Question on MFE Admission

[kevin]

Dear all,

I am a Baruch alumni who graduated in 2000. I am very interested in this program and did ask some questions about the admission from Baruch but got redirected to FAQ.

I haven't taken my GRE yet so I have no clue how well I will be doing on that.
Here is a little history about me.

I have a CIS degree, mathematics minor from Baruch. GPA: 3.6, Major GPA: 3.93. I was a physics tutor at Baruch for about 2 years. All my math scores were A or A-.

I have been working as an application and web developer for 6 years, unfortunately(or fortunately) using PHP, Coldfusion, Shell script, Oracle, Mysql etc., but not C/C++/Java. Got two certifications on Java and Mysql.

My major problem is that my mother language is not English. I am studying GRE now and my head gets really hot most of time when I am at the verbal section. :smt005 !!!. I know I will compete with a lot of outstanding folks for the admission, but just want to know the chance that I get admitted.

Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated!!

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Hi Kevin,
Welcome to Quantnet. May I ask how you find out about Quantnet?
As for GRE, you can take practice exams and see how you score. You don't need a perfect GRE verbal but you probably need to score well on the GRE quant. Shoot for 790-800 mark. It's not that difficult if you have mathematical background.
As for GRE verbal, it's difficult for people whose first language is not English. I'm one of them so i know. Just make sure you convey your thoughts well on the essays, statement of purpose. By your writing, I can see that you should not have a very big problem with writing. The 2006 admission stat is in so you can see take a look. http://www.quantnet.com/baruch/masters_admission_stats_new.html

Ask any question you may have.
Regards,
Andy

 

[kevin]

Thanks Andy,

I found this site because I was curious about how good this program is so I googled "Mathematics on Finance in Baruch". Without that much effort I got that on google. You can try that and it shows up probably the 2nd or the 3rd in the list.

I've been following the program news for about 2-3 years. I used to work in Long Island so that I was ready for it. I am working in the city now and considering the MFE. Mathematics is always my first favarite. Looks like people here are highly competitive so I like to know how they prepared this program before hand.

By the way, tell you what? It took me 3 times to pass the WAT(writing assessment test). :smt006

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Thanks Andy,
I found this site because I was curious about how good this program is so I googled "Mathematics on Finance in Baruch". Without that much effort I got that on google. You can try that and it shows up probably the 2nd or the 3rd in the list.

I've been following the program news for about 2-3 years. I used to work in Long Island so that I was ready for it. I am working in the city now and considering the MFE. Mathematics is always my first favarite. Looks like people here are highly competitive so I like to know how they prepared this program before hand.
By the way, tell you what? It took me 3 times to pass the WAT(writing assessment test). :smt006

Yay, I asked because it seems most people knew about Quantnet via the forum over at Global Derivatives. I'm glad that the effort we put into this made it accessible for everyone via Google.
You are in very good shape in term of information about the program because you can find friendly folks around here who will answer questions from prospective students. By reading posts here, you can get ton of useful info

Ok, now to the main points.
1)Yes the program is very competitive. And I'm sure it will be more so next year as more and more qualified students find out about the field and our program. We will have several PhD holders apply to our program next year. This should not stop you from applying. Everyone deserves an equal opportunity in our program.
2)Read this http://www.quantnet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=384
3)I have no idea what WAT is and it's irrelevant. You should prepare for GRE, get good score. You have a CIS degree and a math minor, that means not enough math and hard core programming. Take more C++, math courses to get your skills up to date. Ideally, you should had taken Calculus I,II,III, ODE, Linear Algebra, Probability, Statistic. If you haven't, take it. You may get admitted without doing so but it will serve you right in the end. Get John Hull's Options, Derivatives book and read it. Those info are invaluable throughout your study. If I have finished reading that book by the time I enter the program, I would be in much better shape.
4)Schedule an Open house information session with our program. While you are there, try to schedule to meet with our director, Prof. Dan Stefanica to state your case. He is friendly but at the same time very direct. He will tell you exactly what you need on your application.

The deadline for Fall 2007 is April 30, 2007 but I suggest you start preparing for it now. Hopefully, these info will give you a better a sense of what one must prepare and at the same time, won't discourage anyone from applying to our program. Even though I've only been here for a short time, I'm very very happy with the direction and the quality of the program and the people involved.

Goodluck.
Andy

 

[matthew]

gmat has no bearing on admissions?

I have only taken GMAT so far, is the GRE required to apply.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

gmat has no bearing on admissions?
I have only taken GMAT so far, is the GRE required to apply.

Some programs prefer GMAT, some do GRE. Baruch MFE program prefers that applicants take GRE over the GMAT score. If you took GMAT already but believe you can do better, then it does not hurt to take GRE again. If not, you can submit your GMAT. If your GMAT was taken a while ago, it's a good idea to take the GRE now and see if you improve your score.