Will Columbia's Quant Certificate help me get into a top 10 MFE program?

[Harkkam]

Hey guys Im considering applying and if I get in hopefully taking the Certificate of Quant Finance in Columbia, its a post bac program. My major in college was Econ, and my Cum. gpa is 3.2 and my major gpa is 3.3.

I have about one years work experience paid as a financial adviser at a BB, and I one year as an intern at an M&A shop.

There is one issue I entered college in 2004 and just graduated recently in 2011. Reason it took me so long was I not serious about college the first two years and then was pre-med for the next three years only to switch to econ for the last two years. The last two years I went to college part time as I worked in the M&A firm as an intern full time.

Unfortunately they did not offer me a job, as it was a small struggling firm.

I have taken Cal 1 and Cal 2 and found it easy and got A's and have taken physics 1 and 2 and orgo 1 and 2 and chem 1 and 2 which involve complicated math to some degree. However I havent taken all the required courses to get into an MFE program.

This is where I am hoping a Certificate of Quant Finance from Columbia will help(the reason I picked columbia is I live in NYC).

I am hoping to do really well in the courses I take and hope that I get A's so I can submit them with my transcript so they can see that I am well prepared and hopefully will be factored into my GPA?

Do I have a chance at a top ten MFE, I dont want to take a certificate of Quant finance and not get into any program and be on the hook for like 30k which is what this program costs!

Thanks

 

[TheMaster]

After reading up about the certificate, it looks more like a pre-mfe certificate. Something that will better prepare you for MFE studies. I'd recommend saving the money and taking community college classes but that's just me. Take the GMAT/GRE and we'll be better positioned to say if you can make it to a top 10 program. You'll want to score high in the quantitative portion of the exam 95%+ if you're aiming for a top 10 program.

 

[fastrack]

Yes, Columbia's Quantitative Studies for Finance program will certainly help your chances of getting admitted to a top MFE program. I strongly doubt that any top MFE program will consider your candidacy if you have not taken the prerequisite courses. That being said, having the appropriate academic background is simply one aspect of the application.

 

[Harkkam]

I see, thank you for your replies. Of course without the proper GRE scores it's moot. I must score an 800 on the quant section and aim to do exactly that.

My dream is to graduate from an ivy I went to a low school and fumbled around and only found my passion later in life. Ironically I was pre-med
For the wrong reasons, money and safety. I enjoy financial mathematics since its a scientific approach to creating wealth vs. simply gambling away. The ability to understand and write models that can find market oppurtunities to generate profit. That gets me excited.

I really want a columbia or NYu or Harvard degree on my wall it would mean a lot to me.

I'm hoping stellar performance in Columbia quant certificate will give me a better chance at making my low gpa seem less significant.

 

[mfegrad]

I really want a columbia or NYu or Harvard degree on my wall it would mean a lot to me.

...wow.

 

[pruse]

Columbia and Harvard are nothing more than names, they don't bring happiness in life