COMPARE Columbia MSFE VS MIT MFin (Financial Engineering Option)

[Owen]

Which is better if I want to go to a top hedge fund / prop trading such as Citadel? Which is better in general? If you are a hiring manager of a top hedge fund, and you see two resumes from these 2 programs, do you feel a significant inclination to pick one of them, or do you honestly feel indifferent?

Please note that for MIT MFin, i am talking strictly about the Financial Engineering Option, I have seen way too many post that do not isolate Financial Eng. option with others, of course, we do not expect the 3 other options to go the "Quant path". I feel that there is a lack of information on the Internet for this Financial Eng. option.

Please give me some insights, thank you!

 

[mmmmmw]

If you target top hedge funds/trading houses, I think your profile and interview performance matter much much more than which program you are in. Both programs are able to get you interviews if your background is solid and then the programs make no difference.
For the programs themselves, personally I think Columbia's curriculum may be better structured for financial engineers than MIT's Fin Eng. concentration. But MIT's curriculum is more flexible and covers more financial theories, plus MIT's brand and reputation especially in Asia. So it all depends on your preference.