COMPARE Master Programs Comparison: Which quant program to choose?

[confusedperson]

Tuition was poor choice of words on my end, I was just referring to total cost.

I saw on Chicago’s site that their program can be completed in 1 year while Columbia’s is 2 years so there’s a huge disparity in costs when you take that into consideration.

Chicago is very generous with scholarships for their MSFM program, I’m not sure if the same holds true for their MS statistics. Did they offer you any aid?

They offered me 10%
I did apply to the MSFM as well, but am still waiting to hear back.

 

[Lukee]

They offered me 10%
I did apply to the MSFM as well, but am still waiting to hear back.

Is there anywhere else your waiting to hear back from?

 

[LuMo]

I would like to hear a bit from Dominic or anyone familiar with CQF career service. I read the reviews and a couple people mentioned it did not exist or they don't need it.
It's one thing for people already working in the field, taking CQF to learn new things, while getting reimbursed by the company, it's another thing for people from China/India wanting to get into the field using CQF as a mean.

Since majority of CQF delegates take this online, what does career service exactly entail? Does Dominic's recruiting service play any part in this?

In short, how does a guy from India, China finishing this CQF get a job on Wall Street or in any of the financial centers?

did you get an answer to this? (How does finishing the CQF get a job on the Wall street?)

 

[Bipeumania]

Hello everyone!

I'm grateful to have been accepted into both Columbia Financial Engineering and Imperial Mathematics and Finance programs, and I'm finding it challenging to choose between them. I'd really value your perspectives on these two options.

Background: I'm a French student in a top-tier "Grande Ecole" (equivalent to a master's degree), majoring in applied maths. I don't have any full-time work experience, but did two internships (one in strategy consulting and one in asset allocation). My objective is to work in quantitative research in a buy-side firm. I would enjoy an experience in the US but plan on working in Europe in ≈ 3 years.

My current opinion: I'm leaning towards Columbia at the moment because I already have a recognized degree in Europe, and I'd like to try the US. However, I'm questioning whether this reasoning is sound and what the job prospects in London are for someone with a degree from Columbia vs. Imperial.

 

[matthieu_fisher]

My 2 cents is that you’re better off at Imperial if you want to pursue a career in the UK in QR because of the program’s connections. If you want to stay in US a bit, Columbia might be a better choice…
Also, given the fact that you pursued X-Ens, Columbia or Imperial won’t make a huge difference in the French job market. Your experience is what will most valuable on top of French education.

 

[confusedperson]

Is there anywhere else your waiting to hear back from?

Cmu mscf, but I applied in second round.

 

[quantchoices]

Is there a difference between Pittsburgh and NY? And is it more competitive for either campuses?

 

[WSBquant]

Also Anyone knows the scholarships amounts for CMU? I saw some had 15k. Didn’t know they gave

 

[LisaC]

Is there a difference between Pittsburgh and NY? And is it more competitive for either campuses?

According to my research and replies from other posts, professors stay more in Pitts and industry practitioners are more approachable in NY. The enrollment is roughly half-half in both campuses and the admission team said no difference in their admission bar.

 

[Arbitrary]

@Arbitrary which did you end up choosing?

And I saw that you didn’t apply to Columbia MFE. Any reason why you opted for CBS instead?

Decided CMU.

I applied to Columbia MFE also, just haven't put the still pending applications into the tracker (although I assume not having heard back by now means silent rejection). Still I would prefer CBS over the MFE due to the PhD level structure. It really seems to be probably the most advanced education that you will get from any program, and is still customizable by taking PhD level courses from stats or cs departments (or even MBA courses). Also has a stronger research focus than other programs which I think is valuable for quant research positions. Only factor is the price - 150k tuition is simply beyond me, this is 1.5x - 2.0x other programs.

 

[Arbitrary]

Also Anyone knows the scholarships amounts for CMU? I saw some had 15k. Didn’t know they gave

I think mostly 15k or 30k. Remember reading someone post a while back though that they received 70% scholarship so I guess everything is possible.

 

[Lukee]

Cmu mscf, but I applied in second round.

If you get into CMU I'd pick that over both. Between Chicago and Columbia it's a tough call, ultimately it also comes down to your own personal preferences (e.g living in Chicago vs NY). The fact that you already have been to multiple superdays shows that you have an impressive background. With hard work, I have no doubt that you'll succeed at either school

Perhaps a current Columbia or Chicago student can chime in here?

 

[CJ_D]

Hey guys, now I am admitted to these 3 programs, I wonder which one of them is the best choice for me?
Becoming a quant in hedge funds or BBs would be dream job for me. Risk or data role in finance firms is also considerable.
expecting your advice

 

[weab]

JHU Financial Math is your best bet out of the 3.

 

[choejms]

If your goal is to get into buy side hedge funds, I definitely recommend UChicago Stat. We see that every year less and less percentage of MFE graduates are able to secure positions in buy side hedge funds.

 

[ajjjw]

If your goal is to get into buy side hedge funds, I definitely recommend UChicago Stat. We see that every year less and less percentage of MFE graduates are able to secure positions in buy side hedge funds.

The columbia program isn’t an MFE though. it’s closer to a research track MSc.

 

[ajjjw]

I think if you already have a top ten UG pure math degree, the columbia program might help you specialize a bit. This is a tough call though as both of these programs are great.

COL in nyc can be mitigated by roommates and living outside of the city.

 

[starsstars]

Hi everyone!

I hope all of you have received or will soon receive that admissions email you have been waiting for. It's anxious while waiting, and there is always a way forward
even if you don't receive an offer from your dream school. Right now I would appreciate your guidance on my own admissions decision. I am lucky to be in a position to have received 3 offers and need help to make a well-informed decision in the next couple of weeks.

During my undergraduate studies in computer science at National Taiwan University, I was a research intern at a well-known hedge fund for a year. Since then, I've been working at a crypto HFT firm, focusing on using machine learning to develop high-frequency trading alphas. I aim to leverage a master's degree to land a Quantitative Researcher role at a top US buy-side fund. (or any fund, as long as it's in the US)

MIT Master in Finance (18 months)
Pros:
1. The most prestigious of the three schools, which can be helpful if returning to Taiwan or Asia in the future.
2. Flexible course selection. I could choose courses from the school of EECS to improve my computer science skills.
Cons:
1. The most expensive tuition and the largest cohort.
2. People engaged in the buy side market do not account for most of the program.
3. Some required courses are not useful in the future (Accounting, Cooperative Finance).

Yale Asset Management (12 months)
Pros:
1. Focus on buy-side thinking, which is in line with my future career goals.
2. The lowest tuition.
Cons:
1. The program is shorter, more difficult to find a job after graduation.
2. According to the Employment Report data, the starting salary of graduates is lower than in the previous two programs.
3. The program is newer and has slightly fewer network resources.

Cornell ORIE FE Concentration (18 months)
Pros:
1. In the third semester, the program will take place in Manhattan, which is a great location.
2. 100% summer internship placement rate, with a high probability of having a job after graduation.
Cons:
1. People engaged in the buy side market do not account for the majority of the program.
2. There are more sell-side-related courses in the curriculum.

Any advice or suggestions are welcome and appreciated. Thanks!

 

[aurora percent]

same question

 

[kombuchalover]

I think if you want to be a quant researcher on the buy-side, Yale's program shouldn't be an option. The curriculum isn't designed to prepare you to be that in my view. Don't think you can go wrong between Cornell and MIT though. Good Luck!