I landed a spot at the UW M.S. in CFRM 2023 cohort beginning this Autumn, which I accepted. I'm currently a pure Math undergrad there. I finish my degree this quarter in March, so from March to September I'll be graduated, just waiting for my M.S. to start. Some of the other programs I was considering began in the summer, so I didn't seek out any relevant internships or summer jobs. Aside from my coursework and a few personal projects here and there, I don't have much else in the realm of work experience. I'm trying to consider what the best use of my time would be in these 6 months. I know it's too late to try to seek out a relevant internship, and it might not be a long enough period of time to get a relevant entry-level job in the meantime.
So really, this just boils down to self study, taking an unrelated short term job just to stay busy and get paid, or just take it for what it is and use the summer to spend time visiting friends and relaxing. I don't know if I should be scrambling right now to ensure I'm the best-situated for starting my M.S., or if since I already have my foot through the door I can take a step back for a little while. I managed to get a full fellowship with stipend for my M.S. so I was kind of just planning on twiddling my thumbs until then, like as an undergrad tutor or something. I've already gotten a little start reading guides like this one and ordering the recommended books, as well as getting a feel for what interviews might look like and the necessary math skills. I sought after this program in particular more as a discipline within applied math versus wanting to be a quant specifically, so I'm still relatively new to the industry and learning. It would be cool to work as a desk quant or research quant, but it's not like the end all be all so I'm also open to tangential positions and careers. I'm just not sure if I should be doing more than I already am to get prepped. I have a 3.9 as an undergrad and really enjoy learning and reading, so if there are any other books or certifications I can work towards that would be really helpful. Thanks for any assistance!
So really, this just boils down to self study, taking an unrelated short term job just to stay busy and get paid, or just take it for what it is and use the summer to spend time visiting friends and relaxing. I don't know if I should be scrambling right now to ensure I'm the best-situated for starting my M.S., or if since I already have my foot through the door I can take a step back for a little while. I managed to get a full fellowship with stipend for my M.S. so I was kind of just planning on twiddling my thumbs until then, like as an undergrad tutor or something. I've already gotten a little start reading guides like this one and ordering the recommended books, as well as getting a feel for what interviews might look like and the necessary math skills. I sought after this program in particular more as a discipline within applied math versus wanting to be a quant specifically, so I'm still relatively new to the industry and learning. It would be cool to work as a desk quant or research quant, but it's not like the end all be all so I'm also open to tangential positions and careers. I'm just not sure if I should be doing more than I already am to get prepped. I have a 3.9 as an undergrad and really enjoy learning and reading, so if there are any other books or certifications I can work towards that would be really helpful. Thanks for any assistance!
