Help required: Profile review

[Yuvraj Chauhan]

Hi guys, been lurking around on QuantNet for the better part of an year. I am looking to explore Master in Finance at MIT and Chicago Booth, along with MFE courses at UCB and UCLA in fall 2026.

I have graduated from a top tier engineering undergraduate school in India (BITS Pilani, ~2% acceptance rate) in June 2024 and interned across PE and HFs. I have worked for roughly an year at D.E. Shaw after finishing my Bachelors of Engineering, and would be appearing for my CFA Level III exam in February 2026.

My unofficial GRE score is 329 (164V and 165Q), and my undergrad GPA is 8.01/10.

Long term, I see myself in the AM space, or going towards a macro fund as a PM. I'm not an American citizen, so I have no preferences for either the West or East coast. Happy to hear any reviews for my candidature, or any specific areas (such as my GRE) which may require any improvements.

Thanks in advance!

 

[MikeLawrence]

You should have very good odds. What is your role at D.E.Shaw? This work experience is the strongest part of your candidacy.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Take a look at the Yale AM program as well. The program name literally has the AM in it.

 

[MikeLawrence]

I am still not sure we know enough about the Yale AM program for me to rep it over the more traditional degrees. I'm not entirely sure where to recommend you, with the PE/HF and lean towards Macro you will have to decide for yourself how mathematical you want the degree and your future to be.

Still, I recommend expanding your search from Berkeley (in a bit of a rough spot) and UCLA.

 

[Yuvraj Chauhan]

You should have very good odds. What is your role at D.E.Shaw? This work experience is the strongest part of your candidacy.

Thanks! I was working in investments compliance at D.E. Shaw's India office. The work revolved around insulating the firm against any MNPI-related risks, conversing with FO, counterparties and going through third party research materials before they went ahead to FO or other investment decision makers.
The urge to pursue an MSF/MFE and getting the CFA Charter is primarily to move towards a role where I'm more closely responsible for generating alpha for the Firm.

I'm also attaching my resume for you to get more colour on my professional background

 

[Yuvraj Chauhan]

Take a look at the Yale AM program as well. The program name literally has the AM in it.

Thanks Andy, I have gone through Yale's MAM program as well. I'm a little skeptical about it mainly due its course duration (~9 months). I think that could prevent forming rapport with your professors and batchmates (please correct me if I'm wrong)? Another reason why I'm a little skeptical is due to the significant overlap between the CFA's curriculum and the MAM, and having significantly less time to secure an internship or a job as opposed to in an 18 or 15 months long program.

That being said, although I did intern at a PE fund during my undergraduate (Women's World Banking Asset Management), I do not see myself re-entering the PE world actively. While working at D.E. Shaw, I often found myself working with more discretionary strategies (special situations/merger arb, private credit, asset-backed securities and macro) and would like to have a degree or a school which would help me move closer to those roles.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

I would suggest that you spend a significant time on program research, especially the curriculum and career path post graduation of their alumni.
Everything may sound good and dandy until you dig deeper.
The main objective should be if the curriculum lines up with your career goal. Many programs traditionally emphasize heavily on the sell-side, pricing which places into banks. It has been a strong area of employment for the past decade or so but you should see if a program regularly updates their courses to keep up with employer demand and trend.
You don't want to end up with a program that has no connection or alumni working in the area of your choice.