Profile Review for Fall 2026 applications

[papashango]

Hello everyone,

I'm seeking some candid feedback on my profile for MFE applications and would greatly appreciate any insights on its strengths and weaknesses. I'm B.E Computer Science grad from a Tier 1 university in India, who graduated in June 2025 with a CGPA of 8.06/10 (roughly ~3.45 on a WES scale). I also have a minor in Finance.

Here's a summary of my background:

Academics:

• Degree: Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science
• CGPA: 8.06/10
• Relevant Coursework: Data Structures and Algorithms, Operating Systems, Database Systems, Computer Networks, Foundations of Data Science, Machine Learning, Graph Mining, Probability & Statistics, Mathematics I, Mathematics II, Mathematics III, Principles of Economics, Business Analysis & Valuation, Derivatives & Risk Management, Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting, Securities Analysis & Portfolio Management, Financial Management, Financial Risk Analysis and Management.
• Teaching Assistant: Database Systems (supported 200+ students, revamped lab sheets).

Work Experience:

• Software Engineer 2 at a fortune 10 company: I currently own an entire service for their AdTech platform, which has high revenue generation. Developed API proxy for externalization to sponsors.
• Quant Research Intern: Researched a couple of volatility strategies with 2+ sharpe.
• Research Intern : Working on a paper on option free pricing engine using some numerical methods (think wavelet functions and stochastic calc) at a top business school in my country.
• Software Development Intern at a prominent Indian fintech unicorn: Optimized risk assessment micro-services, created a risk-based authentication system, and engineered a ticket deduplication system using Java.
• Software Development Intern at a fortune 10 company: Architected scalable data pipelines using Java, Scala, Apache Spark, and Apache Airflow, processed large volumes (we’re talking 100Tb+) of advertising data, and contributed to an Advertiser Insights Platform.

Projects:

• Infra Projects : Built a Multi producer single consumer lock free queue (4x faster than a queue with a lock)
• QR projects : A delta hedged live strategy and currently working on a pair trading strategy.
• Graph-Aware LLM Tuning for Textual Node Classification: Implemented the ENGINE framework combining GNNs with LLMs, achieving state-of-the-art performance and significant reductions in training/inference time.
• Unix Shell : Developed a functional Unix-like shell in Java with command parsing, process control, I/O redirection, and piping.
• High-Speed Network Flow Analysis: Collaborated on a nation research firm-commissioned project, enhancing ClickHouse tables and implementing TRIE encoding for JOIN queries, resulting in 98% performance improvement.

Technical Skills:

• Languages: Javascript, Python, C++, Java, Scala
• Libraries & Frameworks: Django, Spring, Apache Spark, Apache Airflow
• Databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, ClickHouse, BigQuery, DynamoDB
• Platforms & Other Software: Linux, Docker, Git, GCP, Jenkins, AWS, Loki, LockSmith

Achievements:

• University merit scholar
• NTSE Scholar
• Jee Advanced (AIR 2.5k)
• All India rank - 1 (AIR 1) in a mental aptitude competition in high school

I have a math intensive substack with 8k+ subscribers. topics mostly include probability theory, stochastic calculus and game theory.
Qualified for INMO (penultimate step for the IMO)
I also have certifications in Financial Engineering, where I learnt grad level theory of Interest Rate Modelling, Numerical Methods in Financial Engineering, Option theory on natural Resources etc etc.

GRE Score: 170Q, 155V

Target : Strat Roles

I'd appreciate any feedback on how my profile stands for MFE programs, particularly regarding:

• Should I even think of applying to T5 schools because of my GPA.
• How do I mitigate my low GPA? (there were 2 semesters where I had to drop courses because of my health which ruined it)
• Will my verbal score be a problem?

Thank you in advance for your time and valuable input!

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Apply to all T10 (or some of those per your criteria).
There are members here who overcame low GPA and share their strategies. Look at the article on the front page.
Verbal score is not an issue. It has not been one for a long time. Programs will interview you to test the language ability.
Take advantage of all the tips shared by admitted applicants on our forum and you should be able to break into programs you thought impossible.
Be active on QuantNet. It works well for many members here since we have active participation by representatives from many top programs.

 

[yuvrajjdoshi]

I kinda have a similar profile (minus the quant exp) and would love to know if there's any pre MFE programs that I could take. I'm targetting QD roles.

 

[papashango]

Apply to all T10 (or some of those per your criteria).
There are members here who overcame low GPA and share their strategies. Look at the article on the front page.
Verbal score is not an issue. It has not been one for a long time. Programs will interview you to test the language ability.
Take advantage of all the tips shared by admitted applicants on our forum and you should be able to break into programs you thought impossible.
Be active on QuantNet. It works well for many members here since we have active participation by representatives from many top programs.

Thanks for the reply @Andy Nguyen, one thing that I want to take into consideration is the type of interviews these universities have. I'd want to know if there's any forum or resource that has been created on quantnet for this. I only have information about Baruch and UCLA (both them have technical interviews), I also do know that CMU has interviews, but I'm not sure if they're technical or behavioural or both.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Thanks for the reply @Andy Nguyen, one thing that I want to take into consideration is the type of interviews these universities have. I'd want to know if there's any forum or resource that has been created on quantnet for this. I only have information about Baruch and UCLA (both them have technical interviews), I also do know that CMU has interviews, but I'm not sure if they're technical or behavioural or both.

This sounds like a good idea to organize interview info for each and every single program. Maybe it can be put on a FAQ tab in each program's page.
Share with us what info/program you gather so far and let's see if we can put something together.