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Should I save up for 2 yrs for an Top 5 US MFE? Is the cost worth it? Thank you for any input/advice

Joined
6/11/17
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Hi.

I have a Dual Bachelors in Math and Comp Sci, and I'm doing a Masters in Math somewhere in Europe. Top 30 school in QR Global Rankings.

I currently have a great job lined up in in one of the sectors which everyone is trying to get into (think big data/data science/machine learning). It is a great gig and would help me develop more skills but ultimately is not my main goal.

In 5-7 years time I would like to be in asset management or at a systematic hedge fund in NYC or London. NYC is the number goal. Think GS Strats/MS, Citadel etc etc. (Remark: I can work in both places).

Question: Should I save up for 2 years and shoot for MIT MSc Finance, Harvard CSE, Stanford MCF (Mathematical Computational Finance) Princeton MSc Finance. The other two target schools would be Columbia and Cornell.

Does the brand name and prestige of one of these schools and average starting salary outweigh the financial costs one would occur from taking the course? I think I stand a very high chance of getting but the cost is basically the number one factor which I have to factor in. How will I pay for the course and basically survive for 14-24 months (depending on the length of the program).

Alternative: The only other alternative for me is Switzerland. ETH and EPFL in Switzerland would basically cost me nothing. Less than 5-6K across the whole year. Canada would also be cheap for me. Italy/UK/France: The top 3 schools in the UK/Italy/France would only be 20-30% cheaper than the US programs but the US programs come with careers services, higher employment stats, and on campus recruiting.

I know these schools are respected in London/Paris but I do not know if American recruiters know about ETH or EPFL as opposed to the top 5-10 US schools.
 
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