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Thanks for the reply! First of all, yes I know I should limit my career plan to be more spesific. I have thought about both trading and asset management, as well as risk management. I definately need to narrow it down further. No matter where I end up though, I hope to use my wide knowledge of business, economics and finance to get an edge in the competitive field. I also hope to benefit from my strong quantitative skills and ability to come with stress, make quick decisions, etc. I graduated from undergraduate business school with elements of business, economics, finance, mathematics and statistics. The program was, like many European programs, 3 years. I chose to apply primarily for MA Econmics programs because I want a stronger understanding of economics and believe it will help me in working with finance. The UCSB MA Economics program also allows for several electives in finance, so I will increase my understanding of financial concepts as well. I did not concider an MBA at this point, but will definately consider it after working for a few years. I know purusing a second master's degree has a great opportunity cost. But I also believe that it could give me a stronger quantitative background which would greatly benefit my career. Also, I look at the second master's option as a wonderful oportunity to live in a new place (US, UK or elsewhere), meet new people and have a great time. Are MA statistics programs maily designed for people who plan to work outisde academics? For instance in finance? What kind of career are you planning?

Hey, This is my first post in this forum! I am a newly graduated Economics and Business student from a European business school and will attend the UCSB MA Economics program from this fall. Eventually I hope to work in finance, and am considering pursuing a second master's degree after completing the MA at UCSB. The other option is to start work after UCSB, which probably is the best idea. But I really enjoy studying and would love to continue my studies another year or two. Thus I am considering applying to some MA Statistics programs in the US to enhance my quantitative academic background. From my undergraduate degree I have done well in both mathematics and statitics courses, as well as finance and other quantitative diciplines. As an exchange student in the US (one semester) I had a GPA of 3.7. My GRE scores are somewhat low (400 verbal, 770 quant, 5 essay) and I plan to retake the test. What MA statistics programs should I apply for? How hard is it to get accepted to the best universities? How high should my GRE scores be (especially the verbal section), or are they perhaps already good enough to get into most programs? I would love to attend a university with a good reputation in statistics, such as Stanford, University of Washington or UC Berkeley. Thanks for helping!