Worth waiting another year ?

[quantMSCF]

Hi,
I'm 22 years old and I got a bachelor in economics and management, I work in an important investment bank in market risk and I've been building my quantitative skills in different ways (math and coding courses).
This year I'm applying to 5 top programs in the US but I have some doubts about the strength of my curriculum because of my low mathematical background. Do you think I should apply also for less ranked (but still very good) unis, or do you believe that considering I have been building my quant background, the fact that I am already working and my age it would be worth to wait another year to improve myself?
Thanks!

 

[IntoDarkness]

if u cant get into top schools this year, try next year. u can try unlimited times until getting acceptance

 

[quantMSCF]

So that's what you suggest instead of trying with more accessible unis? Do you think so in general or for my particular case? because generally speaking I believe one year of income less is a big opportunity cost

 

[Onegin]

Is it better to have 60-85k coming out of a second tier school at t=0, or 95-135 from a top tier school at t+1? I guess it depends on your cash flow needs, but consider how the higher base salary will compound.

 

[Nth Root of N]

You could apply to a representative sample in terms of gold, silver and bronze-quality programs, to see where you actually would get in.

I personally would not spend a year (or even a month) doing Coursera or other self-study to prepare for interviews to try and perhaps get from "bronze" to "silver". By the time you've done that (assuming you can stay motivated) then applied, you could already almost have completed an 18-month program with a good internship.

Edit: assuming you're building good technical skills with your job, there's no problem with waiting a year or two. What I meant to indicate above is that a few years of technical experience will far outweigh Coursera-style learning.