Profile evaluation for MFE 2025

[fatcatking]

Hi all, good day. I am an Indian candidate, from a top IIT (B/D/K) with a dual degree in mathematics, with a CGPA of 8.89. I have done mostly pure mathematical courses in my undergrad. The courses I have done (not limited to) are including topology, probability theory, real+complex analysis, measure theory, functional analysis, ODE+PDE, differential geometry, numerical analysis, numerical methods in PDEs, mathematical finance, and some introductory statistics / ML courses.

I have a publication in a reputed computer vision journal (top 5-10), which tackles probability theory and it's application to image classification. I also had another project with a professor from the economics department, which is hopefully shaping up to become a publication.

Post college, I had worked for 6 months in a S&T role in a major Indian bank (front office), and then I am working for a reputed major prop (in the Indian markets) managing an algorithmic options book. At the time of writing, I have 9 months of experience in my current role at the time of writing this post, and I will have 18 months of experience by the time of joining (August 2025).

The reason I want to explore a masters is because I want to explore other markets, and run my strategies in other markets. I am told I can already get into roles outside my country (India) with effort, but I don't think I'll be able to get the top firms that have a presence in NYC/London/Singapore (which are my dream cities).

Any recommendations for me? Should I also consider applying for applied math/ MSDS programmes?

Education: Top IIT (B/D/K) with a dual degree
Major: Mathematics
Masters: Informatics (medical)
GPA: 8.89 (10/10 masters, 8.6/10 bachelors)
GRE/GMAT: Haven't taken yet
Coursework:
Topology, probability theory, real+complex analysis, measure theory, functional analysis, ODE+PDE, differential geometry, numerical analysis, numerical methods in PDEs, mathematical finance, and some introductory statistics / ML courses
- CS: Programming in C++, Data interpretation
Languages: Python, R, SQL, some Java/C++
Experience: 2Y at the time of joining (hopefully)
Research & Project: 1 publication, 1 due

 

[MikeLawrence]

First, you're in a great role and you're very well prepared academically. You'll do well. I would tell you to take the C++ course here to make sure you're on top of things, but you're a trader so that's less applicable. You can still do it, it's a great course.

Honestly, I'd wait another cycle and get 3 years of experience at your current role. It'll look better, and you'll have a longer track record of real risk taking and trust with your current firm- plus experience. You can always reach out now and see what happens, but I wouldn't rush it and go for a masters just to speed things up. That would seem to be a bit of a step backwards.

 

[fatcatking]

First, you're in a great role and you're very well prepared academically. You'll do well. I would tell you to take the C++ course here to make sure you're on top of things, but you're a trader so that's less applicable. You can still do it, it's a great course.

Honestly, I'd wait another cycle and get 3 years of experience at your current role. It'll look better, and you'll have a longer track record of real risk taking and trust with your current firm- plus experience. You can always reach out now and see what happens, but I wouldn't rush it and go for a masters just to speed things up. That would seem to be a bit of a step backwards.

Thanks for your reply, Mike. Based on your experience on this site and interaction with other potential MFE candidates, do you think this C++ course will increase my odds of getting accepted to a good programme?

 

[arohan]

You have a strong enough profile to be competitive for any and every MFE program. Only need to focus on selecting the programs you wish to apply to, Essays/SoP, and LoRs. If you are sure about going for a masters, I’d say get started with this ASAP.

 

[fatcatking]

You have a strong enough profile to be competitive for any and every MFE program. Only need to focus on selecting the programs you wish to apply to, Essays/SoP, and LoRs. If you are sure about going for a masters, I’d say get started with this ASAP.

Thanks for replying. Would you discourage me from doing a masters? What would you do if you were me?

 

[arohan]

Thanks for replying. Would you discourage me from doing a masters? What would you do if you were me?

No. Not unless it is a big financial burden for you. Indian markets are still pretty nascent in terms of quant and systematic trading and growth can be quite limited afaik. So, yeah, masters does make sense if you want to speed up your career growth. I do agree that you can maybe relocation opportunities might come for you if you wait but these things take time and can be very uncertain. So, going for a masters is not a bad idea at all. Plus, you already check all the boxes these programs seek: Excellent acads, IIT, Very relevant work ex. So, I doubt waiting longer will improve your profile much at all.

 

[fatcatking]

Thanks Rohan! I will be applying for the fall entry of 2025. I am currently preparing for the GRE. Let’s see how it goes.

No. Not unless it is a big financial burden for you. Indian markets are still pretty nascent in terms of quant and systematic trading and growth can be quite limited afaik. So, yeah, masters does make sense if you want to speed up your career growth. I do agree that you can maybe relocation opportunities might come for you if you wait but these things take time and can be very uncertain. So, going for a masters is not a bad idea at all. Plus, you already check all the boxes these programs seek: Excellent acads, IIT, Very relevant work ex. So, I doubt waiting longer will improve your profile much at all.

Thanks Rohan! I am preparing for the GRE currently. I will be applying for the fall entry of 2025.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Many Indians applying to MFE programs have 1-2 years work experience. This is a big advantage compared to other applicants who come straight out of undergraduate.

 

[meowminimeow]

Many Indians applying to MFE programs have 1-2 years work experience. This is a big advantage compared to other applicants who come straight out of undergraduate.

hey like I wanted to like during my undergraduate , I have been consistancy been doing internships on my side without skipping even a bit , so since my start of my second year, I have been part of research/professional paid internships in roles of finance/machine learning/software dev so with that in total if I add up all the months of work, I have reach 2.5years of work experience in college. So will that be counted as all of the work I did had some significant output. Also can I dm you for some help?

 

[meowminimeow]

Hi all, good day. I am an Indian candidate, from a top IIT (B/D/K) with a dual degree in mathematics, with a CGPA of 8.89. I have done mostly pure mathematical courses in my undergrad. The courses I have done (not limited to) are including topology, probability theory, real+complex analysis, measure theory, functional analysis, ODE+PDE, differential geometry, numerical analysis, numerical methods in PDEs, mathematical finance, and some introductory statistics / ML courses.

I have a publication in a reputed computer vision journal (top 5-10), which tackles probability theory and it's application to image classification. I also had another project with a professor from the economics department, which is hopefully shaping up to become a publication.

Post college, I had worked for 6 months in a S&T role in a major Indian bank (front office), and then I am working for a reputed major prop (in the Indian markets) managing an algorithmic options book. At the time of writing, I have 9 months of experience in my current role at the time of writing this post, and I will have 18 months of experience by the time of joining (August 2025).

The reason I want to explore a masters is because I want to explore other markets, and run my strategies in other markets. I am told I can already get into roles outside my country (India) with effort, but I don't think I'll be able to get the top firms that have a presence in NYC/London/Singapore (which are my dream cities).

Any recommendations for me? Should I also consider applying for applied math/ MSDS programmes?

Education: Top IIT (B/D/K) with a dual degree
Major: Mathematics
Masters: Informatics (medical)
GPA: 8.89 (10/10 masters, 8.6/10 bachelors)
GRE/GMAT: Haven't taken yet
Coursework:
Topology, probability theory, real+complex analysis, measure theory, functional analysis, ODE+PDE, differential geometry, numerical analysis, numerical methods in PDEs, mathematical finance, and some introductory statistics / ML courses
- CS: Programming in C++, Data interpretation
Languages: Python, R, SQL, some Java/C++
Experience: 2Y at the time of joining (hopefully)
Research & Project: 1 publication, 1 due

Hey, can I dm you, I am at the similar situation like you and wanna disscuss more?

 

[Phani Sarma]

Strong profile, @fatcatking , expect a good MFE admit for you. Make sure, you diversify/explore both East and West coast MFE univs. Check the latest employment stats directly with latest Alumni. at times college stats can be masking clear picture.

I would go onto say, figure out your exact career path and may be explore - ME / MS in CompSci ( madison , likes top tier ) and MS in Finance. It can give you more time in coursework with 2 yr tenure. All the best.

I am MFE alum, currently setting up my option trading firm in India. Desi Option market is going bonkers, plenty of opportunities !!

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Strong profile, @fatcatking , expect a good MFE admit for you. Make sure, you diversify/explore both East and West coast MFE univs. Check the latest employment stats directly with latest Alumni. at times college stats can be masking clear picture.

I would go onto say, figure out your exact career path and may be explore - ME / MS in CompSci ( madison , likes top tier ) and MS in Finance. It can give you more time in coursework with 2 yr tenure. All the best.

I am MFE alum, currently setting up my option trading firm in India. Desi Option market is going bonkers, plenty of opportunities !!

Hey Phani,
Welcome back. Haven't seen you for a while.
I think keeping the Indian booming market in mind is a good idea as well. Often, MFE grads will work a few years here to pay back their education loan before moving back home. I know a lot of Indian students move back because the H1B process here is too long for Indians and at some points, it's easier to go back.

 

[Phani Sarma]

thanks @Andy Nguyen , yes i worked few yrs in USA, paid off my loans. I still have opportunities to move back to USA, but honestly tired of the visa hassles. Liquidity, market participation, opportunities in Indian market is booming crazy. End of day peace of mind trumps the Visa uncertainity.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

thanks @Andy Nguyen , yes i worked few yrs in USA, paid off my loans. I still have opportunities to move back to USA, but honestly tired of the visa hassles. Liquidity, market participation, opportunities in Indian market is booming crazy. End of day peace of mind trumps the Visa uncertainity.

A lot of people share your sentiments. Nothing is like home, having your family nearby.
Thank you for sharing your advice and experience with people who just starting the same journey.

 

[fatcatking]

Hey, can I dm you, I am at the similar situation like you and wanna disscuss more?

Sure

 

[fatcatking]

Strong profile, @fatcatking , expect a good MFE admit for you. Make sure, you diversify/explore both East and West coast MFE univs. Check the latest employment stats directly with latest Alumni. at times college stats can be masking clear picture.

I would go onto say, figure out your exact career path and may be explore - ME / MS in CompSci ( madison , likes top tier ) and MS in Finance. It can give you more time in coursework with 2 yr tenure. All the best.

I am MFE alum, currently setting up my option trading firm in India. Desi Option market is going bonkers, plenty of opportunities !!

Thank you for your reply, Phani. I am aware of the booming Indian market. But at this stage in my career (I’m 23 years old turning 24, 1 year out of college) I don’t want to stick to one kind of strategy for a long time. I want to explore developed markets, and other strategies. As Rohan pointed out above, I want to speed up my career, and get as much exposure as I can in my 20s.

May I ask which MFE programme you graduated from? Can I also dm you? I want to get an idea about how your experience was.

 

[Phani Sarma]

Sure dm. @fatcatking

 

[zephyrus]

With your profile, I think other than CMU, Princeton and Baruch, all programs must have >=40% probability of selection. Relevant work ex is a pretty underrated spike in anyone's profile.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

You should get a >50% shot at some of these programs. I am sure you lowball this to be safe.
I will release a tool to give the our members a way to assess their chance against all the applicants based on the data from our Tracker.

 

[arohan]

I think you are over complicating things for yourself. Admits and applications are very random and you can arrive at a situation where you might be getting an admit from, say, CMU, and get a reject from somewhere like NYU Tandon. The admission process is very random. You have a strong profile, just work on your essays, SoPs, LoRs and just apply. Maybe segregate programs into buckets. Of the top of my head: Baruch/Princeton/Stanford/CMU, Berkeley/Chicago/Cornell/NYU Courant/Columbia/MIT, NYU Tandon/UCLA, and apply to 2-ish programs in each bucket for round 1 and then see if you need to apply for more in round 2. But yeah, this odds thing is overcomplicating things way too much imho.