UCLA MFE Why UCLA Anderson MFE

[Akram Khan]

If I were to sum it up in one word, it would be FACULTY. The professors in this program are subject-matter experts who love to teach. I have really enjoyed my learning experience.

The students: My classmates come from various technical backgrounds with varied experiences. This makes the group interactions interesting and more informed because every member has a unique contributing viewpoint.

The career advisors are exceptional. I can tell you through my first-hand experience that they are really committed. Some of the ways they help us are by:-

• Constantly reaching out to alumni for job openings.
• Hosting fall career fairs exclusive to the MFE students where employers come to recruit from our talented pool of MFEs.
• Scheduling sessions throughout the year focusing on topics like interviewing skills, networking, succeeding in the workplace, and the latest trends in the industry.
• Sending job opportunities to students very frequently and helping us stay on top of things with reminders and updates.
• Helping us brush up on our resume and cover letter.
• Conducting mock interviews which really helps you understand how you’re coming across and pinpoint improvement areas so you can communicate your strong suits and skillsets effectively during an interview.
• Providing access to MFE Alumni Career Coaches from varying Financial Engineering career paths.
• Furthermore, given that New York is the financial capital of the world, there are a lot of career opportunities in New York. And so, we are the only MFE program that’s not located in New York but still has a dedicated career advisor based out of New York. This goes to show the high level of commitment and effort of the UCLA MFE’s career and administrative team. They want to you succeed and offer a lot of support and help to make sure that you do.

The Business School Advantage – UCLA Anderson MFE is one of only three top quant programs that is part of a Business School (UCLA Anderson School of Management). This comes with unique benefits and opportunities which other MFE programs lack. There are invites to events across the business school, access to key centers (such as the Fink Center for Finance & Investment, etc), and the opportunity to take MBA classes (given they don’t overlap with your class schedule). You can also join lunches with the Anderson faculty. Just email the professor (they usually take out the time) and let the career office know. It’s a great way to get to know them outside the classroom. And then there are the famed ‘Anderson Thursdays’. Anderson Thursdays are a great networking event hosted every Thursday evening for Anderson students to get together, mingle, and network in a casual setting. Free food (different cuisines each week) and drinks are provided so students can connect across different programs and class years.

The 15-month program is the perfect program duration length. A 1-year program is too short to squeeze in all the curriculum, while a 2-year program feels unnecessarily long. The 15-month MFE program is well-balanced in that aspect. Four quarters along with a 10–12-week internship opportunity in the summer, the program fits everything as needed in a reasonable timeframe.

Alumni Network – Some of the most impactful business leaders have attended UCLA Anderson. This trickles down into having a deep and engaging alumni network, ready to be tapped in, waiting to help us fellow bruins, achieve professional success.

The MFE Administrative Support – The MFE administrative team is amazing. They are constantly looking for ways to make the student experience more engaging. They organize multiple student events. Students get quick responses/appointments and a lot of attention and support throughout their time at Anderson. They are very receptive to feedback and want to make sure their students are taken care of. This really sets this program a class apart.

California. The golden state offers something unparalleled – the entrepreneurial vibe infused with deep financial learning experience is unique. Having studied and worked on the east coast for a couple of years, I can tell you firsthand that the California vibe is engaging. UCLA Anderson sits at the center of this vibe in Southern California. A diverse, international, multi-cultural environment focused on deep innovation and financial learning with top faculty. Nothing like it.