COMPARE Chicago MSFM vs Columbia MAFN vs NYU MFE

[Bangor.Z]

Hi guys. I've recently received acceptances from these three programs and I'm soooooo unsure about which one to choose, really appreciate any opinions or insights.

First of all, a little bit self-introduction. I'm from a not-so-great university in China, financial engineering major. Still haven't figured out future career plan so explicitly, but I'm pretty sure that I'm kinda scared of maths and all the theoretical stuff, feeling ok to programming, so currently I'm more interested in positions like quant researcher/analyst that mainly focus on strategy design/test or portfolio management.

Chicago MSFM
pros: highly recommended by my peers and seniors, great theoratical and researching background, rather lower living costs there
cons: location (it seems more jobs that I'm interested in is in NYC and Chicago is famous for trading and funds that are extremely tough for an average Asian student like me to secure a job, still open for your comments on this intuition), seemingly far-too-rigorous maths courses for me to handle, quarterly semester which means great pressure, heard that Chicago is unsafe to live in

Columbia MAFN
pros: great location (in NYC, maybe not as great as NYU Tandon in Brooklyn), world-famous brand name
cons: Columbia MAFN has been receiving many negative comments on it's poor performance compared to other Columbia programs MFE, OR, BA etc, its career service is extremely unsatisfying, it's expensive and rumor has it its tuitions fee is a package that does not depend on how many credits you choose.

NYU MFE
pros: grest location as well (in Brooklyn), undoubtedly rising sice Peter Carr took charge, great connection in the field and career service, curriculum that focus more on practical stuff and it's 2-year-long (quite a relief for me)
cons: seemingly over-valued due to expection stemming from momentum effect and some positive comments appear to be questionable, not such a big brand name and has bad reputation in the history.

To sum, above could be refined into three main paradoxes: does the NYC location overshadow Chicago that much?/ how's the reputation of Columbia MAFN in the US? would this title be competitve or negative when finding the first job?/ should I give up mathematical finance programs due to my preference for practical stuff?

Anyway this is a job-oriented worry so finding a job in the US after graduation is of top priority.

Really would appreciate any insights or comments from ya. Many thanks in advance!

 

[idkmyname]

congrats mate! Dr. Peter Carr addressed several questions in this post: COMPARE - NYU Tandon MFE vs Cornell MFE vs Columbia Math Fin
hope it's helpful!
All three programs are prestigious. I mean, the career service can be helpful, but it's not gonna give someone the job if the person doesn't put any effort. In every program, there are some who gets several job offers and some who gets 0. It's really up to you. Good luck mate!

 

[Bangor.Z]

congrats mate! Dr. Peter Carr addressed several questions in this post: COMPARE - NYU Tandon MFE vs Cornell MFE vs Columbia Math Fin
hope it's helpful!
All three programs are prestigious. I mean, the career service can be helpful, but it's not gonna give someone the job if the person doesn't put any effort. In every program, there are some who gets several job offers and some who gets 0. It's really up to you. Good luck mate!

cheer mate! That is exactly the point I've been reminded time and time again, but you know, I can always use resources like a good career service to get a good start, otherwise the options I'm faced with might be limited. Anyway, would you kindly share where I can find more details on the internship and job placement status of these programs, besides their official websites?

 

[Michsund]

MAFN has the best curriculum to leverage if you actually wanna be a good quant I would go there, not a popular opinion but it’s mine

 

[idkmyname]

cheer mate! That is exactly the point I've been reminded time and time again, but you know, I can always use resources like a good career service to get a good start, otherwise the options I'm faced with might be limited. Anyway, would you kindly share where I can find more details on the internship and job placement status of these programs, besides their official websites?

Maybe you can find job placement on LinkedIn?

 

[unefoisici]

Hi could you mind sharing your decision?

 

[ApolloChariot]

If considering Chicago, it's a good idea to look at a map of crime rates in the city. The neighborhood University of Chicago is in, is one of the safesty neighborhoods in crime-ridden South side of Chicago; that could be due to the student population skewing the stats and it is surrounded by neighborhoods that have far higher crime per capita.

 

[Bangor.Z]

Hi could you mind sharing your decision?

Hi, I finally chose Columbia MAFN in consideration of the location and brand name. However, it is still a controversial topic so I guess you'd better make your decision basing on your own situation.

 

[Bangor.Z]

If considering Chicago, it's a good idea to look at a map of crime rates in the city. The neighborhood University of Chicago is in, is one of the safesty neighborhoods in crime-ridden South side of Chicago; that could be due to the student population skewing the stats and it is surrounded by neighborhoods that have far higher crime per capita.

Hi Apollo thank you for your reply still! It might be helpful to other students.