COMPARE Rutgers MSMF vs UT MMF vs UT-austin Business Analytics

[hailin]

I have been admitted to the three programs, but I am not sure which one to attend. I am an international student and hope to land a job in the U.S. after graduation. I really need some advice.

Here's my analysis about the three programs.
I heard that courses of the MSMF program are very difficult and too theoretical , and some people even transferred to other programs because of that. But the good thing about this program is its location. Despite the good location, some people say that Chinese students still cannot find jobs. So I am a little confused about the real situation of Rutgers.
MMF program at UT is only 9 months which includes a 3-month internship. I am afraid that I won't learn much things during the program.
As for business analytics program in Mccombs School of Business of UT-austin. I don't know if business analytics is promising in the U.S. and the employment situation. But it seems that UT-austin is very good at least in Texas. But still this is a one-year program, a little bit short. Any information about the present and future situation about business analytics ?

 

[C S]

I have been admitted to the three programs, but I am not sure which one to attend. I am an international student and hope to land a job in the U.S. after graduation. I really need some advice.

Here's my analysis about the three programs.
I heard that courses of the MSMF program are very difficult and too theoretical , and some people even transferred to other programs because of that. But the good thing about this program is its location. Despite the good location, some people say that Chinese students still cannot find jobs. So I am a little confused about the real situation of Rutgers.
MMF program at UT is only 9 months which includes a 3-month internship. I am afraid that I won't learn much things during the program.
As for business analytics program in Mccombs School of Business of UT-austin. I don't know if business analytics is promising in the U.S. and the employment situation. But it seems that UT-austin is very good at least in Texas. But still this is a one-year program, a little bit short. Any information about the present and future situation about business analytics ?

The reality is more complex. It's more convenient to tell an extremely simple story: "Rutgers has an advantageous location but classes are too theoretical blah blah". The numerical analysis classes are probably on par with the undergrad versions at a good state university in terms of the level of sophistication they expect. Probably it's comparable with other MFEs but strangely many students that want to be quants find that level to be too challenging. That might explain the difficulty some students encounter in the rigorous Wall St interview process.

TL;DR your "analysis" is just a regurgitation of stories people like to tell. I'd hate to think people really make their decisions based purely on the repetition of said stories. But many do.

If you've read this far, I'll give you a piece of real advice. If you're like most Chinese students I met, you never faced a real challenge on your own. You prefer to rely on the group, not yourself. You spent all your time studying instead of learning normal human behavior. In other words you are missing initiative and ability to communicate with others, two of the most valued skills on Wall St. If you're like most, you probably think this doesn't matter. You've done well on tests so what else matters?

The reality is a top undergrad from Rutgers probably got a better education than you. He or she would have had to struggle through a notoriously unfriendly academic environment. The professors are very good even if the average student is not elite. They didn't coddle but kept up their standards. I doubt a good CS major from Rutgers would struggle with a basic programming exercise like printing out a diamond shape, line by line, which a fair number of MSMF students had issues with.

The reality is the economy is not great. Jobs aren't easy to get. But so many international students seem to think they can just come to the US with their crappy coding and math ability and think they'll just get a 100k job.

I haven't noticed technically adept people not being able to get a job. But the job market is not great. So the jobs available for entry level are not lucrative. Try to get an independent assessment of your abilities from someone familiar with "American" ideals. And be realistic about your opportunities and what's out there. For gods sake, don't be one of those students that talks about wanting to work at an IB but can't tell me what an IB does or the names of 5 IBs.

 

[Hunter]

The reality is more complex. It's more convenient to tell an extremely simple story: "Rutgers has an advantageous location but classes are too theoretical blah blah". The numerical analysis classes are probably on par with the undergrad versions at a good state university in terms of the level of sophistication they expect. Probably it's comparable with other MFEs but strangely many students that want to be quants find that level to be too challenging. That might explain the difficulty some students encounter in the rigorous Wall St interview process.

TL;DR your "analysis" is just a regurgitation of stories people like to tell. I'd hate to think people really make their decisions based purely on the repetition of said stories. But many do.

If you've read this far, I'll give you a piece of real advice. If you're like most Chinese students I met, you never faced a real challenge on your own. You prefer to rely on the group, not yourself. You spent all your time studying instead of learning normal human behavior. In other words you are missing initiative and ability to communicate with others, two of the most valued skills on Wall St. If you're like most, you probably think this doesn't matter. You've done well on tests so what else matters?

The reality is a top undergrad from Rutgers probably got a better education than you. He or she would have had to struggle through a notoriously unfriendly academic environment. The professors are very good even if the average student is not elite. They didn't coddle but kept up their standards. I doubt a good CS major from Rutgers would struggle with a basic programming exercise like printing out a diamond shape, line by line, which a fair number of MSMF students had issues with.

The reality is the economy is not great. Jobs aren't easy to get. But so many international students seem to think they can just come to the US with their crappy coding and math ability and think they'll just get a 100k job.

I haven't noticed technically adept people not being able to get a job. But the job market is not great. So the jobs available for entry level are not lucrative. Try to get an independent assessment of your abilities from someone familiar with "American" ideals. And be realistic about your opportunities and what's out there. For gods sake, don't be one of those students that talks about wanting to work at an IB but can't tell me what an IB does or the names of 5 IBs.

As a Chinese student, I totally agree with you. Do you mind that I repost your analysis on my facebook?

 

[C S]

As a Chinese student, I totally agree with you. Do you mind that I repost your analysis on my facebook?

Thanks for asking. You're free to do as you like, but if you mind that I might care, I don't care either way. I hope my late night ranting is useful to somebody.