Opinion of Stevens

[K Hibner]

First off, thanks for the very informative forum and website. I have a couple of questions:

I noticed that Stevens Institute of Technology is in your wiki, although no information has been filled out. I currently attend Stevens as an undergraduate; I am not worried at all about being accepted to the graduate program here for a Masters in Financial Engineering. I am wondering what the overall opinion of Stevens program in Financial Engineering is though? I asked a few questions; they would not give me any data on job placement (though undergrads here have 99% placement and it is the same Career Office) and they stated that the average salary of grads is $90k.

I am also interested in other programs, but uncertain if I can be accepted anywhere "better" than Stevens.

Some Information about me (aka mini CV):
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, minor in Mathematics, Master of Science in Computer Science Expected Spring 2009
CGPA: 3.3
I've had an internship at BlackRock albeit in IT.
The Stevens CS curriculum is a very practical one: I am proficient in C++, C#, C, ASP.NET, Java, Matlab, Scheme ...

I have yet to take the GRE but practice tests indicate I will perform very well.

I am interested in the "top tier" programs that have been mentioned all over the forums (Princeton, Columbia, NYU, Baruch, etc). I am restricted to certain areas of the country by where my boyfriend's employer has offices (though NY definitely seems the place to be).

What is your opinion of whether or not I could get into a "top" program with my current profile? Should I settle for Stevens?:-k

Clarification: Basically I want to know how Stevens' Program stands and whether or not I'm even in the proverbial "ballpark" CV wise to get into these other schools. I am NOT looking for anybody to say whether or not I would actually get in.

Thank you!

Katie

 

[MikeK]

It is true that Stevens has one of the highest-rated career placement offices in the country, but that does not always translate to all of their graduate programs. FE is a different beast. I've taken 2 FE classes at Stevens--as a supplement my existing career--and I've liked the classes so far. However, in reading a lot of recent posts, this tightening job market means a lot of these "lower-tier" programs are having trouble placing graduates.

There are three things I'd suggest. First, given that you're an undergrad/grad student at Stevens already, I'd look elsewhere if for no other reason than to get exposure to different universities. Second, your GPA is good but not great, and applying right out of your program means your GPA will carry more weight on your application. And if you're applying to schools like NYU, Baruch, CMU, etc, you are competing against average GPA's of 3.5 or higher. By getting more real job experience, you will definitely strengthen your candidacy, esp if you can get jobs at places like Blackrock (even if it is in IT).

Third, seeing as your finishing your masters in CS now, do you really want to jump right into ANOTHER masters program??

As for the overall view on Stevens' program, it depends who you ask. But the only true gauge is the success of their graduates. Very few schools--including Stevens--give good data on this.

 

[K Hibner]

I have considered working for a year and applying for Fall '10, as my Cumulative GPA will have improved somewhat (my CGPA is weighed down by a few courses from my early days at Stevens). However, I am quite sure I want to go directly into a Masters program for a couple of reasons: My loans will allow me to defer repayment until after the Masters, but they can't guarantee that I will be able to do so if I enter a Masters program after working for a year. I also feel like once I start a full time job, it will be a lot harder to switch back to education. If it makes a difference, my Masters GPA is well over a 3.5, as is my Major GPA and Minor GPA. (Off to create spreadsheets and figure these out exact right now). I will also have a job over the summer with a Financial Software company (not a big name though). It does not feel like I'm jumping from one Masters program to the next; the undergrad CS degree at Stevens leaves a lot of room to intersperse enough courses to get a Masters at the same time.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

I am wondering what the overall opinion of Stevens program in Financial Engineering is though? I noticed that Stevens Institute of Technology is in your wiki, although no information has been filled out.

I have to admit that I haven't heard about the Steven's program until I started the wiki. We sent out info for all the programs to edit their wiki entry but unfortunately, some didn't bother. Only people from Baruch, NYU, Columbia MSFE actually took time to do it.

I asked a few questions; they would not give me any data on job placement (though undergrads here have 99% placement and it is the same Career Office) and they stated that the average salary of grads is $90k.

It's important how they responded to your questions.
Is it "we do not disclose that data under any circumstance" or "You will know it when you join our program" or "We don't keep track of those data"
How they response said a lot about their program. If they are involved in their student job search, they will keep track of every single graduate whereabouts.

As far as info about the Steven placement info, I'm afraid you are the closest person (literally) to find out.

With your background, it's definitely worth it to try other programs as well. You seem confident that you can get in Stevens program so you should definitely do some research about other local programs (Baruch, NYU, Columbia, CMU)

 

[didje]

Re-up !

Have Stevens disclosed more info on their job statistics (starting salaries for MFE students, job placement etc...) ? And how this Master is really perceived by professionals on Wall Street ?