What can I do more?

[dingdongindian]

Hey everyone, I am targeting MFE and related programs from the following universities for the fall 2026-->
1.) UChicago
2.) UW
3.) UC berkley
4.) NYU courrant
5.) Georgia Tech
6.) North Carolina State university

My profile -
1.) Undergrad from Indian Institute of Technology(IIT) Kharagpur, the elite Indian engineering school, in Mechanical Engineering.
2.) A research paper in ML in IEEE, and potentially another one in the pipeline, mostly pertaining to QR and genetic algorithms
3.) Math related coursework - Linear algebra(to a bit of an advanced level, included some real analysis), Calculus(upto multi variate calculus), Transform calculus, Probability and Statistics, Operations research,Robust design for quality(another math heavy course including probability and techniques like six sigma, chi tests etc) and some other math heavy courses like heat transfer, thermofluids etc. I think I lag in time series analysis and PDE(although I did use a lot of PDEs throughout my degree)
5.) Basic economics 101, mostly macro economics, I have registered for CFA L1 for next May.
6.) Work experience- 2 internships, both in software engineering, and currently working as a back-end engineer, will have around 1.5 years of workex by the time I start applying to colleges. Pretty good knowledge of C/C++/Java. Excellent CP ratings across most major platforms.
7.) Planning to do a lot of MOOCs in maths and econometrics ,computer science, and machine learning(I already know quite a bit of all of these, but need some valid proof of my expertise).

My issues -
1.) A bit low on the GPA scale, 3.15 to be precise. Also, a C grade in the linear algebra course.

How realistic is it for me to target the above mentioned MFE programmes? And what can I do to increase my chances?
Thank you in advance!!

 

[Andy Nguyen]

For Fall 2026, you have a good amount of time to improve you chance and target more competitive program even Baruch.
You said you know C++ so I'll take it that you can handle interviews where they ask hardcore C++.
Take this Python course to complement your skills. It is a strong signal these days and many programs will use Python in their courses.
Address the C in linear algebra. Can you retake it again at an online college for credit and get an A?
MOOC are good way to learn and self-improve but they are not rigorous enough.
In a year time, you may want to access the target list again.

 

[dingdongindian]

For Fall 2026, you have a good amount of time to improve you chance and target more competitive program even Baruch.
You said you know C++ so I'll take it that you can handle interviews where they ask hardcore C++.
Take this Python course to complement your skills. It is a strong signal these days and many programs will use Python in their courses.
Address the C in linear algebra. Can you retake it again at an online college for credit and get an A?
MOOC are good way to learn and self-improve but they are not rigorous enough.
In a year time, you may want to access the target list again.

Just to make it clear, I wanna end up at a university during the fall 2026, so from here on, I have around an year to improve my profile before the applications start.
For python, yes I will go for a MOOC, a recognized one for that matter.
I can handle the C++ part pretty well.
For linear algebra, I was also thinking the same. I was very unlucky on how I read 2 questions wrong which lead to that C grade. Can I retake it from EDX or equivalent and cover it up? Pretty sure I would end up with an A.
Also going to take econometric courses from EDX or some other equivalent source.
What about the GPA though? IITs aren't very liberal when awarding marks, and grading is hyper competitive here. How much will that hurt my chances?
Also, do publications in the fields I mentioned matter?
Thank you once again!!

 

[Andy Nguyen]

GPA from IIT, Peking, Tsinghua and the likes are well-understood by admission officers so I wouldn't concern about it. They have their own internal scale.
Anything you can do from now is contributing positively to the profile. Paper publication is a good signal. Most applicants don't have that.
You already did the best thing for your chance of success by joining QuantNet and ask question.
My tip for you is to immerse yourself with all the resources we have here, get obsessed with it, read everything you can from the reading list.
Follow @MikeLawrence as an example of someone who is doing a very thorough job of preparing himself for this field.

 

[dingdongindian]

GPA from IIT, Peking, Tsinghua and the likes are well-understood by admission officers so I wouldn't concern about it. They have their own internal scale.
Anything you can do from now is contributing positively to the profile. Paper publication is a good signal. Most applicants don't have that.
You already did the best thing for your chance of success by joining QuantNet and ask question.
My tip for you is to immerse yourself with all the resources we have here, get obsessed with it, read everything you can from the reading list.
Follow @MikeLawrence as an example of someone who is doing a very thorough job of preparing himself for this field.

Thanks for the much needed help, Andy, and god bless my school alum who introduced me to QuantNet.