COMPARE Master Programs Comparison: Which quant program to choose?

[OoozeDonatin]

go ucb mfe

congrats

 

[kitkat]

T

go ucb mfe

congrats

The votes appear to say so too!
Thank you sir!

 

[SD_]

Hey folks,

Luckily I got offers from the top 2 in my list.

My heart goes to UCB MFE, and below are my thoughts. Would appreciate any thoughts/feedback!

Pros for UCB MFE (in contrast to U Chicago)
- a consistently high ranking, with a much higher placement average $
- inside Haas School of Business

Cons for UCB MFE (in contrast to U Chicago)
- no tuition wavier, plus a bunch of precourse to pay extra ~$5000
- not in Chicago

I can justify the cost part for the choice of UCB MFE because this is a life-time investment... Not being in Chicago is a disadvantage, but perhaps being arguably no,1 on the west coast is a counter?

Online reviews have been pretty positive for both programs, but UCB MFE appears to be better.

Thank you!

Congratulations @kitkat
Go for UCB MFE. I am biased ofcourse, lol.

As far as I know the Python Pre-program course can be waived if you can demonstrate that your work experience was very coding-heavy.

 

[kitkat]

Congratulations @kitkat
Go for UCB MFE. I am biased ofcourse, lol.

As far as I know the Python Pre-program course can be waived if you can demonstrate that your work experience was very coding-heavy.

Thank you Sudhansh! Yes, I do use Python intensively during my job. I will argue for that at some point. Thanks for the suggestion!

Do you think there is a chance to get a waiver for the math course too? I think I have a good amount of evidence to support that too.

 

[DegenTrader]

Keep me updated about your choice pls, it can also help me. I also got accepted into UChicago with a scholarship and am considering applying to CMU and UCB.

 

[SD_]

Thank you Sudhansh! Yes, I do use Python intensively during my job. I will argue for that at some point. Thanks for the suggestion!

Do you think there is a chance to get a waiver for the math course too? I think I have a good amount of evidence to support that too.

I would not recommend waiving Math and stats.

Moreover, UCB doesn’t allow waiving them, as I think, no one got a waiver for them this year.

 

[bubbleHead]

I would not recommend waiving Math and stats.

Moreover, UCB doesn’t allow waiving them, as I think, no one got a waiver for them this year.

I agree with this. I am not going to comment much about the university choices, and even though I come from a Mathematics and statistics undergrad background, I can say both the pre-program courses were excellent and one can learn a lot from them within a short span of time.

 

[kitkat]

Keep me updated about your choice pls, it can also help me. I also got accepted into UChicago with a scholarship and am considering applying to CMU and UCB.

Hey Degen, I have pretty much made up my mind to go to UCB. Already accepted their offer.

 

[kabirrr]

Hey guys,

I got an admit from the above 3, could you please help me list out the pros and cons for each.
I'm also adding a poll!

Thanks!

 

[kabirrr]

Hey guys,

I got an admit from the above 3, could you please help me list out the pros and cons for each.
I'm also adding a poll!

Thanks!

Bump for more replies

 

[blahblah]

bump.

Any insights would be helpful - thanks in advance!

 

[wayne_g]

Hello everyone for 23Fall I applied all these 4 quant programs and recently I've already heard from NYU (admitted) and Cornell (waitlisted).

I know all of them are very prestigious programs in preparing competitive quant students for a long time, and I really wish to hear more updated information & opinions from people in comparing these programs.

By the way, I have to deposit for NYU by the end of March while Cornell informed me that the last decision for me would by 15th, April. Should I email Cornell with offer from NYU to ask for the decision ASAP? I'd really appreciate every comment you left here, thank you so much!

 

[CourantMathFinance]

I think the right choice is obvious, but maybe I'm biased. I just want to say that if you have any questions about the Courant Math Finance program that will help you decide, please post here or message me.

 

[wayne_g]

I think the right choice is obvious, but maybe I'm biased. I just want to say that if you have any questions about the Courant Math Finance program that will help you decide, please post here or message me.

My primary concern is the career service actually. I have talked to several of my seniors, one of them is in Cornell CFEM Class 2022, he suggested Cornell has a better career service than any other comparable program in NYC, but maybe he is biased considering he is from Cornell...

 

[johnnyb]

I think there is bias everywhere -- but my North Star for choosing a program has been reaching out to as many alumni as possible, asking the same questions to pick their brains, and then choosing which school aligns with your best interests and where you can see yourself. Sounds cliche, I know. All of these schools are great programs and it ultimately comes down to what role you think you are seeking after graduation and what school will help you the most in achieving that.

 

[wayne_g]

I think there is bias everywhere -- but my North Star for choosing a program has been reaching out to as many alumni as possible, asking the same questions to pick their brains, and then choosing which school aligns with your best interests and where you can see yourself. Sounds cliche, I know. All of these schools are great programs and it ultimately comes down to what role you think you are seeking after graduation and what school will help you the most in achieving that.

Definitely second that. Perhaps all potential MFE students should learn as much as possible about different available programs before their ultimate decision, especially from alumni.

 

[kabirrr]

Hi could you all please help me with a pros and cons analysis of both these universities!

Thanks

 

[AppliedMath]

From the 2023 rankings

3	University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA Financial Engineering 4.75 star(s)20 reviews	93	4.0	88%	100%	87%	$169,634	$78,142	78 FT, 7 PT
4	Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA/New York, NY Computational Finance 4.92 star(s)38 reviews	91	4.1	88%	96%	88%	$132,291	$92,534	96 FT

Berkeley is a 1-year program. That goes against them. You're paying 78K to do portfolio-building projects, get the brand name and make a quick career transition. What do I mean by this? 1 year @ Berkeley = Projects + Rebranding. Example you take someone adept Statistics, and intro them to Data Science. They realize it's 80% the same, learn the other 20% and do DS-based projects that potential employers would like. Berkeley pro vs CMU... California. Even though the city of Berkeley itself is a bit run down and overpriced, in comparison to NYC it's cheap, and you have the rest of the Bay Area of California to enjoy.

If you want to learn quant finance, do a 2-year program, and in this case go to CMU. CMU downside... New York City. Yes. It being in NYC is worse than the 93K price tag. Haha.

You should do a course curriculum comparison. Also, talk to representatives of the program to find out which elective can be taken and why. Sometimes electives require enough people to sign-up/vote/enroll in, for them to take place. See if and when that is the case.

Also, where do you want to work? Which state would you prefer? Which companies? Buy or Sell? You should message people who went to those programs on LinkedIn to get some insight.

 

[QuantEnthuYash]

When did you recieve the admit for UCLA?
I just got an email, they have recieved my interview and they are going decide on rolling basis.

 

[Ridmod]

Replying for better visibility