Profile Evaluation for Baruch MFE — Please Rate My Admission Chances (1–10)

[kvkvarun]

Hi Everyone,

I’m looking to apply for the Baruch MFE program for Fall 2026 and would really appreciate it if you could take a look at my profile and rate my chances of admission on a scale from 1 to 10. I’m aware of how competitive the program is, so I’d love some honest feedback from the community!

Education:

• Undergrad: B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology, India
• GPA: 73% (Indian Percentage System; equivalent to ~3.2 GPA)
• Relevant Coursework: Power Electronics, Linear Algebra, Probability, Statistics, Differential Equations, Control Systems, Signals, Microprocessors
• Research: IEEE-published paper in Power Electronics

Certifications

• NPTEL Mathematics ( Calculus II , Stochastic Process & Probabillity)
• MITx Mathematical Methods for Quant Finance
• Coursera Specialization: Machine Learning for Trading
• Time Series Forecasting using ARIMA, ETS in Python
• Mathematics for Machine Learning (Coursera)
• Stanford- Game Theory

Projects:

1. Options Trading Strategy Simulator​

Key Deliverables:

• Built a Volatility Smile Simulator using BSM and Heston model assumptions
• Simulated Straddle, Strangle, Condor, Iron Fly strategies
• Created a Greek Sensitivity Tracker (Delta, Gamma, Vega) for various expiry dates
• Used Mibian library and Monte Carlo Simulations to price exotic options

2. Sentiment-Driven Trading Strategy​

Key Deliverables:

• Scraped financial news & Twitter feeds using Tweepy + Webhose
• Applied VADER and BERT-based sentiment models
• Created a sentiment index to filter long/short signals
• Backtested with SPY options or large-cap equities using adjusted weights

3. Time Series Forecasting for Trading​

Key Deliverables:

• Implemented ARIMA and GARCH models for short-term stock return forecasting
• Applied rolling forecasts and walk-forward validation
• Compared model performance with buy-and-hold and momentum-based signals

Work Experience:

• 3 years at IFB Industries Ltd. as an Industrial Engineer

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Your profile is very typical of Indian applicants with the GPA on the lower side. I think you will need to invest more on some serious courses instead of relying on the free Coursera type certifications. They are good to learn the basics but rarely provide the ROI in this competitive field.
I would even suggest 2027 for a better shot at Baruch. If you still want to apply to somewhere else, feel free to do so as is. You may even get into some other programs.
There are many other high quality courses that have been around for over a decade and have a very strong signal with MFE programs since many top applicants complete them and vouch for it. The pre-MFE courses at Baruch and the C++/Python courses offered by QuantNet are some that I'm personally familiar with and can 100% speak for their tremendous value and quality.
Here is something you can look at to see the gap in your profile and ideas to fill them. Everyone thinks they are good until the competition hits them.

Baruch MFE Thread 'Feedback on plan for building profile for Baruch MFE Fall 2026?'

9/2/24

Hi everyone,

I posted here around a month ago, and have since put together a plan for the next year in order to bolster my application, as well as fill most of the quantitative holes from my undergrad degree. Any feedback/suggestions would be much appreciated!

A little background:
I graduated in 2021 with a BBA in Economics/Finance from Baruch College. My GPA was not good (~3.00), but I’ve since gained 3.5 years of experience in industry. My career so far has been in data engineering, software project management, and data science. I consider myself very proficient in Python, SQL...

• grxthy
• Replies: 28
• Forum: United States

• 

 

[kvkvarun]

Your profile is very typical of Indian applicants with the GPA on the lower side. I think you will need to invest more on some serious courses instead of relying on the free Coursera type certifications. They are good to learn the basics but rarely provide the ROI in this competitive field.
I would even suggest 2027 for a better shot at Baruch. If you still want to apply to somewhere else, feel free to do so as is. You may even get into some other programs.
There are many other high quality courses that have been around for over a decade and have a very strong signal with MFE programs since many top applicants complete them and vouch for it. The pre-MFE courses at Baruch and the C++/Python courses offered by QuantNet are some that I'm personally familiar with and can 100% speak for their tremendous value and quality.
Here is something you can look at to see the gap in your profile and ideas to fill them. Everyone thinks they are good until the competition hits them.

Baruch MFE Thread 'Feedback on plan for building profile for Baruch MFE Fall 2026?'

9/2/24

Hi everyone,

I posted here around a month ago, and have since put together a plan for the next year in order to bolster my application, as well as fill most of the quantitative holes from my undergrad degree. Any feedback/suggestions would be much appreciated!

A little background:
I graduated in 2021 with a BBA in Economics/Finance from Baruch College. My GPA was not good (~3.00), but I’ve since gained 3.5 years of experience in industry. My career so far has been in data engineering, software project management, and data science. I consider myself very proficient in Python, SQL...

• grxthy
• Replies: 28
• Forum: United States

• 

Thanks for your honest feedback Mr Nguyen I really appreciate that.

I understand that taking Pre MFE courses is a must to boost my profile for Baruch MFE.

Moving ahead, I'm planning to do the following courses

Baruch Pre-MFE Seminars:

• C++ Programming for Financial Engineering
• Advanced C++ for Financial Engineering
• Probability Theory for Financial Engineering
• Numerical Linear Algebra for Financial Engineering
• Advanced Calculus for Financial Engineering
• Options Primer for Financial Engineering
• Linear Algebra and its Applications, Gilbert Strang
• Econometrics: A Modern Approach, Jeffrey Wooldridge
  
  
  I hope that will boost my profile to the level to get an acceptance from the admission team.
  
  Please let me know if anything more is required apart from this to secure an admission in Baruch MFe.
  
  Thanks.