where the hell do you get the money from?

  • Thread starter Thread starter throll
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my question is related to the cost of the quant programs, i see numbers like 50k$, and 70k$ which i find insane!!
i'm wondering where students, whom they've already spent lots of money in their undergrad studies, can find resources to pay for Master degrees?
i need to give you some details about my background so you can understand why i'm amazed by this.
i'm from tunisia, i earned an engineering degree from the top university of the country, there, education is free and because it was the top engineering school i had a scholarship too.
i also completed an Msc in financial engineering in Paris, most of the programs in france's universities were free (or almsot the cost was around 700$ most of which is for medical insurance)
since my graduation i started working as a model validation quant in a tier2/3 bank in london.
now i'm dreaming about the US and working in front office in a tier 1 bank but i got to understand that without an Msc from a sexy university i'll have zero chance for interviews.
even though i earn a lot more in gross terms i found the cost of the programs very expensive and the current environment around banking in general and the dying business of derivatives make the whole investment very risky, so how do you go to fund your education? loans, scholarships? and how easy to get them?

thanks for your tips
 
even though i earn a lot more in gross terms i found the cost of the programs very expensive and the current environment around banking in general and the dying business of derivatives make the whole investment very risky, so how do you go to fund your education? loans, scholarships? and how easy to get them?

No scholarships (that I know of). Hence either more loans or family support. If you realise an American MFE is a dicey proposition, why go for it? For the last two or three years experienced posters on this forum have been uttering doubts and issuing caveats about the advisability of doing an MFE. Dominic Connor, if memory serves, has advised doing a master's in statistics, which is cheaper and more general. The terrain has changed, the party's over, so why do an American MFE?
 
https://www.quantnet.com/threads/mfe-financial-aid-how-do-you-pay-for-the-degree.8315/
https://www.quantnet.com/threads/how-does-one-pay-for-a-mfe.9256/

In short, US residents pay by a combination of student loans. Oversea students take loans or got their family pay for it. Some governments such as Singapore have a scholarship that cover full tuition for the degree.
You already got an MFE degree so there is absolutely no point in doing another. Use your work experience to move to the jobs you want.
 
My undergraduate was part-scholarship part-loan. I am paying for my MFE with a loan. Yes I will have ~$50k debt when all is said and done. But I will god-willing be able to make enough to pay it off within a few years.
 
thx for the replies guys.
to answer bigbadwolf's question, well i thought my only hope to move to the US was by doing a american MFE and start over again. now i have to think of somethin' else..
 
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