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Work ft or apply immediately after undergrad

iniesta

Joined
3/3/10
Messages
107
Points
28
hi all, im new to the forum
im in my third year of undergrad and i am very interested in MFin grad programs
i just want to get a general consensus from you guys
1) do you think its better to work fulltime for a few years before i apply ? rather than applying immediately after undergrad?
2) between industry internships and academic research experience, which one is valued more?
thanks for the help guys
 
It depends very much on what kind of job you would have - if it is a junior quant-type position, it might be useful to work a couple years before applying for an MFE program.
 
iniesta said:
hi all, im new to the forum
im in my third year of undergrad and i am very interested in MFin grad programs
i just want to get a general consensus from you guys
1) do you think its better to work fulltime for a few years before i apply ? rather than applying immediately after undergrad?
2) between industry internships and academic research experience, which one is valued more?
thanks for the help guys
Click to expand...
Think Manhattan Paths. You should be pursuing both strategies right now. If you can't get into grad school but can get a job in pricing or as a junior quant, go for that. If you can get into grad school but have trouble getting a job, go for grad school.

If your sole goal is to be a quant (and don't care about girlfriends, college vs. work, opportunities to work in academia) and you have both opportunities, you need to focus on what gets you closer to a quant career. If you get into a fully-funded Finance PhD program at MIT, for example, that might be a better choice than working in Corporate Bonds Pricing at Firm XYZ.

Pursue both strategies and let us know what your best options are. Either way, until the end of your Junior year, you want to focus on keeping your GPA up and getting some leadership experience in your extracurriculars.
 
thanks for the insight guys

can someone address my 2nd question?

2) between industry internships and academic research experience, which one is valued more?
 
What's valued more?

Ideas that theoretically make money...

Or ideas that make money?

There's a one word difference between those two that's night and day.
 
i mean from a grad school perspective

if applicant A had industry internships and applicant B was an undergrad research assistant, all other things being equal. which applicant is more likely to be accepted into the program
 
Well there's no clear answer to that question. First of all I think it really depends on you and your motivations. If you would like to pursue your education afterwards I think that working as a research assistant is very good. Also, if it is well explained in your SOP, then you will be scoring some points. On the other hand, if you would like to work right after your degree, then work exp might be also very good on your application.

Moreover, you should consider the schools that you are applying to, some are more "renowned" for leading to jobs, and some others lead to further education.

And lastly, I think that not all schools look at prior work exps or research work. I've recently been admitted to a MMF program and I have no prior work exp in finance or any relevant research work. (I've had 2 internships in engineering and some research work related to engineering).

In the end, what really makes you a good candidate is the overall package.
 
It is going to depend somewhat on the grad program you are applying to but academic research experience (and assuming a good recommendation from the researcher) is going to help you get into some programs, especially PhD.

It also depends on the opportunity. How relevant is the internship or research to what you ultimately want to do?

Agree with GoIllini, you should pursue both strategies right now. Don't think too much on the decision until it is presented to you.
 
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