COMPARE Columbia University MFE vs Cornell University MFE

[Jedison]

CU

 

[Vincent Yang]

cornell has absolutely NO advantage over columbia. not even on the same tier. too many trolls...

Can you please elaborate? is it because of the standard of teaching? career service?

 

[TehRaio]

if you do this degree because you want a job, then a top university located in a financial hub, has the definite advantage: that's what Columbia university offers.
your comparison makes it seem like Cornell graduates don't compete against Columbia students for jobs in New York. everybody is competing against everybody no matter where you went to school which is why location is that important.

 

[Vincent Yang]

if you do this degree because you want a job, then a top university located in a financial hub, has the definite advantage: that's what Columbia university offers.
your comparison makes it seem like Cornell graduates don't compete against Columbia students for jobs in New York. everybody is competing against everybody no matter where you went to school which is why location is that important.

I think Cornell also holds one semester at NYC(the same building as CMU's NYC campus). Do you think that's going compensate the location disadvantage? The thing is that I really enjoy the picturesque view at Ithaca.

 

[curaider]

I think Cornell also holds one semester at NYC(the same building as CMU's NYC campus). Do you think that's going compensate the location disadvantage? The thing is that I really enjoy the picturesque view at Ithaca.

Trust me, the view is not worth it -- winter in upstate can be brutal, especially if you don't have a car and have to walk in blizzards

 

[Vincent Yang]

Trust me, the view is not worth it -- winter in upstate can be brutal, especially if you don't have a car and have to walk in blizzards

Thanks for the advice, but I am from a small town in Canada. I got used to the desolated winter anyway lol.

 

[curaider]

Thanks for the advice, but I am from a small town in Canada. I got used to the desolated winter anyway lol.

lol you have all my admiration

 

[JX.CHEN]

Columbia without hesitation.

 

[Jedison]

I just don't really see the draw of Cornell. I grew up in the area, not a lot going on from a social perspective even though I realize this isn't the biggest factor. Columbia has a better brand by a fair margin. In terms of career services I can't comment as I don't know all that much about Cornell. IMO if you expect the career services team at any of these programs to get you a job you're going to end up with egg on your face. It is %100 on you to make yourself stand out, apply to many jobs, network your face off, and perform well in interviews. The career team is there for support and advice but no one's going to hand you a job at any of these programs and it seems to be a MAJOR misconception both on quantnet and in the MFE community.

 

[Vincent Yang]

I just don't really see the draw of Cornell. I grew up in the area, not a lot going on from a social perspective even though I realize this isn't the biggest factor. Columbia has a better brand by a fair margin. In terms of career services I can't comment as I don't know all that much about Cornell. IMO if you expect the career services team at any of these programs to get you a job you're going to end up with egg on your face. It is %100 on you to make yourself stand out, apply to many jobs, network your face off, and perform well in interviews. The career team is there for support and advice but no one's going to hand you a job at any of these programs and it seems to be a MAJOR misconception both on quantnet and in the MFE community.

Thank you for your constructive response. The thing that really bugs is that Columbia admits more than 80 students each year, and some students at my university with a mediocre grade got admitted as well. So I am little worry about the quality control on the students they admit.

 

[Jedison]

In case it isn't clear, I am a student at CUMSFE currently. I will say that there's a range in the students. From what I know the program is more selective than Cornell's which is why I chose to go here over Cornell. Not to be repetitive but it is on you to stand out. There's no program out there that only admits geniuses. Everyone here is very smart but once you start the program you realize quickly that getting in was only half the battle. Students who achieve high GPA's first semester have an enormous advantage over everyone else for recruiting. Yes placement rate for jobs is 100% here but not everyone gets front office at their top choice. What I'm saying is that the program has the ability to open any door but it's on you to perform. I would focus on that rather than which program looks better on paper.

 

[Vincent Yang]

In case it isn't clear, I am a student at CUMSFE currently. I will say that there's a range in the students. From what I know the program is more selective than Cornell's which is why I chose to go here over Cornell. Not to be repetitive but it is on you to stand out. There's no program out there that only admits geniuses. Everyone here is very smart but once you start the program you realize quickly that getting in was only half the battle. Students who achieve high GPA's first semester have an enormous advantage over everyone else for recruiting. Yes placement rate for jobs is 100% here but not everyone gets front office at their top choice. What I'm saying is that the program has the ability to open any door but it's on you to perform. I would focus on that rather than which program looks better on paper.

Thank you so much for the help!

 

[shahab_h]

Hi Jedison, wow, you seem like such a stand up guy. Thanks for all of your feedback and that fountain of knowledge.

 

[Jingqi]

Hello everyone, I have been admitted to Columbia MFE and Cornell MFE and I think I need some suggestions to make the decision. I have heard about the great career services at Cornell and their summer internship placement was 100% last year. Columbia MFE has merely no career services but a better location and is regarded as the tier 1 program. I am an international student so I think the career services is an asset to me. May I have any suggestions? Thank you very much.

 

[sandeepchandaluri]

Columbia's MFE is unparallel when compared to Cornell's MFE solely due to its advantage with respect to the location. While career services is a factor to consider, it is pretty obvious that they are not going to spoon feed anyone and it is the student who has to network, build connections ultimately to land up with a job. I have talked to many students from Columbia and Cornell and I understood how location of the university matters a lot especially when it comes to quant roles. Also, many Columbia students agree that career services at Columbia is not as bad as everyone thinks, just that they are below par when compared to CMU or Cornell. Still they are good enough to achieve almost 100% jobs to all the students. Once you complete your degree with decent scores in either of Cornell or Columbia, it is most probable that you end up with some job but all that differs is the kind of role and location you land up with and I think it's better with Columbia. Congratulations for your admits and all the very best.

 

[Jingqi]

Columbia's MFE is unparallel when compared to Cornell's MFE solely due to its advantage with respect to the location. While career services is a factor to consider, it is pretty obvious that they are not going to spoon feed anyone and it is the student who has to network, build connections ultimately to land up with a job. I have talked to many students from Columbia and Cornell and I understood how location of the university matters a lot especially when it comes to quant roles. Also, many Columbia students agree that career services at Columbia is not as bad as everyone thinks, just that they are below par when compared to CMU or Cornell. Still they are good enough to achieve almost 100% jobs to all the students. Once you complete your degree with decent scores in either of Cornell or Columbia, it is most probable that you end up with some job but all that differs is the kind of role and location you land up with and I think it's better with Columbia. Congratulations for your admits and all the very best.

Thank you for your response. I do agree that whether there are career services or not, we still need to make an effort to get jobs and I think I will choose Columbia.

 

[pmartin]

Hi everyone, I got accepted recently to the Cornell MFE Program and am still waiting to hear from Columbia. I have seen many people on other threads compare the two programs and, for the most part, award Columbia as the favorite. It seems that the two biggest biggest reasons for this is the reputation of Columbia's program and its superior location in NYC. I see how Cornell's location in Ithaca is problematic, but shouldn't this disadvantage be somewhat mitigated with the semester at CFEM? This would seem to allow for ample networking opportunities as one works with practitioners coupled with the excellent career services Cornell has that could be comparable to the advantage of Columbia's location. Why does their location and overall program excellence clearly exceed that of Cornell's even with the semester at CFEM? Anyone with a more informed perspective able to share some insights would be very helpful (fingers crossed I even get into Columbia).

I am also specifically leaning towards a career in quant research so if either program stands out as a better option given that, please let me know. Thank you guys!

 

[londongarfield]

Hello Pmartin, out of curiosity when did you apply to Cornell?

 

[pmartin]

Hello Pmartin, out of curiosity when did you apply to Cornell?

I applied roughly two weeks before the deadline (Dec 1). I know the first batch of decisions was sent out on Thursday but not sure when the second ones will be sent.

 

[Davidfitz]

I don't have much to add beyond the fact that I am in the same situation. I suspect and hope Cornell is only marginally worse because my partner is in Syracuse so it would be nice to only be an hour away.