In need of MFE opinion & advices. thanks!

[Luke Matt]

Hello there,

I'm in my last semester at UC Berkeley, studying econ w/ approximately 2.9 GPA. Classes I have taken are mostly quantitative (micro and macro to prepare for grad school, probability, econometrics, economics engineering, and advanced game theory). Nonetheless, I havenever taken multivariable calculus, linear algebra, and analysis courses formally, although in many of my classes we use them (I didn't fulfill the prereq). I also had never taken a C++ course before.

I have done several internships in three countries though.

I am interested to expand my horizon further in Europe. Would you think these programs I am aiming are overly optimistic given my stats?
Bocconi Msc. in Finance
EPFL MFE
UTH Zurich Msc. QFin
HEC Paris Msc. Int'l Finance/Strategy
St. Gallen QFin&Econ

I have 4 free months (since I graduated 1 semester early) to prepare for this program. What would you recommend me to do?

My reason to pursue this degree is to be more of an individual investor myself, so I could create optimized decisions when choosing instruments to purchase and invest in.

Sorry for the long post and thanks for your time.

Sincerely

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Your interest in those European programs is curious to me. Have you thought about the language/culture/work visa issue post graduation there?
How are those programs going to give you an edge as "individual investor"? I'm thinking getting your technical chops up to date would be much more beneficial.

 

[Luke Matt]

I'm just interested to see more of the world before settling in my country of birth (I'm currently an intl student at Cal) while pursuing an education in finance. Since most programs are taught in English, I think I shouldn't worry too much about the language issue. I'm also willing to learn Italian and already speak French or Spanish, which I think would help.

From what I read from the quant brochure, getting a knowledge in FE would certainly help me to create decisions in doing trading by myself. Additionally, speaking of work visa issues, I heard bocconi Msc. in Finance placed quite well in London IB's although I'm unsure about their placement in other countries.

By saying getting my technical chops up to date, do you mean by taking more math classes (Line Alg, C++, and real analysis)?
As I am now, is it impossible for me to go to the MFE route?

Thanks a lot for your help, Andy. I really appreciate it