Do you have to be from a top undergraduate school in order to get into a top MFE program?

[iran]

I'm just wondering if it's a vital thing.

 

[MRoss]

MFE programs are technical degrees. As long as you look and feel like you will be an easy student to place in a full time job, you should get into a program. You can certainly come from a no name school so long as your GRE scores are excellent and you are very presentable.

This is why most MFE programs require internships...they don't help you with schooling; they just make you more attractive for hire.

 

[BlackMamba]

MFE programs are technical degrees. As long as you look and feel like you will be an easy student to place in a full time job, you should get into a program. You can certainly come from a no name school so long as your GRE scores are excellent and you are very presentable.

This is why most MFE programs require internships...they don't help you with schooling; they just make you more attractive for hire.

How about age? If placement is geared towards entry-level positions for those in their mid 20s, what happens to applicants who are, say, between 28-31?

 

[BlackMamba]

How about age? If placement is geared towards entry-level positions for those in their mid 20s, what happens to applicants who are, say, between 28-31 who have more than just internship experience?

 

[MRoss]

How about age? If placement is geared towards entry-level positions for those in their mid 20s, what happens to applicants who are, say, between 28-31?

Then you are still hire-able, right? In fact, I would say real work experience and a few years is an advantage, not a disadvantage:

1. More mature
2. More work experience
3. Will command a better "starting salary" for program statistics
etc.

I can tell you that when I did my MFE there was a very healthy age mix ~ 20-40 year olds.

 

[MRoss]

.

 

[BlackMamba]

Then you are still hire-able, right? In fact, I would say real work experience and a few years is an advantage, not a disadvantage:

1. More mature
2. More work experience
3. Will command a better "starting salary" for program statistics
etc.

I can tell you that when I did my MFE there was a very healthy age mix ~ 20-40 year olds.

Very fair points! Appreciate your response; it encourages me to continue along this path.

Just curious as I'm from a tier 2 school and will be slightly older than the mean/median applicant when I get around to applying (~29 yo). Currently 26, have an undergraduate in Finance (3.95) recently sat for the CFA Level II exam (I'm confident in my performance) and am starting the process of getting the necessary Mathematics background by completing a second degree in Mathematics (I want a very solid foundation beyond the simple prerequisite courses they require) at that same tier 2 school. I have several years of experience working for a small hedge fund (AUM < $100MM) that specializes in equity index option volatility arbitrage. I'm hopeful that I will have attained the CFA designation by application time and will have gotten the necessary GRE score to look like a solid candidate.

I wonder though how these top programs feel about students who have an interest in pursuing more entrepreneurial pursuits once they've completed the program? By entrepreneurial I mean either working at a small firm or venturing off to start your own firm post-grad. Could you speak to this at all?

 

[MRoss]

I came from a tier 3 school with only an internship. I was 27 when I applied.

Regarding post graduate, do not let them know this. Most programs really just want solid stats. Starting your own firm means they can't really list you as a successfully placed graduate.

 

[BlackMamba]

Thanks for your insights MRoss!