I'm wondering if there is anything I should know about picking an undergraduate college as someone considering a career in quant finance (obviously this may very well change). For example, do some colleges do particularly well or poorly in MFE admissions? Are undergraduate research and recs important in MFE admissions? Should I avoid schools with grade deflation? Will undergraduate prestige and connections play a significant role in employment down the road? Etc., etc.
I'm currently considering majoring in applied math, computer science, or preferably a combination of the two. There are also applied and computational math programs (like CAAM at Rice, ACM at Caltech and UChicago, and M&CS at Stanford) that I am strongly considering as well. Many schools have Math-Econ joint majors. Are these a good idea? Some schools (CMU, Princeton, Columbia) have quant finance-specific undergraduate degrees, although I've been told these are a poor idea (which makes sense as I may have very different career aspirations by the time I finish undergrad and I don't want to pigeon-hole myself).
TL : DR high schooler who has an interest in quant finance, is there any quant finance-specific information I should keep in mind during my college search?
I'm currently considering majoring in applied math, computer science, or preferably a combination of the two. There are also applied and computational math programs (like CAAM at Rice, ACM at Caltech and UChicago, and M&CS at Stanford) that I am strongly considering as well. Many schools have Math-Econ joint majors. Are these a good idea? Some schools (CMU, Princeton, Columbia) have quant finance-specific undergraduate degrees, although I've been told these are a poor idea (which makes sense as I may have very different career aspirations by the time I finish undergrad and I don't want to pigeon-hole myself).
TL : DR high schooler who has an interest in quant finance, is there any quant finance-specific information I should keep in mind during my college search?
