COMPARE NYU MSFM vs CMU MSCF

[hsyam]

Hi,

I have been admitted to both the programs, which one should I go for.

Please provide your comments.

 

[alain]

Congratulations!!! You should go to the program you think it's better for you. At least, you have the choice. There are plenty of applicant without that choice but again that choice is completely yours. You make your decision and you live with it.

Think about this, if you are indecisive making that decision, why somebody will trust you with their money to make decisions for them (manage it for them)?

 

[hsyam]

@ alain,

I know I have to make the decision.....but I am seeking everyones view/opinion

 

[Yuriy]

I can express my preference but it should in no way affect your decision. So I won't do it

You need to do a side by side comparison of everything in the two programs:
courses offered, course syllabi, schedule flexibility, employment assistance, tuition, location

As we all know, NYU part-time is different from full-time in terms of placement assistance, were you admitted to full-time or part-time program?
Do you want to live in the financial center or prefer living in a smaller city far from major employers?

 

[alain]

I know I have to make the decision.....but I am seeking everyones view/opinion

So, you plan to make a decision based on other people's views and opinions? mmm...

 

[hsyam]

I was admitted to both the full time programs

@ alain,

I think experience/views is always good to know

 

[Bridgett]

It seems that you want some votes from the "audience"... here is my vote then: CMU.

 

[Yuriy]

Well

I would go to NYU because I like NY, I want to be close to employers, it is probably a bit cheaper than CMU. More important : as a person interested in Stats and with Stats background I would choose NYU since it offers full semester courses in Time Series, Statistical Arbitrage, Auto/Algo Trading, Portfolio Management. If your interests are not similar to mine, then my post is of no use to you. Anyway, my profile is not typical for MFE

 

[alain]

I was admitted to both the full time programs

@ alain,

I think experience/views is always good to know

Asking for experiences and views is very different from asking about where you should go.

 

[alain]

Yuriy, I checked the NYU website and those seemed like new classes added recently. We should talk to Prof. Stefanica about the feasibility of adding something like that to the Baruch Program.

 

[Yuriy]

Alain, it would be a dream come true if Baruch could add those courses to the curriculum.

 

[Feng]

It's really a hard decision to make. I think this is the kind of thing you want to hear:

I like the curriculum offered by CMU, but I also like the location of NYU. Under the current market condition I would prefer NYU a tiny little bit more.

The question is difficult because we are trying to compare apple to orange. So at last, the question of "which school" actually becomes "which feature" you regard as the most important. This is a value question, so there is no standard answer.

If you think placement is the most important, just check the statistics provided by the schools. If you think location is the most important, obviously NYU is in NYC. If you think a better match of the curriculum is the most important, CMU is relatively more programming intensive and NYU is more mathematics intensive. ...

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Both are good programs. CMU costs twice as much as NYU. Cost of living in Pitt is probably half that of NYC. CMU has business school career service. NYU has location advantage. The number of CMU students is twice as much of NYU. Living in Pitt and NYC are as different as day and night. If you like capital of the world, then Pitt may feel like a small town to you. If you like C++, CMU has it while NYU is more vba/matlab.

Choosing a program is a function of how to maximize the return of your investments (time, money, lost opportunity) in a form of a job that best fits your career plan. Take into account all of these variables. Plan for best case scenario but prepare for the worst. For all we know, 2009 may be a bust.

 

[Yuriy]

Andy, do you think Baruch has more C++ than CMU?

 

[xzhong]

someone at the CMU program mentioned the curriculum at CMU are more structured than NYU's. They gradually lead to the complicated applications from math and fin foundation and put bigger emphasis on C++ and options. but i also heard from two current NYU students that they really love the program and enjoyed the math/finance courses. It seems they are putting more emphasis on the buy side with the market shifting that way.

Job placements are bad this year at both places. CMU claiming 80% of the Dec graduates are placed, and NYU 70%. Also <50% of their 09 class have internship offers by now.

This is a really tough decision for me. and kind of help/inputs are welcome

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Is it a surprise that students at either CMU or NYU told you they like their programs?
I don't think you will find someone with both first hand experience in both program so it would come down to your gut feeling.
Why not coming over to NYC and spend a day or two visiting the perspective campuses and talk to students, faculty. If you are going to spend 50K or 100K for each program, then a few hundred to make an informed decision would sound like a very smart investment to me.
Either program is a good one and don't expect anyone from Quantnet to tell you which one is better. You can head over to GD forum if you like to read similar discussions.

 

[xzhong]

thank you. I am actually visiting NYC this week.

will sit in on a class at both programs and have a chance to talk to some faculty/students there

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Be sure to let us know your impression upon visiting those programs.

 

[thatsku]

80% of dec 08 grads at CMU and 70% of dec 08 grads at NYU placed.... those stats are not bad considering all things...

 

[Stefan Zota]

80% of dec 08 grads at CMU and 70% of dec 08 grads at NYU placed.... those stats are not bad considering all things...

Stats are nice, but more important is the type of jobs available
At the moment, there is a higher chance of entry-level employment in pure development or actuarial position for example. So the question is how many of the jobs are quantitative ...