Profile review (Fall 2027)

[nuraV]

Background:
Undergrad at the Ohio State University (non-target, state flagship school), majoring in financial mathematics, and computer science with a specialization in AI.
Nationality: Indian
Relevant Coursework: Intro Financial Math, Mathematical Statistics, Applied PDE, Linear Algebra, Financial Economies for Actuaries, Theory of Interest, Scientific Computing
Machine learning, Artificial Intelligence, Data mining, Databases

WorkEx/Research:
Worked at research organization at college, doing AI Model developing related to life sciences (not finance related, but maybe the ML/technical aspects might be useful?)
Did a small experimental/research project with prof on macro economic forecasting with random forest classification
Planning on doing research with professor in future on quantitative finance related topics

GRE: 167
GPA: 3.75

I know I have some time to prepare my application, so hence, I was wondering what I need to really focus on to maximize my admission chances. I would love to get into top MFE, like CMU, or GT. Any thoughts and tips?

 

[Andy Nguyen]

I think advice from @Leggoo MFE applies even his is an edge case. It's intensive preparation but it helped him break into a top 10 program and I am sure it will help you too.

Thread 'From Low CGPA to My Dream School: Columbia MAFN, NYU MFE, and More'

3/24/25

Hello QuantNet Community,

I wanted to share my journey to getting accepted into Columbia's MAFN program, NYU's MFE, NCSU's Mathematical Finance, and Nanyang Business School's MFE in Singapore. I'm still waiting on decisions from Columbia's MFE and GaTech's QCF. My hope is that this post helps those who feel limited by a low CGPA but are passionate about breaking into the world of quantitative finance.

My Biggest Drawback

• Low CGPA: I had a CGPA of 2.98/4.00 in both my undergrad and grad studies.
• Poor Math Grades: I had a B- in Mathematics 3 and a...

• Leggoo MFE
• Replies: 23
• Forum: Articles

• 
• 

 

[nuraV]

I think advice from @Leggoo MFE applies even his is an edge case. It's intensive preparation but it helped him break into a top 10 program and I am sure it will help you too.

Thread 'From Low CGPA to My Dream School: Columbia MAFN, NYU MFE, and More'

3/24/25

Hello QuantNet Community,

I wanted to share my journey to getting accepted into Columbia's MAFN program, NYU's MFE, NCSU's Mathematical Finance, and Nanyang Business School's MFE in Singapore. I'm still waiting on decisions from Columbia's MFE and GaTech's QCF. My hope is that this post helps those who feel limited by a low CGPA but are passionate about breaking into the world of quantitative finance.

My Biggest Drawback

• Low CGPA: I had a CGPA of 2.98/4.00 in both my undergrad and grad studies.
• Poor Math Grades: I had a B- in Mathematics 3 and a...

• Leggoo MFE
• Replies: 23
• Forum: Articles

• 
• 

thanks Andy! I've read trhrough that post and it was very helpful. Specific to my case, what do you think my specific weaknesses are and how to address them?

 

[Andy Nguyen]

You don't mentioned programming so I would assume you need a C++ and Python courses prior to your MFE.
Your undergrad is in financial math which is not ideal. Too specialized for undergrad.
I would suggest taking the Options course here. You can get books and learn about options theory and other basic framework in modern quant finance.
You need to learn the lingo of this industry, go to conference, participate in quant trading contests, do leetcode, etc.

Thread 'MFE Recruiting Reality Check: What Every Incoming Student Needs to Know'

4/10/25

So you got into a MFE Program… Now What?​

There are plenty of articles on how to get into a MFE program… but how do you prepare for the intensely competitive internship recruiting that comes with a graduate program in quantitative finance?

I’m happy to share some insights from my three years of experience working in Career Services for Carnegie Mellon’s MSCF (Master of Science in Computational Finance) program.

The Reality of U.S. Recruitment
*Note: As majority of my students have landed internships and full-time roles in the US, I will focus on how to prepare for...

• Ash Cross
• Replies: 13
• Forum: Articles

• 
• 

 

[nuraV]

You don't mentioned programming so I would assume you need a C++ and Python courses prior to your MFE.
Your undergrad is in financial math which is not ideal. Too specialized for undergrad.
I would suggest taking the Options course here. You can get books and learn about options theory and other basic framework in modern quant finance.
You need to learn the lingo of this industry, go to conference, participate in quant trading contests, do leetcode, etc.

Thread 'MFE Recruiting Reality Check: What Every Incoming Student Needs to Know'

4/10/25

So you got into a MFE Program… Now What?​

There are plenty of articles on how to get into a MFE program… but how do you prepare for the intensely competitive internship recruiting that comes with a graduate program in quantitative finance?

I’m happy to share some insights from my three years of experience working in Career Services for Carnegie Mellon’s MSCF (Master of Science in Computational Finance) program.

The Reality of U.S. Recruitment
*Note: As majority of my students have landed internships and full-time roles in the US, I will focus on how to prepare for...

• Ash Cross
• Replies: 13
• Forum: Articles

• 
• 

hi Andy,
why would you say financial math is not ideal? in my uni, financial math has the same core undergrad sequence (calc3, la, diff eq, stats) as pure math, and the upper level courses are math finance (asset pricing, options theory, etc.) Why would being specialized in undergrad be bad?
also, I already have the python/c++ experience from my cs double major as well.
I will make sure to join the options course you mentioned. any other advice? thank you!

 

[Andy Nguyen]

I hardly see anyone with a quant bachelor degree getting into the industry. Most job would require a master degree so people end up doing MFE anyway.
This means instead of taking math finance courses in undergrad, you could have take it again later in graduate school. In its place, you could use it to take more math or core STEM skills.
What usually happens is that universities have a combined BS-MS in quant where you take another year and get a Master degree.
That said, you have plenty of time now that you know what you will be doing after undergrad.
My advice is to learn as much as you can here. Follow the admission threads for your target programs and see who got in and how. 2027 will be here before you know it.