Who Should I be Targeting? What should I be doing?

[vanc]

Hello all,

Me:
- I go to a large state school that has a well ranked business school and mathematics department.
- Mathematics and Finance major
-Economics minor
- Quantitative Finance Certificate
- GPA: 3.5/4
- Accounting Internship
- I have worked majority of my time in college (retail)
- I have taken/ will be soon taking classes such as "Deep Learning 1", "Stochastic Calculus for Finance", and "Mathematical Finance"

Other than that I don't have much going for me. This leads to Question 1:
What are the next best steps I can take to boost my resume?

I intend on starting a research project with a group of friends come May, and from reading other forums it seems that taking pre-MFE programs is another great option although I haven't researched them much. Thoughts on this plan? Is there something better I can be doing?

And for Q2:
What schools should I be targeting?

I understand that I have a worse resume than most, so my expectations are not the highest.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Welcome @vanc
Don't be afraid. The winners are those who know their weakness and takes proper steps to prepare.
As I look through the Tracker, I saw so many members with < 3.2 GPA who got into some very good programs.
They have been a member here longer than you, go through all the reading, asking the questions, taking the courses.
If you are willing to spend time to prepare, you will significantly increase your chance of getting into a good program and secure a good career.
Read @Leggoo MFE post on how he overcame a 2.98 GPA and read @grxthy plan for Fall 2026. These members have a year-long plan and they stick to it.

 

[Leggoo MFE]

Hello @vanc! I would encourage you to also look into what suits you as a person and the Kind of life you envision. Some research will show you the roles that exist post MFE which can be highly diverse and will dictate your lifestyle. The place matters too for these. After you have decided on this, it gets much easier to answer both questions.

 

[vanc]

Hello @Andy Nguyen , thank you for the reply. My greatest weakness is definitely programming as I only have minor experience with VBA and Python, therefore the C++ Programming for Financial Engineering Certificate seem to be one of the most appealing courses. Will it be a problem that I have zero experience with C++?

Also thank you @Leggoo MFE. I had never really considered how different MFE programs are orientated for different career paths.
Regarding lifestyle, I've always intended to shoot for programs as close as possible to NYC, but I'd also love to study in Europe or someplace that has an active culture, so realistically there isn't a location that I would really steer away from.