COMPARE Georgia Institute of Technology QCF vs Boston University MSMFT

[JWH]

I am a new member but I have been reading posts since I began the application process, and I have seen much discussion about the new BU program and why it was ranked better than GaTech in the 2009 ranking. I began the application process later than I would have liked, but I have been admitted to NCSU, FSU, GaTech, and BU.

I have narrowed down my choice to GaTech vs. BU. Neither school has given me any aid, however I get in-state tuition from GaTech. I am not afraid to take out a loan to go to BU if I believe I will benefit more from the Program (with regard to retention of necessary skills and job placement/salary). Please share your thoughts and knowledge about either program.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

What are your expectations out of any of these programs? You may have unrealistically high expectation which may lead to a bad experience.
Set your expectation and pick one accordingly.
From the recently discussion, BU seems to be working to adjust their program due to students input.

 

[JWH]

Expectation

My expectation is:

1. Exposure to the job market via professors and geographical location (Atlanta vs Boston's close proximity to NYC and/or Boston itself)

2. Upon graduation the ability to compete with other graduates from higher ranked schools.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

1) When you go school in Boston, or Chicago, you are most likely to get a job in that market. The proximity is NYC is overestimate and it comes with overhead cost to you. Firms are cutting down on recruiting fee so it's less likely that you burden all the cost to compete with local NYC programs.
Cornell program has a third semester in NYC for this very reason.

2) See point 1.

You should talk to the programs and see the job profiles of their latest graduates, where do they end up.

 

[JWH]

I believe my real question is:

Why did the QuantNetwork rank BU one spot higher than GaTech on the 2009 rankings?

Any insight into the edge somebody perceived BU had over GaTech would be useful to me?

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Methodology 2009 QuantNetwork Ranking of Financial Engineering Programs | Quant Network
Using a ranking to decide between 2 programs is not recommended. The ranking methodology and your circumstance are not always the same.

 

[ryansujarti]

I have admits from both of these programs (among others), but am more or less deciding between these two.

From what I understand, neither are great as far as placement into large i-banks and other firms. Despite that, which is better in terms of networking and placement into other firms? I would assume the Boston financial connections are far better than those in Atlanta.

Also, which school's curriculum is better suited to a career in the financial industry?

Thanks, I would appreciate any and all help.

 

[alain]

I would assume the Boston financial connections are far better than those in Atlanta.

I don't know but be careful assuming things. I had a manager that used to say: "when you assume, you usually made and "ass (of) u (and) me". So, don't assume anything. In the words of Pres. Reagan "Trust, but verify".

 

[Justin Dominiczak]

Can anyone help compare these two programs?

Getting a job in NYC is not imperative to me and I would be happy in either Atlanta, Boston, or west coast post-grad.

Thanks

 

[Sonali Chhabria]

Hi,

I got an admit from both Georgia Tech and Boston University. I also got an 18k Scholarship from BU. I need help in evaluating the two Universities. GaTech is better ranked than BU and also the program director is taking a lot of effort in making the program better ( is what I've heard) whereas BU has the advantage of being in Boston(financial city). I want a course which is more focused to the Math and Finance aspect of the course and not very technical. I've heard that the finance oriented courses is not Gatech's strong point. I would really appreciate if you guys could weigh in the pros and cons and help me in taking a informed decision. Thanks.

 

[ellen_h]

I also admitted BU and got offer of Scholarship.. But.. I wish I can get admission from other schools.
Bcz it seems like Boston is not a good choice...
just read this review(https://www.quantnet.com/resources/boston-university-mathematical-finance-program.16/)....

 

[Sonali Chhabria]

I also admitted BU and got offer of Scholarship.. But.. I wish I can get admission from other schools.
Bcz it seems like Boston is not a good choice...
just read this review(https://www.quantnet.com/resources/boston-university-mathematical-finance-program.16/)....

I know. I read that. I didn't think BU would be that bad.

 

[bigbadwolf]

I didn't think BU would be that bad.

A number of programs are equally shitty (if not more so). It's just that people don't bother writing reviews. And a lot of the reviews one does see are obviously concocted, not authentic.

 

[Sonali Chhabria]

A number of programs are equally shitty (if not more so). It's just that people don't bother writing reviews. And a lot of the reviews one does see are obviously concocted, not authentic.

So how do I evaluate?

 

[bigbadwolf]

So how do I evaluate?

Well, there's the rub: How to make an evaluation when the reviews are mostly fake? If you go with ranking programs like Carnegie-Mellon, Princeton, Berkeley, Baruch, you'll be okay (though with the exception of Baruch, they cost an arm and a leg). Once you venture outside the top 8 or 10 programs, things get dicey. If any program is stressing its "affordability," just trash the application form -- what they mean is the (relatively) low cost is meant to compensate for shitty teaching, worthless faculty, and non-existent job prospects. Likewise, if a program is too generous with tuition assistance and scholarships, try to find out why. Remember that in the USA you never get more than what you pay for -- but you can get substantially less. Baruch is the only exception in the area of FE.

 

[evan guggenheim]

Well, there's the rub: How to make an evaluation when the reviews are mostly fake? If you go with ranking programs like Carnegie-Mellon, Princeton, Berkeley, Baruch, you'll be okay (though with the exception of Baruch, they cost an arm and a leg). Once you venture outside the top 8 or 10 programs, things get dicey. If any program is stressing its "affordability," just trash the application form -- what they mean is the (relatively) low cost is meant to compensate for shitty teaching, worthless faculty, and non-existent job prospects. Likewise, if a program is too generous with tuition assistance and scholarships, try to find out why. Remember that in the USA you never get more than what you pay for -- but you can get substantially less. Baruch is the only exception in the area of FE.

Whats your take on UW and UIUC? I thought they were supposed to be pretty good programs… Also, I didn't see MIT on your list, I guess that's a no-brainer.

 

[bigbadwolf]

Whats your take on UW and UIUC? I thought they were supposed to be pretty good programs… Also, I didn't see MIT on your list, I guess that's a no-brainer.

My list wasn't comprehensive. I'm not competent to talk about some of the second-tier programs -- it goes without saying that there are many good ones (in terms of content and teaching). Another complicating feature is that different programs emphasise different things and some of them may not strictly speaking be hard-core quant programs but still be very good for what they do (e.g., Princeton's MSF).

 

[theKillerStrat]

Baruch has a batch size of 20~25. How high are the chances of an international candidate having 2 years of relevant work ex to get into Baruch MFE?

 

[IntoDarkness]

dat bu review was like watching a comedy. but yeah, out of top 7, you are kinda throw money away

 

[diegosanaz]

Although I agree with the premise that if admitted to a top 7 program you should go there, I would not rank BU as a bad program. I also took part of the 2014 class (just graduated), and I could say that I learned a lot, had a great time and did not cheat.

Although I decided to come back to my own country to work, I did have an offer to work in risk management in a major company in Boston but declined to join. Also, many friends (including international ones) have great offers in the US. I'd say the only waste of money is coming here and then cheat in homework and exams. People often forget that what you are paying for is education.

A number of programs are equally shitty (if not more so). It's just that people don't bother writing reviews. And a lot of the reviews one does see are obviously concocted, not authentic.

Also, as a counter argument to this, more often an angry customer writes a bad review on a product than a satisfied customer writes a good one.