPLY TO MFE PROGRAMS —>

• Baruch Pre-MFE Probability Theory Jan 2027

Additional Notes:

• I’m trying to avoid the GRE if possible, as I’d rather dedicate that time to strengthening my math and programming background.
• Target Schools: UIUC, NCSU, CMU, Cornell, Columbia, NYU, Chicago, Berkeley, Georgia Tech

Do you think my target schools are within reach, or am I setting the bar too high? Any advice on how I could further strengthen my profile would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for the feedback!

 

[nuraV]

great profile! u will definitely get into some of the top programs!!
also if u don't mind me asking, how did you land the Coffee Futures/Raptor Fintech roles and the Nvidia roles? Are the remote? I was just wondering how I could attempt those types of roles, as I currently don't have any work ex

 

[Andy Nguyen]

As a US Citizen, you will get into a lot more programs than you think. Just need to keep up with the courses and address any potential weakness.
I see you are taking the C++ course here (nice progress, by the way). I don't know if you have time to take on the Python after that but if you got distinction on both courses, it would be a huge differentiator.
A lot of people put Python on their resume but very few are really good with C++ and Python. It will open a lot of QD roles for you and potential other QR/QT roles too.

 

[nuraV]

As a US Citizen, you will get into a lot more programs than you think. Just need to keep up with the courses and address any potential weakness.
I see you are taking the C++ course here (nice progress, by the way). I don't know if you have time to take on the Python after that but if you got distinction on both courses, it would be a huge differentiator.
A lot of people put Python on their resume but very few are really good with C++ and Python. It will open a lot of QD roles for you and potential other QR/QT roles too.

does such demographics (us citizen, gender) make such a noticeable difference in the application outcome?
also, im an indian, but I go to us undergrad university. will that make any difference in my application?

 

[Andy Nguyen]

does such demographics (us citizen, gender) make such a noticeable difference in the application outcome?
also, im an indian, but I go to us undergrad university. will that make any difference in my application?

If they have to pick between 2 candidates of identical qualification, the US student will get the vote everytime.
It's nothing personal. It's just business. US students have no visa sponsorship requirement so easier to get jobs. Better placement stats for the programs.

 

[kakimochi]

great profile! u will definitely get into some of the top programs!!
also if u don't mind me asking, how did you land the Coffee Futures/Raptor Fintech roles and the Nvidia roles? Are the remote? I was just wondering how I could attempt those types of roles, as I currently don't have any work ex

I appreciate it! I got my job with FPT ( a partner company with NVIDIA) through Temple University’s internship list. I was actually a business major so I used my work ethic that I’ve built up from playing some level of Professional soccer. I’d suggest you try talk to your career center advisor at school.

Raptor Fintech and Citi internships were actually luck. We had a connection guest speaker at school come in for one of our business classes. I straight up cold emailed him because I know opportunities don’t come on their own. I also told them I’m willing to work for free to show I’m really dedicated and it turned out good for me haha.

 

[kakimochi]

As a US Citizen, you will get into a lot more programs than you think. Just need to keep up with the courses and address any potential weakness.
I see you are taking the C++ course here (nice progress, by the way). I don't know if you have time to take on the Python after that but if you got distinction on both courses, it would be a huge differentiator.
A lot of people put Python on their resume but very few are really good with C++ and Python. It will open a lot of QD roles for you and potential other QR/QT roles too.

Thank you so much for your reply Andy!

I’m definitely very fortunate to have the citizenship benefits haha. I also wanted to ask,

Would my current role at FPT compensate for the Python requirement. I’d assume by the time I start applying to MFE programs I would have 2 years of experience or so. Our work place heavily focuses on Python and libraries like Numpy and Pandas.

 

[kakimochi]

If they have to pick between 2 candidates of identical qualification, the US student will get the vote everytime.
It's nothing personal. It's just business. US students have no visa sponsorship requirement so easier to get jobs. Better placement stats for the programs.

I’ve always thought about this, I’ve seen some of your advice in other forums talking about how the main goal of your SoP is to sell yourself.

It might be a dumb question but,

Would writing about things like: “I won’t need a visa sponsorship so there is a higher probability to get a job resulting in better employment stats for you” be one small argument towards selling myself?

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Would writing about things like: “I won’t need a visa sponsorship so there is a higher probability to get a job resulting in better employment stats for you” be one small argument towards selling myself?

Your citizenship info is asked during application process. You can passively mention it in your SOP such as "As a US citizen, I was able to explore various career options during my undergrad, blah blah".

Would my current role at FPT compensate for the Python requirement. I’d assume by the time I start applying to MFE programs I would have 2 years of experience or so. Our work place heavily focuses on Python and libraries like Numpy and Pandas.

I just want to make sure you have decent Python and C++ knowledge, either via course or work experience. Nobody would get any decent quant job these days without those critical skills.

 

[kakimochi]

Your citizenship info is asked during application process. You can passively mention it in your SOP such as "As a US citizen, I was able to explore various career options during my undergrad, blah blah".

I just want to make sure you have decent Python and C++ knowledge, either via course or work experience. Nobody would get any decent quant job these days without those critical skills.

This will help me a ton, thank you so much for your advice!

 

[nuraV]

I appreciate it! I got my job with FPT ( a partner company with NVIDIA) through Temple University’s internship list. I was actually a business major so I used my work ethic that I’ve built up from playing some level of Professional soccer. I’d suggest you try talk to your career center advisor at school.

Raptor Fintech and Citi internships were actually luck. We had a connection guest speaker at school come in for one of our business classes. I straight up cold emailed him because I know opportunities don’t come on their own. I also told them I’m willing to work for free to show I’m really dedicated and it turned out good for me haha.

thanks for the insights! we're these roles unpaid and remote then?

 

[kakimochi]

thanks for the insights! we're these roles unpaid and remote then?

Yes they were unpaid. The job market is competitive and I knew I needed to beef up the resume. There’s nothing better than investing in yourself. They get free labor and you get knowledge and experience . Raptor Fintech was in person Tokyo, Japan and Citi was remote.

 

[nuraV]

Yes they were unpaid. The job market is competitive and I knew I needed to beef up the resume. There’s nothing better than investing in yourself. They get free labor and you get knowledge and experience . Raptor Fintech was in person Tokyo, Japan and Citi was remote.

thanks! btw, do you have any advise on how I could join the Citi internship?

 

[kakimochi]

thanks! btw, do you have any advise on how I could join the Citi internship?

Shoot me a DM and we can connect on IG or linked in perhaps

 

[siddh]

Hi everyone,

I’m currently planning my pathway toward applying for MFE programs and would love to hear your honest feedback on my profile and expectations. I have quite a bit of math background up to Calculus 3, linear algebra, and Prob Stats because I learned it for fun on my own and I taught some lessons on those subjects for one on one cram school students. (I just don’t have official math credits)

Background:

• BSc in International Business, Temple University (GPA: 3.92/4.00)
• Internship Citi Quant Research for Coffee Futures (Through Raptor Fintech CEO connection)
• Internship C++ Engineer at Raptor Fintech (building systems for HFT)
• Currently working at FPT Software, NVIDIA Team (AI/ML-focused role)
• Professional Soccer JFL (Japan)
• US citizen

Quantitative Business Courses (All Completed):

• Business Statistics and Probability: A
• Macroeconomics: B
• Microeconomics: A
• Global Finance: A
• Managerial Economics: A

Computer Science Courses:

• Intro to Programming: A
• Data Structures and Algorithms: A
• Baruch Pre-MFE C++ for Financial Engineering (work in progress)

Math Coursework (Planned):

WHILE WORKING FULLTIME:

• Calculus II and III (Planning for A’s) Jun 2025 - Nov 2025
• Linear Algebra (Planning for A) Dec 2025 - Feb 2026
• Number Theory (Planning for A) Mar 2026 - May 2026
• Real Analysis (Planning for A) Jun 2026 - Aug 2026

STUDY FULL TIME FROM HERE:

• Probability and Statistics (Planning for A)
• ODE/PDE from DATASIM Sep 2026 - Nov 2026

APPLY TO MFE PROGRAMS —>

• Baruch Pre-MFE Probability Theory Jan 2027

Additional Notes:

• I’m trying to avoid the GRE if possible, as I’d rather dedicate that time to strengthening my math and programming background.
• Target Schools: UIUC, NCSU, CMU, Cornell, Columbia, NYU, Chicago, Berkeley, Georgia Tech

Do you think my target schools are within reach, or am I setting the bar too high? Any advice on how I could further strengthen my profile would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for the feedback!

1. Could you tell me how you pursued those Math courses while studying "full time", would love to know where and how you prepared!
2. In my humble opinion, I think you should strongly consider the GRE, could definitely make you a stand out if not you already are!

 

[kakimochi]

1. Could you tell me how you pursued those Math courses while studying "full time", would love to know where and how you prepared!
2. In my humble opinion, I think you should strongly consider the GRE, could definitely make you a stand out if not you already are!

I haven’t taken them yet but I found all the online college courses I need and plan to pursue them.

As much as I would like to, GRE would probably delay my MFE attendance by a year, is it considered old to attend an MFE at 24 or 25?

 

[siddh]

I haven’t taken them yet but I found all the online college courses I need and plan to pursue them.

As much as I would like to, GRE would probably delay my MFE attendance by a year, is it considered old to attend an MFE at 24 or 25?

I can't say for sure if age would be such a dealbreaker, especially when there are many folks from India applying with 4-5 years of experience.