hey there,
i might take a beating for my views, but what the hell im not scared of (baruch) quant students
you'll see a lot of arguments here about the cost benefit of baruch due to its low tuition compared to others. that seems to be its main differentiating factor
first of all, baruch's mfe is a strong program, possible tier one although i think of it as a high tier 2. doesnt matter, most rankings are bush and subjective, so let's just say it's a strong program.
that being said, if i had admits to both i would choose columbia in a heartbeat. if money is an issue, go with baruch. however, i dont see how money should be an issue unless you cant get a loan. most people graduate from these programs and get great jobs that make the loan simple to pay off. maybe the situation is different for people leaving jobs to do an MFE, but i dont see why somebody right out of undergrad who is getting a loan needs to worry too much about the tuition in the long run. you will hear different, though.
program strength, reputation, alumni network are all extremely important things for this type of degree.
there is a problem that columbia does not post placement info. baruch does, and has very good statistics. i have a hard time believing columbia does not place students just as well, if not better. some take columbia's missing placement info as an indication that placements are weak. this could be possible. i dont think so. there are many posts on a few forums from guys in the industry who note what mfe programs are most targeted and respected by wall street firms. the recent addition of an internship option will help those without experience get some, making it easier to get jobs upon graduation. also keep in mind that there are questions about the placement quality of baruch grads, some i have spoken to from previous cohorts have even alluded to this.
in short, columbia trumps baruch in everything except tuition cost. IMO
quantnet sent me a happy brithday email this morning. i love this site
baruchers, start your engines
S31