COMPARE Chicago MSFM vs Cornell FE vs NYU MathFin vs Columbia MFE vs Columbia MAFN vs UMass Applied Math

[jskrill]

Hi guys!
I got admitted to all the programs except Columbia MFE and MAFN. I'm still waiting to hear back from these, though I will have to make a decision before the end of this month. I'm having a hard time choosing between these programs. I want to ideally get into Quant Research on the buy-side but I'm not shoehorning myself into any fields yet. I would also like to keep open the possibility of doing a PhD in Math/Statistics because I truly love these subjects and it will allow me to do highly mathematical roles, which I'm aspiring towards. I also got into UMass Amherst for Applied Mathematics with a full scholarship (tuition + living expenses). Although the university's reputation is not as good as the other ones (especially amongst top employers in the quant industry), the offer is undeniably attractive. I do not mind investing substantially more money into my education if it is truly worth it though. Given these details, I would really appreciate if you could provide some guidance and insight to resolve my dilemma. Thank you!

 

[CourantMathFinance]

Since it's obvious which is the best program to choose, I won't bother to say any more about that.

I also wanted to observe that all of these programs are professional masters programs, designed specifically for careers in finance. So neither the degrees nor the courses will provide much benefit for an application to a PhD program. Your PhD application will be judged primarily on the basis of your undergraduate education and letters from professors who taught you then.

On the other hand, it's not uncommon to work for a few years before applying to a PhD program in math or stats, so there's no harm in doing that.

 

[hgg]

Go for Cornell or NYU, both have good reviews from alumni