- Joined
- 9/1/21
- Messages
- 47
- Points
- 18
Got admitted to the Columbia MAFN and NYU MFE programs. I am still waiting on UChicago's decision but I am including it here in case I get an admit.
I have possibly gone through all the threads on this website talking about either of them and it seems like a lot changed for both recently. Below are my pros and cons about each:
Columbia MAFN
Pros:
- Great brand name
- Career services seem to have greatly improved very recently. They now have a dedicated placement person who works only with MAFN students
- Alumni in almost every top company
Cons:
- Very theoretical (not sure if enough emphasis will be put on programming and real-world applications)
- Classes might be very large compared to NYU or UChicago
- Strong competition with other Columbia programs (MFE for example)
- Very vague about career prospects on their website and it seems like there is a lot less hand-holding in terms of recruiting which could be a problem for me since I do not have much relevant internship experience
- Cost: For 3 semesters the program will cost me 120k total which is a hefty amount compared to NYU's 63k total for 4 semesters.
NYU MFE
Pros:
- Program seems to have been improving quite a lot recently. A lot of people seem to have been vouching for it since Peter Carr became its head. Rare to see a negative review since then
- Classes are small and seem to be very geared towards a mix of theory and practical applications in the industry. Also taught by practitioners which is a plus
- Lots of opportunities to pick up coding which I understand is now a very important skill to have
- Cost: NYU will only cost me 63k total, which is about half of Columbia's tuition. I also get to study at NYU for 2 years vs 1.5 for Columbia
Cons:
- Vague about career prospects (info published is only about employers from 2016-2021), which makes me a little worried
- NYU is not as well known as Columbia which might be a con since I might want to go back to Europe later in my career
- Even though the program seems to be improving a lot, there is no tangible evidence of improvements of placements, which is my main goal
UChicago MSFM:
Pros:
- Great opportunities to pick up coding and seems to have a lot of coursework geared towards practical applications
- UChicago's name brand is also very good
- Many alumni end up working for prop shops or hedge funds in Chicago
- Pretty good career services overall
Cons:
- Might be tough to come back to NYC afterwards
- Might be harder to recruit for positions with banks in NYC
- Lower ranked on QuantNet's ranking than the other 2
- It's in Chicago and I would prefer to be near NY since my family lives there
- I haven't received an admit yet
Overall my career goal would to be have either be a desk quant at a bank, or work as a quant trader/execution trader for a prop shop or hedge fund. I haven't particularly made a choice as to which I would like better and I am thus looking for a program that would open the most doors to me.
So students and alumni familiar with all 3 programs as of recently, what is the better program in your opinion?
I have possibly gone through all the threads on this website talking about either of them and it seems like a lot changed for both recently. Below are my pros and cons about each:
Columbia MAFN
Pros:
- Great brand name
- Career services seem to have greatly improved very recently. They now have a dedicated placement person who works only with MAFN students
- Alumni in almost every top company
Cons:
- Very theoretical (not sure if enough emphasis will be put on programming and real-world applications)
- Classes might be very large compared to NYU or UChicago
- Strong competition with other Columbia programs (MFE for example)
- Very vague about career prospects on their website and it seems like there is a lot less hand-holding in terms of recruiting which could be a problem for me since I do not have much relevant internship experience
- Cost: For 3 semesters the program will cost me 120k total which is a hefty amount compared to NYU's 63k total for 4 semesters.
NYU MFE
Pros:
- Program seems to have been improving quite a lot recently. A lot of people seem to have been vouching for it since Peter Carr became its head. Rare to see a negative review since then
- Classes are small and seem to be very geared towards a mix of theory and practical applications in the industry. Also taught by practitioners which is a plus
- Lots of opportunities to pick up coding which I understand is now a very important skill to have
- Cost: NYU will only cost me 63k total, which is about half of Columbia's tuition. I also get to study at NYU for 2 years vs 1.5 for Columbia
Cons:
- Vague about career prospects (info published is only about employers from 2016-2021), which makes me a little worried
- NYU is not as well known as Columbia which might be a con since I might want to go back to Europe later in my career
- Even though the program seems to be improving a lot, there is no tangible evidence of improvements of placements, which is my main goal
UChicago MSFM:
Pros:
- Great opportunities to pick up coding and seems to have a lot of coursework geared towards practical applications
- UChicago's name brand is also very good
- Many alumni end up working for prop shops or hedge funds in Chicago
- Pretty good career services overall
Cons:
- Might be tough to come back to NYC afterwards
- Might be harder to recruit for positions with banks in NYC
- Lower ranked on QuantNet's ranking than the other 2
- It's in Chicago and I would prefer to be near NY since my family lives there
- I haven't received an admit yet
Overall my career goal would to be have either be a desk quant at a bank, or work as a quant trader/execution trader for a prop shop or hedge fund. I haven't particularly made a choice as to which I would like better and I am thus looking for a program that would open the most doors to me.
So students and alumni familiar with all 3 programs as of recently, what is the better program in your opinion?
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