COMPARE Oxford MCF vs LSE Financial Mathematics

[ishm]

hey. i am a final year mathematics undergrad student. i have been offered a place at LSE financial mathematics and the Msc mathematical and computational finance at oxford. i am also on the waiting list for the Columbia MAFN. but am not expecting much from that now.
i have to respond back to oxford soon about my decision.
i am extremely confused about which one to consider right now!! any advice on which course and why? would be reallyy helpful!

thanks so much in advance. :sos:

 

[Connor]

Compare the curriculum of the programs and chose the one that most interests you. Also consider whether you want to live in London or Oxford for the duration of your MSc.

 

[ishm]

ya i have compared the curriculum. i prefer the lse curriculum but much of it is similar. and it really doesn't matter to me where i stay during the stay of my MSc.
i was looking more towards which be a better option for me at this stage. does LSE location have an upper hand here? anyone with any info on these courses will be a great help!

 

[Connor]

LSE has the location advantage of being in London so interviews and assessment centers will be easier to get to, but I would think the Oxford brand would go along way.

On another note I believe both of their programs are relatively new....

Personally I would go to Oxford because of the atmosphere.

 

[ishm]

i thought the oxford program was quite established, but then again i dont know too much and have no idea where to find out from. the ideal would be to talk to the alum of both the programs but then how!
i also have a offer to work as a derivatives trader, do you think it makes more sense for me to maybe defer admission for a year and work in the meantime.
ive heard its difficult to find jobs after masters if one doesnt have work exp. any views ?

 

[Connor]

Work experience would definitely help afterward, but can you defer admission?

 

[ishm]

work experience as a derivatives trader would help ?
i can defer LSE most probably, but not oxford. oxford i need to reply back in 2 weeks and tell them my decision. hence the confusion.!

---------- Post added at 06:32 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:30 AM ----------

also defer for 1 year only. so i get 1 year experience on the job

 

[sun]

Hi ishm

I have also got an offer from Oxford and other schools. Regarding Columbia MAFN , I would not recommend one. I worked in NYC and have seen the quality of people going to that program and it was shocking. I do not think Columbia MAFN comes any close to the Oxford program. I personally know quite a few grads from Columbia course who were not able to secure jobs in a good market.

Regarding LSE ( which I applied to and did not get through , I think they prefer people who do not have much work experience and I have over 10 years of IT experience working for investment banks ) and Oxford , it is a tough choice. I think Oxford program is more rigorous and mathematical than LSE. Regarding reputation , both are well reputed , Oxford may be a bit more widely known in US.

Anyway if you want to exchange messages , send me your email . Btw I have accepted the Oxford offer , just waiting for the college allocation.

If you do accept the Oxford offer , look forward to seeing you there.

Cheers

 

[ishm]

well as it turns out, am still confused about oxford or LSE. i was pretty sure of oxford untill recently when i met a couple of professional in the field that seem to be of the reckon that LSE has a better reputation in finance. so back to square one. i am waiting for my college allocation too in oxford. yes sure lets get in touch.
By the way do you have any idea of the placement scenario of both??

 

[Andy Nguyen]

It is what you will always get. Some like X, some like Y. There is no answer to which is better if they are of similar quality.
Send an email to the head of both program and demand a straight answer. If they can't or don't, run.

 

[Sherlock]

Sorry for interupting, but isn't the LSE program more theoretical compared to the Oxfrod one?

 

[ishm]

andy, you think i should ask the head of both programs whether their program is better or the other one?? !! lol..

adt, well maybe but what people have been telling me is LSE is more known on the financial sector, my course at oxford is in the mathematical institute not the business school..

 

[smjoneill]

Hey ishm,

LSE is very well known in The City, but I doubt that any university other than Cambridge comes close to Oxford regarding reputation in the UK...

 

[eddiebeherano]

Hi ishm

I have also got an offer from Oxford and other schools. Regarding Columbia MAFN , I would not recommend one. I worked in NYC and have seen the quality of people going to that program and it was shocking. I do not think Columbia MAFN comes any close to the Oxford program. I personally know quite a few grads from Columbia course who were not able to secure jobs in a good market.

Cheers

Why wouldn't you recommend MAFN? Could you please elaborate more on the quality of people going there because as far as I heard from the alumni, the majority of people going there are French coming from elite engineering schools like Polytechnique ( the Alliance exchange program) who are brilliant and massively recruited by the program because they have shown extremely good quantative skills. I would really want to hear your experience in NYC...

 

[cesc]

Hey, I also wish to hear some information about MAFN.

I know some students who just graduated from Oxford MCF, 90% of them found pretty good jobs till now.(like quant or trader positions in world famous banks) So I believe Oxford could be a good choice. (not sure about LSE)

 

[hosmer]

I am currently considering two offers: LSE MSc in Financial Mathematics and Oxford MSc in Mathematical and Computational Finance.

Does anyone have insights into recruiting into quant roles from either one? Or just general advice about the courses or the types of people that should go for them?

 

[joe_boy]

I am currently considering two offers: LSE MSc in Financial Mathematics and Oxford MSc in Mathematical and Computational Finance.

Does anyone have insights into recruiting into quant roles from either one? Or just general advice about the courses or the types of people that should go for them?

You should choose Oxford. Think it's a no-brainer. Except if you are considering the possibility of living in London. I checked the placement for LSE Finmath and it didn't feel very impressive. Also, I have seen many Oxford MCF quant alumni on LinkedIn working for top financial institutions...Oxford has a very good brand name and also one of the best program for a PhD in Quant Finance, together with the program at ETH Zurich. Lastly, after Cambridge, Oxford is widely regarded as the best place to study maths in the UK...LSE is not really well regarded for math degrees. Think schools like Edinburgh, Imperial, Warwick even rank higher.

 

[AllAboutMacro]

I am currently considering two offers: LSE MSc in Financial Mathematics and Oxford MSc in Mathematical and Computational Finance.

Does anyone have insights into recruiting into quant roles from either one? Or just general advice about the courses or the types of people that should go for them?

Genuine advice, if this is a question for you then you need to work on your research approach or skills and qualitative judgement. This probs sounds salty and tbh I am, but genuinely you should work on it.

By every single criteria, Oxford is the choice. These courses are not in the same tier. Congratulations mate, genuinely. You must have worked really hard to be good enough to get in. Good luck in the future.

Might seem random but may I ask, are you a Christian?