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research on MFE...

Andres Vargas

Andres Vargas

Joined
2/9/12
Messages
33
Points
16
Hi everyone! I've been reading about doing a MFE...and as I've read 'til now, the thing is tough...googling about this topic I found this article which I find very discouraging
http://www.global-derivatives.com/forum/index.php?topic=5801.0;wap2
i understand this as: "don't even think about taking an MFE, specially if you're not strong skills in maths/programming"...well i actually do have strong skills in mathematics, but I have a major in finance, and math wasn't big deal as a part of the curriculum...is there any chance to get into a program as baruch, for example if i take the pre mfe? will that enhance my profile?...i have a GPA of 3.12/4.00 and i haven taken the GRE or TOEFL yet, until i decide to go to the US...i need your feedback...THANKS A LOT!
 
Oh I didn't know that...I was thinking to take the courses just before the MFE starts, but i think it's risky...is there any online courses that are similar to baruch's pre mfe?....i saw netmath's courses but are there any othr options you think would be worthy?....
 
This is the part where I'll tell you to be a big boy and evaluate your own risk for taking these pre-MFE classes.

If you are a fresh graduate, low GPA is pretty much a death sentence because there's really little you can add to distinguish yourself (from hordes and hordes of other fresh grads). Average Baruch GPA has climbed to 3.7. If Baruch accepts you with a 3.12, they'll have to admit two people with 4.0 to offset your GPA. Sure, these pre-courses will hopefully increase your GPA by a little bit (3 courses). But if they accept too many students with low GPAs to the point where their average begins to drop (and remember, Baruch doesn't have that many students to begin with), then.... well, I don't know if either recruiters or alumni will be very happy about that.

Low-GPA is more reparable when you have w/e and can articulate clearly what it is you wish to accomplish. You have a lot more stories for highlighting your maturity and readiness. Now you can (hopefully) get the benefit of doubt for your personal growth. You've grown much wiser and more determined, the those pre-courses are just there to validate your ability to rejoin academia. School isn't just about learning. It is as much of test for personality as it is a test for intellect.
 
bullion thank you for showing me the ugly truth. it's hard to accept it but it shows me how difficult it might get if i apply for the baruch mfe program now. i should continue enhancing my work experience now. i'm also preparing for the FRM do you think that would improve my curriculum? by now my work isn't very quantitative, would it really count as a relevant work experience? cause i definitely want to focus on the quantitative analysis. what would you recommend to do academically as i gain work experience?

one more thing, i want to focus in risk management since it's a field i want to develop in my country...do you think i would be doing the right decision by taking baruch mfe program? or what would you sugesst?

i have a lot of doubts i hope to solve through this forum!

thanks again for your answer, it was very useful :)
 
bullion said:
Sure, these pre-courses will hopefully increase your GPA by a little bit (3 courses). But if they accept too many students with low GPAs to the point where their average begins to drop (and remember, Baruch doesn't have that many students to begin with), then.... well, I don't know if either recruiters or alumni will be very happy about that.
Click to expand...
Baruch pre-MFE courses are all non-credit.
Think of them as crash courses. There are some reviews of the courses here
https://www.quantnet.com/forum/threads/baruchs-pre-mfe-reviews-anyone.8189/
 
Andres Vargas
I will tell you that I'm not an expert on admissions, so I can't really answer your question. I often stress that every application should be customized to your resume, especially for your target school. Basically, you need someone with actual admissions experience who can be honest with you, and asking admissions questions here is practically useless. you can learn a lot from all the debates when one of the practitioners lays his axe on the poor newbies though including me. those will help you a lot in learning about the recruitment environment and sentiment in the US, and gives you good idea of the questions to ask without sounding stupid.

I will start by emailing Andy Nguyen in private and beg him to go over your resume/transcript. Linda from UC Berkeley also offers preview on resumes. Every school has program advisors for their students. Call their office, and see if anyone is willing to talk to you. After hearing their opinions, you rank the most popular concerns those advisors have, and you overcome them one by one. Sometimes they might suggest thing requiring sufficient financial resources. But if more than 2-3 people tell you the same thing, it's just the cost of business and please do not cut corners in satisfying those expectations. BE SPECIFIC. Anyone who tells you "we look at your holistic profile, and you should just apply" after your first email is really just blowing you off and trying to scam for your application fee. Your success rate is really really late unless someone you trust confirms that you're ready. No need to jump the gun if all you gonna get in rejection.

Also, these people are busy. Don't ask generic questions about their admissions process or program unless it's something you can't research yourself on the web. Think your questions through to make sure they are in the position of answering your questions without conflict of interest or violation of confidentiality.
 
Re: Risk management
I think Andy previously mentioned that you shouldn't claim you would go help develop / explore a whole new market in your home country because that is incredibly naive, and I agree. Focus more on why you want to do risk management. Did something personal happened to you that prompt such shift in interest? Someone on this forum once mentioned that Baruch might not be the best option due to limited oversea exposure. But honestly, you're likely to work for a US bank for a couple years, and those should be sufficient "brand name" for you to transfer oversea. Baruch has arguably the best placement effort available with the director literally picking jobs for you given your strengths, and I argue it's the best program for anyone without relevant experience.

Nevertheless, you should do your own INDEPENDENT research, go through every curriculum description, placement record if available, student profile/resumes, and see which you fit the most. 90% of these MFE programs teach the same thing, but whether you fit with the alumni pool will determine if you're just buying an expensive wallpaper or becoming a part of a powerful community.
 
bullion said:
I'm not a big fan of non-credit courses because they aren't exactly transferable and doesn't really have much weight on admissions if I apply to non-MFE programs. Nevertheless, very good opportunity to communicate with other Baruch students and faculty.
Click to expand...
actually my first choice was to specialize myself in risk management since im taking the frm, but then doig some more research i found the mfe program very interesting and i was impressed by the curriculum and the orientation of the program. i read many forums talking about the mfe program in many universities and that is why i became also interested in this program....that's why i dont close my options only to baruch, since my goal is to enter the quantitative field of finance and im taking all the dimensions of it (academics, networking, my financial possibilities)...so i guess my first goal would be to define the degree i will focus in...
i know it might sound naive to explore a new market in my country...Bolivia is so under developed and actually i would like to work in bigger markets where things are taken seriously....

i will take your tips bullion since i find them very useful and realistic for my situation right now...thanks to everyone else too i would gladly keep getting more advices... :)
 
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