Reality Check: Am I on track for successful applications?

[archerthebowman]

Career Goals/Why MFE: Out of the gate, this community has been very helpful so far, but I want to get a reality check on progress and weak spots and if I need to re-focus what I am spending time on to get into (ideally top) MFE programs. My long-term career goal (lofty, "aspiration" may be more a more appropriate term) is quantitative credit portfolio management.

Anyway, here's how I have been approaching the class of 2024 admissions process

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Work Ex: Graduated in December (3.7 GPA, US top 50 but not a target) with little math experience. Working full time in a non-quant role in a well-regarded (Capital Group/Wellington/PIMCO/Fidelity/T Rowe etc.) asset management firm. I would rather not move roles since the pay is good, I am learning a lot about my space, and I have the WLB (50-60 hrs a week) to put the hours in to my Pre-reqs without feeling like I am burning out.​

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Pre-Requisites: I have finished Calc II, am taking Lin Alg, and planning to take Calc III, Probability, and Diff Eq through a better uni than the one I graduated from (online, but I am in the same class sections as their math undergrads and not in a MOOC format). At one course per term, I would be done with these by summer 2023. For programming, planning on C++ or Python programming courses in time to finish apps towards end of 2023 + strengthen programming before arriving to campus in 2024. Is this too long a timeline? Will 2.5 years be too long of a gap between Ugrad and masters or will there be leeway given I would have been taking pre-reqs the whole time?​

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Recommendations and Research: For recommendations, I was thinking of using my current work supervisor, a professor I did research assistant work for in Ugrad (Finance related, but my name isn't in the publication because I only did minor data collection), and a boss at a previous job I had where I did some econometric research for them (not finance related or published). Is this strong enough research background for these programs or do I need to try to find some summer research opportunity? Do I prioritize on displaying my research, or my other internships (investment banking at a lesser known boutique) on my resume (or can I do both with a more than 1-page resume)?​

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Test Strategizing: Part of the purpose of this post is to gauge whether the above aspects are strong enough for these applications to think about taking the GRE, as if not, I would do MBA instead and thus take the GMAT. I recognize that GRE is a critical part of application success, but I don't want to work on trying to get that insane GRE score if the rest of my profile would hold me back even with the insane GRE.​

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Apologies for the wall of text. I haven't actually sat down and talked about the above with anyone in the field, so wanted to take the opportunity now to see if I am on track and if I need to make any adjustments to my plan to be as successful as possible come application season .

Thanks for the patience!

 

[finkv]

Pre-Requisites: I do not think they care about the time between your undergrad and when you apply to a master's program? You have work experience, so you were not lazy.

Recommendations and Research: These programs are not research-focused. If you want to do research, then apply to a different program. Joining a CS, math, or stats program at the same universities you can get an MFE at would be slightly better. Research is a good experience, but that you were not published is not a big deal.

Test Strategizing: MBA's are not technical enough. The GRE is not that important. It is a filter. A perfect GRE will not grant you admissions. Everyone else has Q:168+ and good verbal scores. However, a bad GREcould be detrimental (But if you have As in all your math coursework they will not care about the GRE that much)

Overall all it depends on what programs are you applying to. Your SOPs are important. Make sure your Letters of recommendation are decent. Goof luck!

 

[archerthebowman]

Pre-Requisites: I do not think they care about the time between your undergrad and when you apply to a master's program? You have work experience, so you were not lazy.

Recommendations and Research: These programs are not research-focused. If you want to do research, then apply to a different program. Joining a CS, math, or stats program at the same universities you can get an MFE at would be slightly better. Research is a good experience, but that you were not published is not a big deal.

Test Strategizing: MBA's are not technical enough. The GRE is not that important. It is a filter. A perfect GRE will not grant you admissions. Everyone else has Q:168+ and good verbal scores. However, a bad GREcould be detrimental (But if you have As in all your math coursework they will not care about the GRE that much)

Overall all it depends on what programs are you applying to. Your SOPs are important. Make sure your Letters of recommendation are decent. Goof luck!

Thanks! Knew MBA wouldn't be technical enough, would just opt for a different career path if MFE was not attainable.

 

[LeFed]

short answer, yes, you are on track

 

[MikeTheQuant]

Pre-Requisites: I do not think they care about the time between your undergrad and when you apply to a master's program? You have work experience, so you were not lazy.

Recommendations and Research: These programs are not research-focused. If you want to do research, then apply to a different program. Joining a CS, math, or stats program at the same universities you can get an MFE at would be slightly better. Research is a good experience, but that you were not published is not a big deal.

Test Strategizing: MBA's are not technical enough. The GRE is not that important. It is a filter. A perfect GRE will not grant you admissions. Everyone else has Q:168+ and good verbal scores. However, a bad GREcould be detrimental (But if you have As in all your math coursework they will not care about the GRE that much)

Overall all it depends on what programs are you applying to. Your SOPs are important. Make sure your Letters of recommendation are decent. Goof luck!

Research experience could be useful if you apply to a more math/theoretical based program like Columbia/NYU's M.A. Mathematical Finance or Stony Brook's Applied Math (QF track) master's programs. These programs are typically feeders into PhD programs, whereas MFE is typically (but not always) a terminal degree where it shoots you right out into the workforce.

You are right though. You won't be doing research in an MFE program. Not saying you're wrong, just providing further clarification to OP.