Profile Evaluation for Fall'25

[Astrotalker]

Hi Everyone,
I am planning to apply for MFE programs in the US for Fall'25. Can you let me know how my current profile looks and anything to improve it further? Also what colleges should I ideally be targeting? Also want to break into proper desk/front office quant roles so would prefer highly quantitative programs so would appreciate input into shortlisting

Country of Citizenship: India
WorkEx: 2 years (3 at the time of joining) in a Quant(Risk - VaR Modelling) role in an American Big Bank (Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan types)
GRE : 168 Quant, 164 Verbal - 332 total , AWA 4.0/6.0
TOEFL : 110 (R30 : L30 : S24 : W26)
Undergrad GPA: 9.08 overall in my major Chemical Engineering (~3.7 GPA overall in US, 4.0 GPA in Multi-Variate Calculus, Economics(Macro and Micro), Corporate Finance, 3.6 GPA in Computer Programming C++, additional courses - 3.2 GPA in Linear Algebra, 3.6 GPA in Probability and Statistics (took this after college as an add-on), Numerical methods (Raphson method, etc.)). In general, apart from this even core Chemical Engineering courses are math-based, we use a lot of calculus
Additional work in undergrad - Machine Learning (Computer Vision) intern at a startup and a research project (Computer Vision based) internally with the CS Department in the College. Well-versed with Python and C++ as a result. Additionally did competitive programming in C++ in Codeforces etc. for a couple of months(1500-1600 rating)
Undergrad College - Top 7 IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) - among Top 500 colleges in QS
Additional Qualifications: I am planning to take the FRM P1 in mid-November.

Thanks if you have reached this far , would appreciate input into how my profile compares with others and would like feedback

 

[MikeLawrence]

You've got the basics and have a solid profile. The coding experience is very helpful.

If by 'front office' you mean trading, good luck. That probably won't happen since you're coming from three years in a risk position and you've been out of college for awhile. There isn't much crossover there. Can you be any more specific about the roles you are targeting?

How much C++ and python do you use for your job on the day-to-day? If the answer isn't 'it's constant,' you should at least look at the C++ course here. It is very good.

Apply to all the top schools and see where you land. I'd target Uchicago for sure, they give great scholarships and have very solid outcomes. Of note, Berkeley seems to be having some issues replacing Linda (their twice previous director) and might need to be avoided if other comparable options are open to you. That said, it is historically a very top program and the instructors haven't changed- it is still top-notch.

 

[Astrotalker]

You've got the basics and have a solid profile. The coding experience is very helpful.

If by 'front office' you mean trading, good luck. That probably won't happen since you're coming from three years in a risk position and you've been out of college for awhile. There isn't much crossover there. Can you be any more specific about the roles you are targeting?

How much C++ and python do you use for your job on the day-to-day? If the answer isn't 'it's constant,' you should at least look at the C++ course here. It is very good.

Apply to all the top schools and see where you land. I'd target Uchicago for sure, they give great scholarships and have very solid outcomes. Of note, Berkeley seems to be having some issues replacing Linda (their twice previous director) and might need to be avoided if other comparable options are open to you. That said, it is historically a very top program and the instructors haven't changed- it is still top-notch.

Thanks so much Mike. No I don't want to be a trader , more of desk quant roles , people who build pricing models etc. at the desk side. Think a trader would be too hectic of a role for me. Also, currently I haven't taken CFA or FRM(Have registered for FRM P1 - November) , how much would that impact my application? We use python fairly regularly, and I did cover C++ in college and am well versed with programming in it, though have mostly kept in touch with it on my own(i.e not used in day to day). What schools do I target? And what would be my chances of getting in(Uchicago is my target as such)?

 

[MikeLawrence]

CFA and FRM won't impact it much.

Take the C++ course here, it is well worth it and will be good prep as well as a great signal to admissions teams.

I can't give you much of a target- just take the best steps for your profile between now and when you apply and see what happens. Apply where you want, you've got work experience and you cover what's needed. Some more probability and LA would be useful.