COMPARE NUS (Singapore in general) versus Boston University (US in general)

[siddhaarth]

Hi folks.

I've just been accepted into NUS for their MFE program, and also Boston University for their Mathematical Finance program. Being from India, I have an interesting choice here, which I've discussed over and over again with family, the guys at work, some alumni of both programs; and all these discussions haven't helped sway me firmly in any direction. It would be wonderful to hear some UNBIASED views, which is why I'm putting it up for discussion here.
To give you a small background, I'm 23, an electronics and telecommunications engineer from Mumbai University (with god-awful acads), have co-founded and run a tiny start-up for a couple of years, after which I've worked in two finance roles over the past one year (neither being quantitative). I doubt there's anything outstanding about my profile; in fact, I'm guessing the only reason I've made it to these programs is my GMAT score.

Anyway, I'm going to quickly sum up the opinions of most people I've spoken to over the past three days-

• It's probably the right time to pursue an MFE. I have some relevant experience, though not a great deal, so an entry-level-ish role at the end of it wouldn't feel as insulting as it would feel if I were to work another year and then pursue it.
• There's no doubting that American universities (rather the American education system as a whole) are rather better and markedly more appealing than those in Singapore. They give me an entry into the American education ecosystem, and provide a better platform from where to go on and pursue a PhD/MBA later. There's a reason why the US is still first choice for anyone from Asia.
• On the other hand, NUS and NTU aren't terribly far behind, and their reputation in Asia is comparable to that of say, Boston University. And while moving from Singapore for a PhD/MBA is going to be significantly more difficult than moving within the States, it's far from impossible; of course, pursuing a PhD in S'pore is a more than decent option as well. Also, there's no idea what the job markets in the States would be like a couple of years from now (not to say that those in S'pore would be amazing, but they're expected to be better, at the very least). Plus there's the not-at-all-small matter of the investment, which is far lower in the case of NUS.
• The other thing about Boston specifically is that I'm guessing I could have quite easily gone there two years ago without any sort of experience, like a number of my seniors from college did, so I'll just feel a little cheated. With NUS, I think (and I may be very wrong) I'm slightly fortunate to get an admit, when I compare my profile with those of the other candidates I see on Quantnet.
• Having said all this, I'm waiting for Columbia to respond, and I should still probably choose that over all the others if I got in. But it's not something that I can think about right now (I have to pay up some admission fee at NUS latest by March 15), and it's very very very unlikely in any case.

Wow, this is a long post but considering that I need to make up my mind soon, I really hope you guys type out your thoughts quicker than I did.
Thanks in advance!

 

[NaderH]

NUS's overall rank is great, but I heard they have shitty mfe program. It's really nowhere even close to Boston

 

[siddhaarth]

I've spoken to a couple of MFE grads from NUS, and they say it has improved leaps and bounds. Moreover, Stochastic Calculus is now a compulsory module; it wasn't earlier, and I think that's the primary reason the program was given such a beating.
jackcoke Andy Nguyen Any inputs (mainly with reference to my first post)?

 

[siddhaarth]

Guys? Some insight would be fantastic. jackcoke Andy Nguyen