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Boston MSMFT Got admitted to Boston university Math Finance program. Any advice

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10/24/10
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Hi everyone. I have got an admit from Boston Univ math Finance program for Fall 2011 which I have to confirm by March 2. I have not got any scholarship from BU. I have also got an admit from Claremont Graduate Univ(MSFE) with 20% aid. I am waiting for response from NCSU. Any advice regarding delaying confirmation date for BU. I have been reading quantnet forums regularly and everyone here has stressed about the importance of C++. Well I am a software developer by profession having good exposure to C# and VB but none in C++. Do quant firms specifically work on C++??
 
C++ vs C#

First of all. Congratulations and Good Luck with your studies. See this post. Mr DominiConor and Mr Daniel Duff have answered this post and you'll find it useful. I'll just add that I'm in a similar position but had a little experience with VB and a bit more in C++. As for importance, C++ is very important since as you'll see in the posts pointed, if you know C++, then you know every C-based language and even VB. From the employers' point of view also, they prefer people who know C++ rather than any other language since it includes the complex programming constructs by knowing which, you are aware of programming as a whole.
 
I think the reputation is BU>CGU>NCSU. At least personally that is how i view it. Also BU's program is housed in the business school, which could help in terms of job placement.
 
Until we know how that 96% was calculated, be skeptical. Didn't we all know about some other programs out there put 100% placement number by survey their students? If only 4 students responded to the survey that they got a job, that means 100% placement.

When I quizzed my source at BU about that 96%, my source laughed and added up until now the full time placement for last year's graduate is slightly above 60%.

If you look at the firms listed there, do you see big banks from NYC coming to recruit there?

Not trying to scare or paint the wrong picture about any program here, but the data is out there for you to make an informed decision. As someone whose future job is to judge any piece of data with an objective view, you need to be extremely careful. It's not the bank money, it's your money and future at risk.
 
I've asked some alumni as well and here is what one of them said, and I paraphrase:

"the 96% placement rate for internship should be true. In 2009, the figure was also above 90%. Very few of the internships are from the big firms, but most are small to mid-sized companies. Because BU has hired a specialized group to find internship for students and most of the internship are non-paid. It is not that difficult to get a 90%+ internship placement rate"

At least its not a school-sponsored project. But anywho, I will update this thread if I find out more info on the program. If some more alumni can come chime in on qnet that would be great as well :D
 
seshadri - Congrats on being accepted to BU!

As a current student at BU's program, I would like to offer a different perspective to what has been written here.
First, I would like to remind everyone that we are still in February, and it is very reasonable to still not have an offer at hand. Most big name banks have closed their application deadline at December and started interviewing only towards the end of January. Other companies started posting their openings for the summer only after the holidays.
Second, I personally know classmates who have interviewed with Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, Fidelity and others. In addition to that, the big name banks usually do not have requiting events for quants on campus, but usually have events for IBanking or PWM and these are offered only in about 10 of the best schools in the US (Ivy leagues, Stanford, etc.).
Third, in the end of the day, the brand on your resume can only take as far as an interview invitation. After that, it is about what you know, and how well prepared you are - and there is a LOT to be prepared for, from Probability and Stochastic Calculus, to Finance and C++. I strongly believe that the courses we have at BU are taught at a high academic level equivalent to those of the top FE programs, and serve as a strong foundation to build on in interviews.
To conclude, I would extremely encourage who ever is considering BU to try and connect with current students, and even come to visit a class on campus and see for yourself.

Good luck you all!
 
Hey everyone,
I just wanted to add that I have spoken with the Feld Career Center in BU School of Management, and the 96% placement rate was calculated considering ALL students in the class.
 
@ilanitsh
Thanks for the insider info. It is very encouraging :)
Could you please shed some light on how the international students are faring at BU?. Are there any difference in opportunities?
 
@ilanitsh, I sent you a PM. I recently went in for an interview and the interviewer mentioned your name to me. Look forward to corresponding with you.
 
Hi @ilanitsh

Thank you for your sharing. Can you give us some information on how many people are enrolled in this program every year? Moreover, in terms of job prospectives, what is the salary level of a fresh graduates in finance industry in Boston?

Thx!
 
Could anyone give some advice about the comparison bewteen BU MSMF and Gatech QCF?
My deposit day for BU is 3.2...............
It is really urgent.........
Thank you for any advice!
 
Do you mind sharing what they asked you during the interview? I have mine coming in two days.
Thank you in advance.
 
to Afina,
I just graduated from Gatech two months ago as an IE undergrad. I am also applying to financial engineering programs too.
I have talked to some of my friends who are currently studying QCF right now. One of them had to switch out to do a statistics track instead of QCF. His main reason was that the placement rate is very low and he felt that the advisor there did not give him enough support or had any decent professional network. QCF is a professional degree which means you have to have a job after you graduate otherwise kaput. (thats what he said)

FYI, QCF is one of the track under IE (Industrial Engineering) major (master) His reason surprised me though, given the fact that Gatech's IE is ranked #1 20 years in a row. After talking with them, I sensed that QCF is not really Gatech's main specialty. It is operations research, statistics, and IE track that they at their best.

But yeah, I still applied to yellow jackets. I just love the school and the dedicated faculty over there.
 
to nuttavutj,
Thank you so much for your information. According to your information, it seems like BU is better in offering me chances to get a job after graduation.......But I may miss the deposit day for BU because I want to wait for decisions from other better schools........ I am worried that I may make a wrong decision....

My interview is on 1.5, so i cannot clearly remember all the questions.....
1. What do you like about your undergraduate school
2. why do you choose bu
3. career goal
4. hobbies
5. what makes you different from other applicants

Wish you good luck!
 
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