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COMPARE MIT MFin vs Yale AM vs Cornell FE

MIT MFin vs Yale AM vs Cornell FE

  • MIT MFin

    Votes: 7 50.0%
  • Yale Asset Management

    Votes: 2 14.3%
  • Cornell ORIE (FE Concentraion)

    Votes: 5 35.7%

  • Total voters
    14
Joined
3/30/24
Messages
1
Points
1
Hi everyone!

I hope all of you have received or will soon receive that admissions email you have been waiting for. It's anxious while waiting, and there is always a way forward
even if you don't receive an offer from your dream school. Right now I would appreciate your guidance on my own admissions decision. I am lucky to be in a position to have received 3 offers and need help to make a well-informed decision in the next couple of weeks.

During my undergraduate studies in computer science at National Taiwan University, I was a research intern at a well-known hedge fund for a year. Since then, I've been working at a crypto HFT firm, focusing on using machine learning to develop high-frequency trading alphas. I aim to leverage a master's degree to land a Quantitative Researcher role at a top US buy-side fund. (or any fund, as long as it's in the US)

MIT Master in Finance (18 months)
Pros:
1. The most prestigious of the three schools, which can be helpful if returning to Taiwan or Asia in the future.
2. Flexible course selection. I could choose courses from the school of EECS to improve my computer science skills.
Cons:
1. The most expensive tuition and the largest cohort.
2. People engaged in the buy side market do not account for most of the program.
3. Some required courses are not useful in the future (Accounting, Cooperative Finance).

Yale Asset Management (12 months)
Pros:
1. Focus on buy-side thinking, which is in line with my future career goals.
2. The lowest tuition.
Cons:
1. The program is shorter, more difficult to find a job after graduation.
2. According to the Employment Report data, the starting salary of graduates is lower than in the previous two programs.
3. The program is newer and has slightly fewer network resources.

Cornell ORIE FE Concentration (18 months)
Pros:
1. In the third semester, the program will take place in Manhattan, which is a great location.
2. 100% summer internship placement rate, with a high probability of having a job after graduation.
Cons:
1. People engaged in the buy side market do not account for the majority of the program.
2. There are more sell-side-related courses in the curriculum.

Any advice or suggestions are welcome and appreciated. Thanks!
 
I think if you want to be a quant researcher on the buy-side, Yale's program shouldn't be an option. The curriculum isn't designed to prepare you to be that in my view. Don't think you can go wrong between Cornell and MIT though. Good Luck!
 
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