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Started this topic to gather advice for my next step as well as to share thoughts/experience. I finished my Master of Math Finance at UToronto and have been a quant researcher (strat and data) for almost a year (undergrad in Stats). As I am seeking the best quant funds to learn and grow, feeling Canada is really not the place I should stay (small markets and not proactive), US/HK instead. Then I am thinking of applying another Master's in US (only way to get a job there and I won't do phD). As for HK, funds prefer experienced ones far as I know. Then it comes to what school/major to apply for. Another MFE is not the thing, as it will be a waste of everything (though they do have good career services). Then what should be a legit program to learn new stuff AND to target the quant funds? Data Science (seems targeting tech firms)? Finance (not hardcore)? ... No idea if there are buddies who have gone through/are in similar situations. Welcome to share any idea. Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,Kindly advise on my chances of getting into the following MFE/Quantitative Finance programs:-Baruch-Columbia-Cornell-NYU-University of Chicago-Georgia Institute of Technology-MIT-University of Washington-Boston University-Fordham-NYU Tandon-UCLA-USC-North Carolina State-North Carolina at Charlotte-RensselaerGender: M. Ethnic Background: White/European. American Citizen.Here are some of my accomplishments and skills:-May 2017 BS Mathematics graduate, 3.35 GPA (courses in Calc 1-3, DiffEq, Real Analysis I&II, Complex Analysis, Probability Theory, Topology, Advanced Linear Algebra, and few actuary courses [FM, P, MLC]). Top 100 ranked from US News National University in New York.-Full time work experience as a Pricing Analyst for an aviation engineering company. I've been there for 7 months already immediately after graduation and looking to stay for a year until I get in a FE program for fall 2018.Job summary: Develop integrated pricing models and cost analysis for aircraft component repair Forecast revenue/profit margins and present analyses and recommendations to executive management team Prepare business proposals, validate bills of material pricing, and leverage budget analysis to maximize revenue and mitigate risk -GRE Score: Q: 166 (91 percentile), V: 153 (61 percentile), Writing: 4.5 (82 percentile).-Financial representative internship at Northwestern Mutual during my undergrad.-Letters of Rec: 1) Calculus 1 & 2 Teacher's Assistant. This professor, who is the director of calculus at the university I graduated from, is writing my recommendation letter. 2) My math professor for advanced probability/stats, and 2 actuary courses in MLC (part I and II). I did very well in his classes. B, A-,A respectively in that order. 3) My former business development manager who was the previous pricing analyst as well and trained me. He now is in a different office for the same company; this left me to run the business development department on my own. I expect strong letters from all 3.-Limited knowledge of C++, Python, and Access. Haven't formally learned programming but I plan on getting take Baruch's C++ for Financial Engineering pre MFE course for C++ certification before starting in the Fall. -Working with the IT developer at my job to create a C++ program that predicts stock price volatility. He's doing the coding, I'm doing the math. -Advanced Excel skills, as I use it heavily at my job every day. -Private math tutor for Wyzant.com with over 95 hours of tutoring and 5/5 star rating for all levels of math up to calculus 1.Please let me know if you think my profile is strong enough to gain acceptance for certain schools based on my experience. If you have any more questions to evaluate my profile do not hesitate to ask. Thank you for your time and I appreciate your help.-Transcending

Hi all, I'm a year 3 student from National University of Singapore (NUS), currently exchanging in UCSD. My primary major is quantitative finance. I also got double major in Statistics and minor in CS. I plan to pursue a master degree, but could not decide between master of Stats or financial engineering (or even industrial systems engineering). At this moment, I'm aiming at job in banking area (To be honest, I haven't got a VERY interested area yet, if watching drama does not count lol). I know that stats provides more opportunity while MFE is more specific, but could anyone give me some advice other than that, based on my information here? Plus: I am open to every kind of possibility because I'm really confused. Some of my basics are as follows: GPA: 3.78/4 (Converted from 4.73/5) 1 individual research project (Econometrics based. Not published.). Charted Financial Analyst (CFA) level I passed. Relavant courses: Math: Mathematical analysis I, II Linear algebra I, II Numerical analysis ODE Numerical PDE Mathematical finance Finance: Accounting Corporate finance Financial markets Investment instruments Stats: Probability Regression analysis and linear model R/SAS/SPSS programming Planning: Stochastic process Time-series CS: Data structure I, II Computer organization Language: Python, C++, Java, Matlab

Hello everyone, A little background: - --I work in debt capital markets/corporate banking as an analyst/underwriter - -- I’m concurrently studying fulltime to complete my MBA at a non-top 20 but regionally reputable/strong business school (think Northeastern/BC/Nova). Set to finish the program two semesters early. ~3.9 GPA with finance concentration. - --Undergrad at top 10 liberal arts school in New England with non-STEM major. Marginal GPA (3.4). Though I enjoy the work I am doing and see myself staying with my current company for at least the near future (partly because I enjoy the work, but also because they are funding my MBA), I am feeling a bit unsettled. As I close in on the business school finish line, I am not fully satisfied with the overall strength of my educational profile or with my long-term career prospects. This is problematic for me, since an MBA is generally considered a terminal degree. And since my business school is not M7/Top 10, I will not enjoy the network or prestige associated should I attempt to lateral elsewhere or to advance in a different role. And, since business school is generally a combination of qualitative and quantitative content, I feel that I am lacking some of the quant “hard skills” I desire and that will make me more competitive in the future. With FinTech and other tech innovations likely to threaten the very model of finance in the next decade, I want to make myself as well-rounded and technically savvy as possible (i.e. I don’t want to become obsolete). I’m interested in algorithmic systems and some CS “lite” material. A CS or engineering-related degree has the potential to help in this respect. I’ve begun investigating other degree programs I could use to shore up my quant/hard science deficiencies and to bolster my long term career chances in areas of high finance (corporate finance/development, investment/portfolio management, etc). I’ve been told that a MS in Finance would not be fruitful to pursue post-MBA, since it is kind of redundant and because most quant-focused finance professionals pursue a MSF either directly out of undergrad or soon thereafter. So I’ve started to explore MFE (financial engineering) and MEM (engineering management) degrees. I think either has the potential to provide me with what I am looking for. The two MEM programs with which I am most interested are Dartmouth and Duke; the MFE at USC has a distance learning opportunity so I’ve considered that one, as well (I don’t plan to leave the east coast). (Sidenote: my GMAT/GRE is fairly good, but I understand I will probably need to retake the GRE in order to completely crush the quant section). However, the issue is that these programs require engineering or STEM undergrad degrees, which I don’t have. Though I have taken many challenging finance classes (investment analysis, derivatives, etc), I know that these cannot take the place of pure math/science classes one would encounter as a STEM/engineering major. So my question(s): What do I realistically need to do to be a competitive candidate for a MFE/MEM program? What things (short of earning an additional undergrad degree, which I’m not keen on doing) can I do to bolster my profile? What certifications/courses should I be taking? Does anyone have any experience with either program, or does anyone have experience moving from non-STEM -> MFE/MEM programs? Is this scenario completely hopeless at this point (and should I be researching other programs, like an MS in Econ or an MSF)? (Note: I do plan to contact the schools directly to ask them similar questions, but I wanted to see if anyone on GradCafe could provide some color first). Any and all information/advice is appreciated!

Is anybody applying to "The Master in Financial Engineering (MFE)" course at Swiss Finance Institute (SFI), École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)? Need some help on statement of purpose about the theme? Let's use this forum to further discuss the application and admits.