COMPARE Columbia MSOR or U of Toronto MMF?

[Yueliang]

hi, guys:

like the title indicated, I got offers from both of them. And my dream job is doing IB and/or quant at hedgefund. which one should i go tho? i will list some pros&cons that i know of, correct me if im wrong.

Columbia MSOR
pro:
highly reputable school, close to NYC(the place i want to work at), good professors(i think some professors r the same as their FE program), good network
con:
expensive tuition(O_O), not really directly related to quant (major disadvantage comparing to FE from Columbia, CMU, NYU, etc), job placement uncertain

U of Toronto MMF
pro:
highly related to the industry(more in risk management side tho), cheaper, job placement guarenteed(according to history, almost 100% and with minimum salary of 70 to 80 k CAD)
con:
NOT IN US, school relatively unrecognized if i want to work in US in the future, no challenge

So, does any1 know the job placement condition for this program? I have read some postings saying it's an extremely large class of about 150 students, and kinda unorganized as well. Not sure if it's really worth it.

Any insights?

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Regarding placement at U Toronto MMF, @Dibbs has posted something here. He is a current student there.
MSOR placement has been unknown. It causes lot of uncertainty and anxiety among students considering the program.

Your analysis clearly shows it's a choice of Bay Street vs Wall Street. Moving from the first to the second is easier said than done.

 

[onthesc]

The MSOR at Columbia takes in 150+ student each year, and a lot of them are not doing the MSOR to get into finance. The IEOR Dept at Columbia might not want to invest their resources into making an employment profile for each class, like they do at any MBA programs. The demand for the stats just aren't there (except on qnet :D). However, seeing how competition in the MFE is heating up, the programs might start to provide better marketing materials, i hope.

 

[onthesc]

Oh and personally I would choose Columbia over U of T all day any day. Just not a competition in terms of brand in the US, or in the world for that matter. Take a look at the variety of classes the IEOR department offers at Columbia, you'd be surprised how finance-oriented the engineering program is.

 

[Forza]

@Yueliang,

Also keep in mind, you will have to compete against other students in taking some of the courses (MBA courses for ex). And like others such as Andy have touched on, I don't think the MSOR program is the best of fits if you intend to be a hardcore quant. But the number and variety of courses as mentioned by onthesc and the ability to stretch the program into 3 semesters does make it interesting....

Best of luck on your decision and let us know if you decide to go to MSOR, as I am trying to get a group of folks together before the program start date for a little meet and greet.

 

[goldski]

The chance of getting a job from Columbia MSOR is slim if you are not good at networking and using the school's name to your advantage. The chance of getting a job from Toronto MMF is almost guaranteed. Students have gone to be placed at RBC,UBS,Scotia Capital,BMO,Algorithmics,etc.

Also, Toronto is a good name and people in New York know about it. But, if you want to be in NYC 100% rather than have peace of mind of getting a job during your program then goto a U Toronto.

 

[Yueliang]

hi, guys, thx all for the great insights.
@goldski
u said the chances of getting a job is slim, is there any proof? or personal experiences?

 

[goldski]

Read threads here or go talk to students in the program and you will see.

 

[Sherlock]

I would go with Columbia. The prestige it gives u is far superior. If you are determined enough you will find a good job with both I guess, but how many times in your life you get an offer from Columbia? This is just my personal opinion.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Best of luck on your decision and let us know if you decide to go to MSOR, as I am trying to get a group of folks together before the program start date for a little meet and greet.

Count me in. I don't live too far from the campus.
@Yueliang
Can you add your timelines to our Tracker?
Whenever you make up your mind of which program to join, please be sure to mark it as your Final Destination as well.

 

[Forza]

On the prestige issue, it is definitely great, but you have to go with the best fit. It is not very useful if it doesn't get you the job that you want.

Hey Andy, will definitely let you know when the time comes. Maybe some others too from the MFE and other CU programs can join us as well.

 

[amanda.jayne]

Do you want to work in the US or Canada?

Do you want to be an I-Banker or a quant?

The answer to these should help you decide....

Which begs the question: if your dream job is IB, why did you apply for the MMF and MSOR?