Columbia MFE Columbia MFE Application Discussion

[Andy Xu]

Admin:Is there any possibility of some more emails/interview calls in the next week?

Let's just hope so.

 

[Claude_Shannon]

Hi everyone! This is my first post and I am very excited about it!
I just wanted to ask you when do you believe that we should be expecting to hear back from columbia? I had my interview on Friday and I know that the final decision will be released by the first week of March, but do you think that they might send out decisions earlier?

 

[Andy Nguyen]

My observation is that programs are trying to release their decision earlier each year as they try to "lock in" early commitments. So I expect to see the result timeline shows up a bit earlier in our Tracker this year.

 

[crispally]

My understanding is that better profiles get earlier interviews and earlier admission decisions. Tracker from last year indicates that people got admitted just a couple days after interviews..
Claude_Shannon, would you mind sharing your profile? I haven't got anything yet...just wanted to evaluate my chances...

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Claude_Shannon, would you mind sharing your profile? I haven't got anything yet...just wanted to evaluate my chances...

Would be better if she added her profile and timelines on our Tracker.

 

[crispally]

Would be better if she added her profile and timelines on our Tracker.

Agree. When I tried to dig some information from last year's tracker, it's frustrating to see that not many people shared their profiles (aka test scores, gpa etc)...Based on limited samples, I sensed a taste for higher standard test scores from Columbia...I mean, even verbal seemed to play its part...not a good news for me

 

[Andy Nguyen]

We only make GPA/GRE/profile data a required field recently so we don't have those info from last year. I hope more people will be open to share their profiles. If privacy is a concern, just make your trackers private so the public can't associate it with username.
The full potential of our Tracker is only realized when everyone knows that they benefit by sharing.

 

[bullion]

Agree. When I tried to dig some information from last year's tracker, it's frustrating to see that not many people shared their profiles (aka test scores, gpa etc)...Based on limited samples, I sensed a taste for higher standard test scores from Columbia...I mean, even verbal seemed to play its part...not a good news for me

Well if people share their scores, what do you hope to find? If someone with higher scores post, you get more depressed. If someone with lower scores post, you feel happier about yourself but the new guy is now pissed off seeing your score and existing listings (presumably higher.) it also can backfire on admissions when someone go to them and say "hey, why you guys interviewed someone with lower test stats than mine instead of me?"

So don't get too stressed about the scores. Comparing them should be treated as nothing more than pasttime. People who actively post are usually 1) showing off, or 2) hoping for a miracle. The fact Is that competition for all graduation schools are tough, and students a running out of ways to distinguish themselves (that's why verbal scores start going up as well.) Normal distribution of the applicant pool dictates that for every class, there will be a few perfect scores+4.0+blue chip WE and then some dogtown school+poor gre+no WE with the MAJORITY of us lying somewhere in the middle. So most questions asked here are by individuals with one or two "shortcomings" who hope that his isn't as detrimental as his neighbor's, yet only a few people in the world can decide that and the rest are just noise and opinions for a feel-good moment.

All you can do is simply doing the best you can on your applications, going away for two month, and letting admissions do whatever they wanna do. It's really really not worth stressing out about given the element of randomness and lack of control you have toward the admissions process anyways.

 

[crispally]

bullion, you are right (and I am the one hoping for a miracle). I really should let go for now and wait till the decision is out. I just couldn't help panicking...but I guess I have to face it now. Too much time has been wasted just to do the meaningless speculation. Thanks for point this out man.

 

[bullion]

If you look at most of so-called "top programs," they generally admit people who are already accomplished in other fields or decent undergrad experience who probably could've gotten a shot at bank analysts programs. The structure of these MFE programs are really aimed to replace what you'll learn on the jobs if you were to get a job straight out of college. Most MFEs are those who missed being recruited as undergrads at the first place, and now they are spending their own money for whatever banks teach their own employees through internal training. That's why these programs are very clear that they are "professional" (as oppose to research) programs, and they have much more business school-like marketing (low admissions rate, "holistic approach to profile review", "high post-graduate salary," etc.) Harvard graduates probably has lower average salary than these MFEs do, but arguably ANY technical grad program from Harvard can land you an intro gig in quant finance if you are willing to.

My point is that your sense of dispair is only temporary created unintentional / intentional by the industry. A lot of people do what MFEs do without a degree in it. I see more job posting for developer roles, but most MFE grads aren't capable of developing full-fledged applications or just hate coding. There also aren't much cutting edge MFE stuff to be done anymore. So MFE is far from the only thing you can / should do, and not being admitted merely means they are missing out on your talent to their student pool. There are many other things you can do with your life and still get into quant finance. So there's really no reason to panick.

 

[GoodLuckBB]

So..has anyone called this week? Do we just go ahead and call one of the six lines or do we have to wait for the new time slots to be available?

 

[vilovestar]

So..has anyone called this week? Do we just go ahead and call one of the six lines or do we have to wait for the new time slots to be available?

someone received the email asked her to call on Tuesday or Friday. I did not receive anything yet, still waiting.

 

[Clyde_GS]

Hey guys! I just registered. I am a candidate at Tsinghua University, Beijing. I was interviewed face to face. I wonder whether those called Columbia have to recall them for second interview or not? By the way, I remembered that the interviewer said the final decision will be announce at the end of Feb.

 

[GoodLuckBB]

I just finished. Same old three questions as last year. Apparently the interviewer is an Indian student.

A funny thing is: I tried 5 times before getting connected a non-busy line. Assuming a rate of line-occupation of 50%, each interview lasting 6 minutes, and given we have a 4-hour session and 6 lines in total, then Columbia is conducting 120 interviews today. Even this conservatively estimated number is problematic: it is hard to believe that all of them are almost guaranteed admission just by virtue of receiving interview request.

I would venture to say at most 60% of those interviewees (70+) in Round 2 will finally get admitted. Otherwise even a relatively low 60% yield rate will make the class crowded.

Those who would say "interview=admission" please enlighten me.

I already tried 15 times. Still no answer.

 

[daisypupu]

Hey guys! I just registered. I am a candidate at Tsinghua University, Beijing. I was interviewed face to face. I wonder whether those called Columbia have to recall them for second interview or not? By the way, I remembered that the interviewer said the final decision will be announce at the end of Feb.

Did you received the second email to candidate in Beijing saying that the email was sent in error?

 

[Clyde_GS]

Did you received the second email to candidate in Beijing saying that the email was sent in error?

Yes, I do. Weird. I think the result will be announced at next Monday... Good Luck!

 

[daisypupu]

Yes, I do. Weird. I think the result will be announced at next Monday... Good Luck!

Agree!
Now that the second email said it was sent by error and there's no need to call, I don't think we need to be interviewed by phone for a second time. As for the results, will Beijing come out first as well? Good luck to you!

 

[Clyde_GS]

Agree!
Now that the second email said it was sent by error and there's no need to call, I don't think we need to be interviewed by phone for a second time. As for the results, will Beijing come out first as well? Good luck to you!

Yep, we do not need a second interview~ I hope the result we be sent out soon. It's terrible waiting...By the way, do you receive any info from Cornell?

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Hey guys! I just registered. I am a candidate at Tsinghua University, Beijing. I was interviewed face to face. I wonder whether those called Columbia have to recall them for second interview or not? By the way, I remembered that the interviewer said the final decision will be announce at the end of Feb.

Who was your interviewer? Are they associated with Columbia MFE program? Alumni? Outsource agency?

 

[Clyde_GS]

Who was your interviewer? Are they associated with Columbia MFE program? Alumni? Outsource agency?

Alumni who graduated from Peking University. Two Interviewers.