Hi everyone!
My name is Chris, I'm an applicant for Fall 2008. I just graduated from NYU (technically, the date my diploma is posted is 1/25, but I digress). While there, I majored in Math. I took a lot of grad-level courses there, mostly in pure math. To be more precise, I took two semesters of Algebraic Topology, Real Analysis, Algebra, Differential Geometry, as well as a few seminars in Analysis, Geometry, and Topology, as well (non-grad) courses in Differential Equations, Complex Variables, etc. At some point, I realized that being a pure mathematician wasn't really for me, and neither was being an academic.
As far as my motivation for doing an MS in Financial Engineering, quant roles were something I learned about a few years ago and always kind of had in the back of my mind (although my course selection over the last few years doesn't really reflect it). I started doing some reading - I read Hull's book to get a more academic perspective, and read through Derman's book to get an idea what a career might be like - and I decided that this would be what I wanted to do, and that applying to FE programs was the way to get my foot in the door.
I have a few questions to start:
1) Obviously, my finance background is a bit lacking. I've read through Hull... are there any other books that you guys would recommend reading/studying before I start a program in the fall? While not exactly relevant to financial engineering, I can't imagine that it would hurt to read a book on corporate finance, as well, at the very least to make one more well rounded. Any books you'd recommend for that?
2) My programming background isn't terrific. Of course, the prerequisites for the program are one semester of college-level programming, and technically, I took two semesters of AP CS in high school. So, if I were to take, Mark Joshi's book on Financial Programming, and work through, would you say that I would be amply prepared to enter a program this fall?
3) To the best of your knowledge, how does the curriculum at Baruch differ from the other financial engineering programs in New York? How do you think it is better or worse? I don't really expect you guys to have extensive knowledge of the other programs, just anything you guys might happen to know.
4) How are the courses structured? Are they more problem-set oriented? Or are they more project-oriented?
5) I don't know if any of you would know about this, but on the application there was something about graduate assistantships, presumably TAing. Have any of you done this? How is it?
Any answers, or comments would be great. Thanks!
My name is Chris, I'm an applicant for Fall 2008. I just graduated from NYU (technically, the date my diploma is posted is 1/25, but I digress). While there, I majored in Math. I took a lot of grad-level courses there, mostly in pure math. To be more precise, I took two semesters of Algebraic Topology, Real Analysis, Algebra, Differential Geometry, as well as a few seminars in Analysis, Geometry, and Topology, as well (non-grad) courses in Differential Equations, Complex Variables, etc. At some point, I realized that being a pure mathematician wasn't really for me, and neither was being an academic.
As far as my motivation for doing an MS in Financial Engineering, quant roles were something I learned about a few years ago and always kind of had in the back of my mind (although my course selection over the last few years doesn't really reflect it). I started doing some reading - I read Hull's book to get a more academic perspective, and read through Derman's book to get an idea what a career might be like - and I decided that this would be what I wanted to do, and that applying to FE programs was the way to get my foot in the door.
I have a few questions to start:
1) Obviously, my finance background is a bit lacking. I've read through Hull... are there any other books that you guys would recommend reading/studying before I start a program in the fall? While not exactly relevant to financial engineering, I can't imagine that it would hurt to read a book on corporate finance, as well, at the very least to make one more well rounded. Any books you'd recommend for that?
2) My programming background isn't terrific. Of course, the prerequisites for the program are one semester of college-level programming, and technically, I took two semesters of AP CS in high school. So, if I were to take, Mark Joshi's book on Financial Programming, and work through, would you say that I would be amply prepared to enter a program this fall?
3) To the best of your knowledge, how does the curriculum at Baruch differ from the other financial engineering programs in New York? How do you think it is better or worse? I don't really expect you guys to have extensive knowledge of the other programs, just anything you guys might happen to know.
4) How are the courses structured? Are they more problem-set oriented? Or are they more project-oriented?
5) I don't know if any of you would know about this, but on the application there was something about graduate assistantships, presumably TAing. Have any of you done this? How is it?
Any answers, or comments would be great. Thanks!
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