Columbia MFE Columbia MFE Admission Discussion

[Millionaire seeking more]

I called in today and was told rolling admissions is still happening right now, however they wouldn't provide a deadline for the whole process besides by the time classes start lol.

 

[kwatz]

I got the Current Status header TODAY. Wow, I truly thought they had forgotten my application haha.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

For those anxious about admission, maybe taking a look at their hard-to-find historical acceptance rate would help.

Columbia University - Masters in Financial Engineering - Extra info

quantnet.com

 

[littlemelon]

It's been a month since they put students on waitlist but still no further results!

 

[iamsorry]

I don't think that it's worth waiting anymore. They'll just throw a rejection somewhere around mid-july. Happened in the past years!

 

[strattb]

I don't think that it's worth waiting anymore. They'll just throw a rejection somewhere around mid-july. Happened in the past years!

This is so disrespectful with applicants. Not to mention given their mess, it’s questionable they are indeed selecting the best candidates

 

[latus_rectum]

Yes, it's highly unprofessional.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

There is a new reviews of Columbia MFE. Check it out.

 

[kwatz]

There is a new reviews of Columbia MFE. Check it out.

Just read it, have a feeling Columbia is going to slide down a couple of places in the 2025 reviews - mainly because it seems as if other programs have caught up to or surpassed Columbia's quality while Columbia seems to be resting on its laurels and the Ivy badge.

 

[joe_boy]

Just read it, have a feeling Columbia is going to slide down a couple of places in the 2025 reviews - mainly because it seems as if other programs have caught up to or surpassed Columbia's quality while Columbia seems to be resting on its laurels and the Ivy badge.

Just an observation. The negative reviews have always majorly been about career services. Recently, teaching quality (with some profs) is becoming a big issue but I guess things have always been this way as well and yet they've always been highly ranked. IEOR has always been known for rigorous coursework and the faculty is highly respected. So, except they changed their Profs, coursework or TAs not doing their job or something else happened, I don't think anything would have really changed. I believe the frustration these days is majorly with the job market. It's been extremely tough for new grads to get the good jobs they hoped for. I can imagine the pain especially considering the tuition fee students pay at Columbia.

The issue with the job market though is a general thing. Even MBA folks are feeling the heat. I read a reputable financial news outlet that claimed acceptance rate for internships dropped in many of the big banks (positions are fewer and more students apply for the available ones). Also heard from an insider currently pursuing an MFE in one of the top seven programs here on QuantNet that only about 40% of the class got summer internships last year. The rest had to make do with some project or internal stuff within the dept.

I am more of a LinkedIn analyst...lol..and by my analysis (could be wrong though), Columbia still has more MFE students placed in top firms than other ones in the top ten (except MIT, Princeton, and Baruch). Think they are on par with CMU in terms of job placement last year. Baruch has less students so maybe not much to consider. Princeton is two years, super-expensive, and they take students with very good work experience (you can check a sample resume book online). MIT has many students in non-quant roles. At the end, Columbia students are still doing well in the current job market.

Everyone can do their own analysis and give their observations but at the end I think placement is king. Let's see what the rankings tell us later this year. The most important thing is to know the pros and cons of each program before applying. Right now, I see Columbia as a school you go to if you don't need a lot of help and handholding. Course materials are hard and not much help from Professors (based on what I heard). Career services is almost non-existent.lol...But at the same time, if network, brand-name and staying in NYC is super-important, Columbia is still imo the best option atm.

 

[kwatz]

Just an observation. The negative reviews have always majorly been about career services. Recently, teaching quality (with some profs) is becoming a big issue but I guess things have always been this way as well and yet they've always been highly ranked. IEOR has always been known for rigorous coursework and the faculty is highly respected. So, except they changed their Profs, coursework or TAs not doing their job or something else happened, I don't think anything would have really changed. I believe the frustration these days is majorly with the job market. It's been extremely tough for new grads to get the good jobs they hoped for. I can imagine the pain especially considering the tuition fee students pay at Columbia.

The issue with the job market though is a general thing. Even MBA folks are feeling the heat. I read a reputable financial news outlet that claimed acceptance rate for internships dropped in many of the big banks (positions are fewer and more students apply for the available ones). Also heard from an insider currently pursuing an MFE in one of the top seven programs here on QuantNet that only about 40% of the class got summer internships last year. The rest had to make do with some project or internal stuff within the dept.

I am more of a LinkedIn analyst...lol..and by my analysis (could be wrong though), Columbia still has more MFE students placed in top firms than other ones in the top ten (except MIT, Princeton, and Baruch). Think they are on par with CMU in terms of job placement last year. Baruch has less students so maybe not much to consider. Princeton is two years, super-expensive, and they take students with very good work experience (you can check a sample resume book online). MIT has many students in non-quant roles. At the end, Columbia students are still doing well in the current job market.

Everyone can do their own analysis and give their observations but at the end I think placement is king. Let's see what the rankings tell us later this year. The most important thing is to know the pros and cons of each program before applying. Right now, I see Columbia as a school you go to if you don't need a lot of help and handholding. Course materials are hard and not much help from Professors (based on what I heard). Career services is almost non-existent.lol...But at the same time, if network, brand-name and staying in NYC is super-important, Columbia is still imo the best option atm.

Appreciate the perspective, thank you!

Seems like Columbia will stay a top choice and will stay up in rankings too if placements are good, but the things I read about teaching quality and classes are a growing concern.

 

[Charles CZ]

I haven't checked the portal for a long time but I just saw the current status appeared in my application portal. It is difficult to tell the chances but as long as it is not a rejection, there's still hope.

 

[leetcode]

It's funny that you mention that because he did message me, I believe he is in the year behind me so has not graduated yet. I do agree with your assessment though, it seems that the MSFE program is one of a group of programs that all seem to be quite similar from the IEOR department. At the moment I do have good Python skills that would allow me to contribute, and I'm actually using them to do some free work for a crypto market maker and a machine learning algo trading firm, but it seems that maybe I should start practicing my C++ as well.

I do appreciate the response though. It's been quite demoralizing as I've been trying so many different avenues but I guess I just need to keep trying new things.

Yes, there was a discussion recently with @weab who is in your Columbia MFE program.
I think the fact that Columbia MFE has so many students competing against so many other MS IEOR students who took the same courses, it's extremely hard to distinguish yourself. It's impossible for career services to be able to provide customized career support for this many students.
I think you need to take it up yourself to stand out.
Do you have a strong C++ or Python skills that you can contribute on day one? If you have in demand skills over your friends, it gives you a leg up.
Learning these skills are not that expensive and will take a few months but it will pay off immediately and serve you a very long time.

Wait what... how is that an excuse for career services? There are too many kids paying 100k for a Master's degree so we can't give them adequate help?

 

[Andy Nguyen]

I think we have several current and recent Columbia MFE grads participating in this conversation who share their personal experience. It is very valuable and greatly appreciated.
We have student reviews which are very insightful and hard to come by. Thanks to those who shared with our community.
Given the amount of data we currently provide, my question is how we improve as a data provider so that applicants can make a wise career decision and not regret later about their $100K investment?

Looking at the application numbers of the past few years, it appears the program has no issue getting people to apply. They are easily top 3 programs with most applicants.

 

[ShivC]

Just got a rejection

 

[Zhaoyao Zhu]

Just got a rejection

Same

 

[kwatz]

Just received a rejection. So they waited over 6 months to review my application and it took them less than a week to reject? This is some "Ivy league" levels of incompetence displayed by the IEOR department. An extremely disappointing admissions process by Columbia, and I'm sure many other candidates will share my sentiment. For a college that boasts of high rankings and charges astronomical fees, the admissions team has displayed the rigor you'd get in a tier 4 college, maybe worse. The high volume of applicants is not a valid reason, it is simply a lame excuse for their inability to adapt. The MAFN program had a rep coming in and communicating with the candidates here, whereas from IEOR all we got were boilerplate responses. What a let down. I hope someone from the IEOR department has some level of awareness and reads this thread to see just how many candidates have been anxiously waiting for an update.

If the admissions process is anything to go by, I would say @weab's review of the current state of the program is on point.

And an honorary mention for a dragged out admissions process goes to NYU - maybe big name NYC schools need to step up in the way they respect a candidate's time and efforts.

 

[littlemelon]

Is anyone still waiting for a decision?

 

[iamsorry]

Yes. But as an international student I am not sure if I'll be able to get done with the visa and after enrollment process on time even if I get into.

 

[ActuallyAlpha]

Same here. Technically I'm waiting but even I end up getting an offer I'll likely reject it due to being international.