COMPARE USC MFE vs Lehigh MSAF vs UMN MFM

[wayne_xu]

I am new to quantnet and now really puzzled about how to choose among these 3.

I've received Ads form these three programs: USC MFE, Lehigh University M.S. in Analytical Finance, and University of Minnesota M.s. in Financial Mathematics. I've searched online for half a month, but still do not get much information.
Currently, I find out that USC is very appealing to me. USC MFE has a nice and flexible curriculum. And USC is also very famous. But USC is also expensive and this program does not receive very nice comments online. For Lehigh, this school has an excellent reputation on the East Coast. It is also closer to the financial centers (like NYC) and that could be a advantage when looking for a good internship. And for UMN, this program is rather cheap, and this school also has a reputation of high teaching quality.

I hope that I could get some more insight from people to help with this decision. Appreciate any feedback.
Thanks much!

 

[wayne_xu]

Pathetic...no reply...

 

[vashok]

ive heard very negative things about USC MFE.. i think their MSMF is the better program. Looks like UMN is the way to go. it has a very strong math department

 

[wayne_xu]

@vashok,Thanks for your help!

very negative things? What exactly are they? I did not apply MSMF since I think MFE is easier to get an AD. ):

UMN's math department is quite strong , and its curriculum contains too much math course and leave little room for finance. And I am not quite sure about this program reputation in industry.

and How about lehigh?

 

[onthesc]

@wayne_xu, well the USC MSFE is a VERY FRESH program, so I wouldn't make a brash conclusion on it. It's definitely a risk since it's new.

I think if you ultimately want to end up in NY, Lehigh might be the better choice just because at least the name is some what recognizable. I don't know anything about their curriculum.

However, USC's reputation in the west cannot be denied.

 

[wayne_xu]

@onthesc, Thanks for you advise!!
you mean that Lehigh is more help for job hunting in NYC than USC? Well , I have no idea about where I want to go. It depends on my first job.

So take away the location, USC's MFE and Lehigh's MSAF, which one do you think could provide better job chance ?

Thanks a lot !

 

[Andy Nguyen]

This topic raises all kind of red flags and has all the tell-tale sign of someone heading into a career blackhole.
1) How did you come to know and apply to these programs in the first place?
2) What kind of research have you (or rather have you not) done on these programs?
3) When you see "not nice comments", "very expensive" about USC MFE program, did it worry you at all? Did you investigate who wrote those comments? Are they graduates of the USC MFE programs? Are their complaints valid?
4) Your comments on the #1 and #4 seem to me you are easily swayed by online comments without relying on your own research.
5) You said you applied to USC MFE instead of USC MSMF because it's easier to get an admit. There is a reason why some programs are easier to get into than others.

Wall Street is a competitive place. If you are not competitive enough for the top programs, you are not competitive enough for the top jobs.

So take away the location, USC's MFE and Lehigh's MSAF, which one do you think could provide better job chance ?

What did the programs tell you when you ask them directly? Or you haven't bothered to ask?

 

[wayne_xu]

@Andy, Thanks for your reply! You've pointed out the key part of my problem. My aimlessness is fatel for my career.
Without a clear career plan, trying to find out which one of them is so called "better" does not matter at all.

I've done some researches on these problems, but obviously not enough. And in the past, I tried to gather information from students in these program and online BBS.

I think I should take a serious consideration of my future career and finish my undone school research. Then I guess I would know which one of these three I should go, or reapply in the next year.

Thanks Andy. I really appreciate your advise.

 

[IlyaKEightSix]

Lehigh MSAF: has a few gems with some of the quant courses, but the fact that half of it is financial fluff really drags it down, as well as the lack of programming core.

 

[Su Hua]

UMN is located in twin city, MN, there are many 500 fortune companies like Target, Land'oLake, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, US bancrop, United Health Group etc. Meanwhile, twin city has many insurance companies so you actually have many choices.
Plus, UMN program will also provide you a personal career coach who will guide you to build your net work with local industry guys, which is awesome and helpful for international students who have no idea how to start to find a job.