Please help me decide which programs to apply

[QuantHopeful]

I've decided to apply to 3 programs. I live in Pittsburgh and given how prestige the CMU program is, the first choice is a no brainer. I also have family in NYC so I would like to apply to two schools located there. I figured NYU-poly would be a good safety school for me while it's still a good program. Now, the problem is I can't decide on which one should be my third school to apply. I was thinking about Baruch but the low admission rate drove me away. I have a mechanical engineering degree and have no financial work experience at all. Any idea which program is career-changer friendly(or at least friendlier)?

 

[Dataminer]

Is there a reason why you are only applying to 3 programs?

 

[QuantHopeful]

Considering the number of recommendations I'll need, 3 seems to be a good number. I also don't think more applications equal higher chance of being accepted since the selection process is probably similar among the top programs.

 

[Azamat Bagatov]

Agree with Dataminer here. If you're skeptic about acceptance rates, apply to tier-2 schools. Target rank >= 10 schools. There is Rutgers which is nearby to NY and hosts 2 programs. There's BU which is not far away from NY. IMO, 4-5 schools is a balanced list.

 

[QuantHopeful]

Are those programs career changer friendly? I went to Cornell for undergrad and from what I'd seen, the chance getting in without relevant work experience is pretty slim. The only work experience I have is mechanical engineering related...

Btw, you guys convinced me to apply to 4 schools instead. So far, CMU, Columbia, and NYU-Poly.