Can anyone help me (an Indian) in picking right program in US -MSF or MBA or MSQF/MSCF/FE?

A

arunfinacle

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10/22/18
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Hello Everyone,

This is Arun with some queries. I have strong 8 years of experience that includes accounting, data analytics, Equity Advisory, and Equity Research, evenly spread. I have CFA level 2 cleared as well. But because my age (I'm 32) and experience, i have these conflicting thoughts in my mind. i'm planning for masters in US.

My GRE score is 147V, 156 Q and 3.5 AWA

1) should I go for MBA in finance - Pros: Suits my experience, Cons: Generic and not STEM based and more expensive.
2) Opt for MSF: Pros - 1 year program with specialized focus on investments and comes with low cost, Cons - Non STEM, overlap with CFA curriculum and low job demand compared to quantitative roles and not sure if they hire experienced candidates like me, when avg class is 23/24 age.
3) MS in quant/computational finance - Pros are same plus STEM based; Cons are that they are math and CS heavy.

STEM is important for me being international student.

My focus is on taking a program which can leverage of my CFA knowledge and experience and create me opportunities that can finally land me into a job. I do not want to be into sales as it is not my cup of tea, and don't want to do full time coding and build algo platforms. I love math, avg in programming and my ultimate aim is to be a fund/portfolio manager in long run and after my Masters would want to make move into either Equity Research if i get job based on prior experience ( I have covered Auto, tech and now in retail) or investment Analyst role developing portfolio optimization and portfolio construction skills and supporting senior portfolio managers.

It would be great if experts can guide me on this and what I said above may be a myth. Thank you
 
I would definitely take GRE again because with a 303 total I’m not sure any mfe programs would take you. Average quant scores for most mfe are 165+ so Unless you can bring your scores up I wouldn’t recommend applying to any mfe programs.
 
Michsund said:
I would definitely take GRE again because with a 303 total I’m not sure any mfe programs would take you. Average quant scores for most mfe are 165+ so Unless you can bring your scores up I wouldn’t recommend applying to any mfe programs.
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Thanks, I have already figured that out and thinking of taking one more attempt. But my doubts are much broader than eligibility.
 
I'm not very experienced at all, but from what I see I think you should go for the MBA and try to change your career that way. Even then it will be hard for you to get into a high ranked program which can land you a job at a top IB or hedge fund.
 
Michsund said:
I'm not very experienced at all, but from what I see I think you should go for the MBA and try to change your career that way. Even then it will be hard for you to get into a high ranked program which can land you a job at a top IB or hedge fund.
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I do not get it why you feel things are hard, i do know my scores are bit on lower side and not as competitive as who score 165+, but scores are not everything as they do not test your real math, they do not test your thinking, imagination, intellectual abilties, life is hard you need to be harder; hope you got it!
 
I didn’t read the last part, what you mean hope you get it. You the one asking for advice and then you trying to be some type of guru. How you present yourself is what matters when applying to these schools not just talking the talk but walking the walk. So I hope you get it.
 
Michsund said:
I didn’t read the last part, what you mean hope you get it. You the one asking for advice and then you trying to be some type of guru. How you present yourself is what matters when applying to these schools not just talking the talk but walking the walk. So I hope you get it.
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I think you got offended my friend. When I said I hope you get it I really meant, I'm just stressing my point of view. Your evaluation of my profile is just plain and obvious. When you are trying to evaluate a profile which has more experience and expertise then yours you should not be subjective in your remarks..like "its hard to get based on your profile". You are still student as I can see in your profile while I have spent 8 years in industry. So please have some strong insights when evaluating someone's else profile which has more weightage then yours in terms of experience, or at least do not demoralise them by just stating obvious facts like your score is low, its hard to get into top schools, when you are not stating the valid reasons for that, and when the schools themselves say they have no minimum cutt off!

Anyways, good luck on your future endeavours, thanks again!
 
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See that’s what I’m getting at as well. What you are looking for is self acceptance. You asked for a critique of your profile but when I actually critiqued you, you became all knowledgeable about the whole application processes and my view became subjective. What I’m using is statistics from past data, so it’s not very subjective. Your Saying basically that since I’m a student that my view is that only test scores matter, which I didn’t. I said your work experience is not relevant to quant work and you GRE score is very low as well and that combination makes you non competitive for mfe programs. Therefore I suggested applying to schools where work experience is more coveted, the MBA. Having to much work experience can be a disadvantage because it will be harder for schools to place you since many companies are looking for younger employees who will hopefully be a long lasting asset in you company. So be open minded and I wish you all the best in your school search.
 
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