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Profile Evaluation : In a terrible situation

Nikhil Arora

Nikhil Arora

Joined
3/9/12
Messages
5
Points
11
Hello All,

I have been following quantnet forums for a long time.I need some pro's to evaluate my situation as it is quite unique and suggest me improvement, as this time I did not get even a call from a single university.

Profile:

Education: Bachelors in Technology from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (Mechanical)

GRE: Q 170, v 156.
GPA: 6.5 /10 really bad grades in mathematics except in programming in which I got Ex.

Work Exp: nearly 2 years in financial service start-up in India ( work related to valuation and risk management solutions across several asset classes)

One intern at HSBC, one foreign training and Google summer of code

one start-up (previously) and patent in field of dynamic route optimization (pending)

4+1 finance publications at international conference and journals.

Certification: CFA Level 2 candidate and FRM .

I was unable to get a call into any of the universities and I suspect it is because of my really really bad grades in mathematics.

Can anyone suggest how should I improve my profile so that I can get admission at a good university next year and what are the ways to compensate my low grades.
 
Which programs have you applied to?
Please enter your profile into our Tracker and sort it by program. You can then compare your profiles against those getting admitted to have a better idea of how competitive you are. That would give you a better idea on what to improve on.
If you think poor math grades doomed your chances, they probably did. Realize that applicant pool is flooded with people from IIT and other top universities in India/China so a glaring weakness like poor math grades are sure reject.
There are aspects of applications you can redo such as GRE but undergrad courses are hard to replace since they are permanent.
 
Hi,

Thanks for replying to my post.

I applied to CMU,Rutgers,NYU,Stanford, Boston and Columbia.All of them rejected.

I understand that in the tough competition that is there for admission, a important factor like GPA can ruin your chances. More frustrating is the fact that I cannot now do anything about it( "In a terrible situation") .

I am planning to take the GRE Math subject test and wanted to know what are other things I can add to show my mathematical proficiency to minimize this flaw I am having, as I want to do quantitative research ultimately.

I am also thinking of completing a 6month-1 year diploma in quantitative finance to improve my chances of admission.Will it help?
 
Unfortunately due to the huge number of applicants from IIT and other top universities in India and China that applying to these programs, nothing can make up for a low GPA as they will inevitably compare you with other IIT students or students from top Chinese universities and all of them have everything else you have such as full mark on GRE, CFA level 3, FRM etc etc.. Since you are already working in Finance, why don't you continue working and earn your reputation through your capability in the field?
 
A full time experience in finance at a captive of a bulge bracket can definitely do the trick. there is no denying to the fact that grades are very important but that can be offset by having a good workex at a brand. keep in mind that the adcom looks into your marketability in the tough American market post your masters. Already having a concrete workex greatly improves your chances at finding a job after you have done your masters and hence gives you an edge over a candidate who has good grades but does not have any concrete workex on the resume.

Just my two cents.
 
what about comparison with candidates who have good grades and good work ex?
 
If I were in your situation, I would try my best and prepare for the Math GRE Subject test since that is the only way in which I could compensate for my grades in mathematics. Try your best here, I have taken the GRE subject test last November. You can pm me for more details.

thanks
Babinu
 
Nikhil Arora said:
Hi,

Thanks for replying to my post.

I applied to CMU,Rutgers,NYU,Stanford, Boston and Columbia.All of them rejected.

I understand that in the tough competition that is there for admission, a important factor like GPA can ruin your chances. More frustrating is the fact that I cannot now do anything about it( "In a terrible situation") .

I am planning to take the GRE Math subject test and wanted to know what are other things I can add to show my mathematical proficiency to minimize this flaw I am having, as I want to do quantitative research ultimately.

I am also thinking of completing a 6month-1 year diploma in quantitative finance to improve my chances of admission.Will it help?
Click to expand...

May be you should try some European programs?
 
"I guess in some cultures, it's taboo to talk about failure. But this is America."

I read this on QN somewhere , so you should not loose heart .... Do your best and I am very sure you will land up in a top MFE program.
 
Hi,

Thank you all very much for replying.

Umnik: Can you suggest any good programs in Europe where GPA is not a big criteria and I can land admission this year.

toucheternalck: I can get a switch in ibd of a reputed firm...will it improve my chance drastically or I take some part time diploma in a highly quantitative course......which one would be a better option so that if I apply next year, I would get admitted in a good MFE program.

Also how much will GRE subjective help in my profile???

Andy Nguyen : any suggestion from your side on how to improve profile for next year admissions.
 
Nikhil Arora said:
Hi,

Thank you all very much for replying.

Umnik: Can you suggest any good programs in Europe where GPA is not a big criteria and I can land admission this year.

toucheternalck: I can get a switch in ibd of a reputed firm...will it improve my chance drastically or I take some part time diploma in a highly quantitative course......which one would be a better option so that if I apply next year, I would get admitted in a good MFE program.

Also how much will GRE subjective help in my profile???

Andy Nguyen : any suggestion from your side on how to improve profile for next year admissions.
Click to expand...

Yes, as per my experience you should make a switch into a reputed firm, well-known to people in US. And of course score in top 10 percentile of GRE Maths, it is quite helpful in compensating for those poor math grades. These two things and I see no reason why you would not get into a good program.

Also, try taking feedback from the schools you got rejects from and what all can you do to improve your chances next year. I know they say that they don't encourage it but dropping an email/calling them once should not be a problem.

Good luck!
 
Hey Nikhil,

You might want to try out the MFE program at EPFL. The second deadline there is around April 15 I guess. You might want to give it a shot. As far as your problem is concerned, I can't comment much, 'coz looking at the profiles on the tracker, I cannot see a single person below the 3.5 GPA scale who scored an admit at top tier universities. Even if someone did, there are a very few of them. The problem is, most people have good grades and all the stuff you wrote, like the CFAs FRMs etc. So, I guess when it comes to a choice between you and them, the Universities tend to chose the one with a higher GPA. There are a couple of decent programs in UK as well, like the Imperial RMFE, Warwick etc. You can look at those.

Goodluck!
 
Nikhil Arora Actually, I've been hearing mixed opinions about self-study / professional exams. I had a chance to ask this question directly, and the admissions lady from a top program told me that neither actuary, FRM, GRE, GRE math, or CFA could make up for bad grades and will severely handicap your candidacy (thank god none of those "holistic approach" answers). Working experience has limited effect because more and more students now come straight from undergrad. Explanations almost never work because there are just too many people WITHOUT explanations. Having bad grades doesn't mean you're bad in math. It means you're a bad student (can't follow directions, deadlines, teamwork, etc.) It also casts doubts on whether you can successfully re-enter the pace of academia (especially for working professionals). Apparently, the only way to fixing bad grades is with better grades from a reputable university.

Look into either MFE pre-courses (Berkeley/CMU) or math certificates (Columbia CVN/CMU, which I prefer). Those definitely aren't cheap with no promise of admissions, but those are reputable person of reference and help set you apart from other foreign applicants. If you look into the recommendation forms, two common questions are "how does the candidate compare to all other students you've taught," and "do you think he's suitable for graduate studies." Comparison to a American student pool is much more tangible than a foreign one since most universities in the US follow a certain pecking order in undergrad admissions (Harvard/Stanford/Yale, and then everyone else... I kid :p) Convey your intention for graduate programs early on, so professors can take note of your progress and provide timely feedback. Interact with TAs as much as possible, because professors will need to draw upon the TAs opinions to compare your profile with your US counterparts within such a short time. It is a more recent snapshot of your academic prowess that admissions can relate to and take confidence in (and chances are the professors know each other personally...)

Hope that helps. Good luck
 
What opinion do you guys have about all these courses like AI,ML and many more free online courses offered by faculty of Stanford/Berkeley/Michigan/MIT?In future,can those be instrumental in compensating for bad grades? I know it may be too early to say still it would be good to hear what others have to say.
 
While reading this thread I cannot help asking one question: what exactly is meant here as 'bad' grades? Can anything below A- in key subjects affect an application to a renowned graduate program (honestly I'm way more interested in a PhD someday in the future than an extra MSc/MFE, but in both cases a strong academic record plays a role, right?) or are 'accidental' weak grades (B and below) pretty irrelevent if the overall GPA is high and supported with extracurricular achievements?
 
Shantanu Kumar said:
What opinion do you guys have about all these courses like AI,ML and many more free online courses offered by faculty of Stanford/Berkeley/Michigan/MIT?In future,can those be instrumental in compensating for bad grades? I know it may be too early to say still it would be good to hear what others have to say.
Click to expand...
There are two purposes to GPAs. 1) measure of your quality as a student (drive, teamwork, consistency, etc), and 2) admissions profile data for prestige. In both cases, only actual paid/supervised/graded courses can count. The free online courses community is purely recreational. As far as I could tell from all my conversations with admissions staff and professors, only actual school work will count.
 
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