"MFE program profile evaluation" master thread

Hi all, I have a quick question: would research publications in Quant Finance help out a lot during the MFE applications? My profile is weak on: GRE (V450 Q800), plus my university is not a well-known one, so I hope that other things could cover up these weak points. Thanks mate.
 
I am studying in NIT Trichy, India. Gonna my final year now.. Wanna apply for Fall 2012..
My CGPA is 8.22/10.. GRE - 1420 (800 +.. ) Toefl - 105..
Intern Finance Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. Also, I went to Indian Space Research Organization( ISRO) for intern.. (involved matlab stuff mainly.. )

I am worried about my application since I have no work experience as such..

I wanna know my chances for NYU financial Math and Rutgers Univ New Brunswick MSMF..
 
Sudarshan said:
I am studying in NIT Trichy, India. Gonna my final year now.. Wanna apply for Fall 2012..
My CGPA is 8.22/10.. GRE - 1420 (800 +.. ) Toefl - 105..
Intern Finance Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. Also, I went to Indian Space Research Organization( ISRO) for intern.. (involved matlab stuff mainly.. )

I am worried about my application since I have no work experience as such..

I wanna know my chances for NYU financial Math and Rutgers Univ New Brunswick MSMF..
Click to expand...
And my math grades are good. got an S , two A and a B.. S -10 , A- 9 , B- 8.. on a scale of 10..
 
nanwang said:
Thank you! I may ask the professor who I did research with to write one recommendation. can you give me a list of school I probably can get admission, and which school can be the safe school?
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It all depends on your application and interview. If I were you, I would only apply to tier 1 programs such as CMU, NYU, UCB, Baruch, Columbia...
 
sir,
my gre score is 1280( 790-quants, 490- verbal). my gpa is 2.98 and i am an electronics engineer from mumbai university india.
what are my chances of getting inot mfe in a good college(top 15).pls reply
 
i have done internship in NSE (National Stock Exchange of INDIA). i dont have a full time work experience. Also i am well versed in C++ and Matlab simulations
 
Ok guys, I really need your honest assessment on my situation as my time to make a decision is fast eroding. I'm currently a rising senior at fordham and i'm thinking of applying to top mfe-like programs this fall. Cumulative 3.7, major 3.9, joint math/econ major with 2 finance (non-quant) internships and no programming exp. I have not prepped at all for the gre but recently took a practice test and got a range of 740-800 q and 440-540 v. Given that i will have to take the gre kind of early (around oct the earliest) to get my scores in by the deadline, do you think i would be better off waiting till next year or going at it full force and trying my best. (keep in mind that i will have a heavy course load but 2 weekdays + weekends free, recommendations will be fresh, i don't want to be an older than average applicant, and i don't want to look for a job if i'll only be there for a year).

A related question: I need one more class for my business minor that i plan on taking next spring but i also want to get some programming exp by taking an intro course. Would it be more beneficial to forget the business minor and take the programming course or will i be putting too much of my eggs in one basket? (it must be one or the other as the rest of my classes are needed for core/major). keep in mind that admissions will have no way of knowing that i plan on taking this class if decide that i want to take it.

Im turning the the quant community because you guys have more exposure to this field than anyone i know and your advice is invaluable. Thanks all
 
markhobbus said:
Ok guys, I really need your honest assessment on my situation as my time to make a decision is fast eroding. I'm currently a rising senior at fordham and i'm thinking of applying to top mfe-like programs this fall. Cumulative 3.7, major 3.9, joint math/econ major with 2 finance (non-quant) internships and no programming exp. I have not prepped at all for the gre but recently took a practice test and got a range of 740-800 q and 440-540 v. Given that i will have to take the gre kind of early (around oct the earliest) to get my scores in by the deadline, do you think i would be better off waiting till next year or going at it full force and trying my best. (keep in mind that i will have a heavy course load but 2 weekdays + weekends free, recommendations will be fresh, i don't want to be an older than average applicant, and i don't want to look for a job if i'll only be there for a year).

A related question: I need one more class for my business minor that i plan on taking next spring but i also want to get some programming exp by taking an intro course. Would it be more beneficial to forget the business minor and take the programming course or will i be putting too much of my eggs in one basket? (it must be one or the other as the rest of my classes are needed for core/major). keep in mind that admissions will have no way of knowing that i plan on taking this class if decide that i want to take it.

Im turning the the quant community because you guys have more exposure to this field than anyone i know and your advice is invaluable. Thanks all
Click to expand...
Hi, I am going to answer you from my own experience since I just got accepted for this Fall, this is how it went down for me.
First, many programs deadlines are on december 15th, some even december 1st, so you need to take the GRE 3 weeks earlier (for submission) assuming you nail it from the first shot (no retakes) also allow at least 2 months of prep, if you want a top mfe program 800 quant is standard and improve your verbal. I believe the best shot every college kid has is when they go fo it right away, they still have all the recommendations ready, the professors and mentors remember your first name and exceptional things about you which generally makes the success of the letter.
Secondly, the goal behind getting a minor is to better your chances at getting into an MFE program, it's a mean not a goal. I personally had a minor when applying and got accepted before graduating (without the minor) since that class got in the way and just couldn't have the time for it so I dropped it. The real question is where do you see yourself benefiting the most? I for once encourage you to apply by keeping your minor on file on the application and drop it when nearing graduation if you can't take that missing class. I would like to remind you that many programs have coding as a requirement and expect that some classes are taken before getting in the program.
Good Luck
 
Hi,
Please evaluate my profile.

Education
B.Tech. in Electronics and Communications Engineering ( ECE ) from Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee.
G.P.A. = 7.92/10
Grades in Mathematics and Programming related courses - Decent (I scored a 8 or 9 out of a scale of 10 )

Work Experience
I am working as a software engineer at Cisco Systems, India since August 2008. I have worked mainly in Java, but I do have some experience in programming C/C++ as well.

Other Details
I have cleared CFA Level 1 in my first attempt and I have completed a couple of NCFMs ( NSE Certification in Financial Markets )
GMAT = 700 ( Q = 50, V = 34 ). I am planning to take GRE in October since some of the schools prefer GRE scores.

Interested In
NYU Courant, Columbia MSFE, Imperial RMFE, Cornell MFE, Baruch
 
friendlyfire
Majority of MFE programs take only or prefer GRE over the GMAT, especially now that the new GRE is supposedly better indicative of quantitative ability.
So retake if you can.
I don't see any glaring red flags but this does not say much since the essay/letter of recommendation would be important.

ram
It's hard to tell from the 3 numbers you gave, one of them a sub 3.0 GPA which will get thrown out immediately at some programs.
 
yes andy...what if i do some more internship at NSE(National Stock Exchange- INDIA) and also some certifications from the NSE. also i was planning to complete CFA level 1. will all this improve my chances of getting into some top mfe colleges.i am very serious to get into some top colleges
 
thanks... dude we annoy u alot many times by all this queries of yours...u doin a great job of enlightening people like me who have alot of interest in the course ....wana thank u 4m the core of my heart....GREAT JOB ANDYYYY...!!!
 
Hi Andy,

I wanted to apply for MFE programs.
Background :-

I have B.Tech in Electrical Engineering'09 ( which is basically Electronics over here) from Indian Institute of Technology , Delhi ( which usually ranked first or second). I have a GPA of 7.51/10.

I have 2 years of work experience and currently I am working as a Quant Developer at RBS , earlier I used to work as a software developer (consultant) for US based Hedge Fund. So I have a pretty much comfortable in coding now.

I have given GRE with a score of 800(Quant) + 490(Verbal).

I have given CFA level 1 in june and have done some modules with NCFM( Certification courses by National Stock Exchange).

So what do you think about my chances as I wanted to apply Baruch, Columbia, Cornell .

Thanks a lot.
 
markhobbus said:
Ok guys, I really need your honest assessment on my situation as my time to make a decision is fast eroding. I'm currently a rising senior at fordham and i'm thinking of applying to top mfe-like programs this fall. Cumulative 3.7, major 3.9, joint math/econ major with 2 finance (non-quant) internships and no programming exp. I have not prepped at all for the gre but recently took a practice test and got a range of 740-800 q and 440-540 v. Given that i will have to take the gre kind of early (around oct the earliest) to get my scores in by the deadline, do you think i would be better off waiting till next year or going at it full force and trying my best. (keep in mind that i will have a heavy course load but 2 weekdays + weekends free, recommendations will be fresh, i don't want to be an older than average applicant, and i don't want to look for a job if i'll only be there for a year).

A related question: I need one more class for my business minor that i plan on taking next spring but i also want to get some programming exp by taking an intro course. Would it be more beneficial to forget the business minor and take the programming course or will i be putting too much of my eggs in one basket? (it must be one or the other as the rest of my classes are needed for core/major). keep in mind that admissions will have no way of knowing that i plan on taking this class if decide that i want to take it.

Im turning the the quant community because you guys have more exposure to this field than anyone i know and your advice is invaluable. Thanks all
Click to expand...

Based on my personal experience, a minor in business is not that essential at all. Programming course will definitely help you more. I was kind of in your situation last year, and I took the GRE exam at the end of October. I definitely think you have time to study to get a 800/500 score. If I were you, I would try to find more programming classes to take(maybe online c++ course or certificate). Work your ass off for a year, and you definitely have a good shot at top tier mfe programs.
 
Would appreciate it if I could get feedback on my credentials:

Education:
Rutgers University, BA Mathematics + Economics (Rising Junior)
GPA: 3.84 / 4.00
GRE: Have not taken, would expect (780-800 Q / 550 - 600 V / 5.0 W on old scale)
Relevant Coursework: Elementary Partial Differential Equations for Engineers (A), Elementary Differential Equations (A), Multivariable Calculus (B+), Probability Theory (A), Intro to Linear Algebra (B+), Intermediate Statistical Analysis (A), Data Structures [Java] (A), Intro to Computer Science [Java] (A), Econmetrics (A), Intermediate Microeconomics (A), Intro to Financial Accounting (B+)
Expected Coursework: Intro to Mathematical Finance, Mathematical Statistics, Linear Algebra, Advanced Econometrics, Economic Forecasting, Financial Economics, Intro to Network Science, Computer Algorithms

Work Experience:
Sophomore Summer: Bloomberg (non quant position but some coding and statistics involved)
Freshman Summer: Small financial services firm (think boutique IB/HF/PE)

Extracurricular:
Several on-campus leadership positions

Research:
None

Will Apply To:
Columbia MFE
Cornell MFE
U Chicago MSFM
NYU MQF
Carnegie Mellon MCF
UCal Berkeley MFE

I would appreciate it if 1) someone could evaluate my overall profile for the aforementioned programs, 2) provide any feedback on where I could strengthen my overall candidacy, 3) suggest top internships to apply to for my junior year, 4) suggest topics that I could potentially write a senior honors thesis on. Thank you all in advance!
 
wshopeful said:
Would appreciate it if I could get feedback on my credentials:

Education:
Rutgers University, BA Mathematics + Economics (Rising Junior)
GPA: 3.84 / 4.00
GRE: Have not taken, would expect (780-800 Q / 550 - 600 V / 5.0 W on old scale)
Relevant Coursework: Elementary Partial Differential Equations for Engineers (A), Elementary Differential Equations (A), Multivariable Calculus (B+), Probability Theory (A), Intro to Linear Algebra (B+), Intermediate Statistical Analysis (A), Data Structures [Java] (A), Intro to Computer Science [Java] (A), Econmetrics (A), Intermediate Microeconomics (A), Intro to Financial Accounting (B+)
Expected Coursework: Intro to Mathematical Finance, Mathematical Statistics, Linear Algebra, Advanced Econometrics, Economic Forecasting, Financial Economics, Intro to Network Science, Computer Algorithms

Work Experience:
Sophomore Summer: Bloomberg (non quant position but some coding and statistics involved)
Freshman Summer: Small financial services firm (think boutique IB/HF/PE)

Extracurricular:
Several on-campus leadership positions

Research:
None

Will Apply To:
Columbia MFE
Cornell MFE
U Chicago MSFM
NYU MQF
Carnegie Mellon MCF
UCal Berkeley MFE

I would appreciate it if 1) someone could evaluate my overall profile for the aforementioned programs, 2) provide any feedback on where I could strengthen my overall candidacy, 3) suggest top internships to apply to for my junior year, 4) suggest topics that I could potentially write a senior honors thesis on. Thank you all in advance!
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Seems like you fulfill all of the minimal requirements but you want to outshine everyone else to get in. It is a better idea to take a class like stochastic processes instead of econometrics/forecasting in my opinion. Also, I would recommend you learn C ++ as that is the language of choice for most of these programs. Mathematical Finance is very important as I think that is where you learn to derive the black scholes formula and that is probably one of the first things you would do in the program if not expected to know the derivation already and for the derivation of the black scholes, you would need to know at least some stochastic process. Seems like you have a nice profile but to be honest, the economics classes and accounting classes etc aren't as relevant as you believe they are. It is better that you be the best you can be at math and programming.
 

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