COMPARE MIT MFIN vs Imperial MSC Mathematics and Finance
- Thread starter karelm
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Please add your application timeline details on the Tracker. Thanks
Getting into the Imperial program is a good sign.
MIT is so different from Imperial and they are in two different continent.
Nobody can advise unless they know what you want to do out of the program.
Getting into the Imperial program is a good sign.
MIT is so different from Imperial and they are in two different continent.
Nobody can advise unless they know what you want to do out of the program.
Yep adding to the tracker now!
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Choose MIT.
It's interesting at how both universities have similarities. I would call Imperial the MIT of UK.
Imperial MSc Math and Fin: more for quant roles, of course. Very hard course. Their courses are more theoretical/pure math. Imperial will try to place you in an industry internship with your dissertation. Their program director is well known with strong connections. Well done for getting an offer.
Good stuff: math fin at imperial is well known in UK. Career service is amazing. their modules are good.
Downside: 7 core modules and 5 electives from october to april, then exams. then dissertation until september. You will really work lol. London salaries are bad relative to cost of living. The stories I heard about Imperial are discouraging and you will feel like you're in hell. If you want that then please be my guest.
MIT MFin: you can choose concentrations and you will be surrounded by truly amazing people. course isn't as pure math heavy and more relevant to finance. Imperial is more on quant. MIT's MFin is under MIT Sloan School of Management - it is at its base more on finance. MIT Sloan is part of the M7 Business schools.
Good stuff: to follow on from the reviews, it's MIT. Boston is a cool place, european like. Career services are amazing. You can choose an 18 month course, which gives you time to learn stuff in greater depth. US universities are generally easier than their UK counterparts (but why do people go to US colleges? because the universities are more prestigious, which is what matters most). The people you meet at MIT will be amazing. Network with them. Be their friends. You never know, they may start billion-dollar mc companies and may get you a job one day. With US universities, your top aim should be to network. Networking gets you jobs. Hard programs bring you tears.
Downside: courses can be crowded with others but it's alright. Tbf they have double the cohort as imperial. MIT is more expensive. Some have said it's a certificate course lol...but it's MIT. You are paying for the name, the prestige, the network. Boston does not have as big of a financial center as London but as you said, you will be back in London, so it shouldn't matter.
Overall I say MIT because of the name and opportunities at your doorstep. At the end of the day, no one cares how hard you work. Sorry to say that but that's life. Employers don't care how difficult a course is. Imperial has good name but MIT has a better name and you can achieve your goals by working less. Remember, you are trying to get a good job to pay your bills, not flex on people that you did a hard course.
At this time, UK is not good. Economy is not great and has not been great for 17 years. It is moments like this you need to stand out. MIT > Imperial.
Also you did not specify what type of trader so I assumed you just wanted to be a tradfi guy.
I hope you get into MIT. If you do, only look back to London for jobs, as you stated since it's what you want.
Thank you so much for your response. Definitely some very good points for MIT. Only thing that kind of bothers me is --
- I feel like London is a better city than Boston (both from a lifestyle perspective and from a networking standpoint)
- I feel like Imperial in London is nearly as well regarded as MIT so I'm not sure the added value of MIT is that much but I don't really know.
Anyways thank you so much for your insights.
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Hi,
You are right to point out the London vs Boston thing. Lifestyle wise, London is arguably the 2nd best in the world; for a student, it is the best *student* city in the world, if you have money. Networking wise, at the face of it, you are right to point out that London is better at that standpoint, however there's 3 things to note here:
1. If you choose to study at Imperial, it will be harder to network outside of their prepared company presentations because you will spend lots of time academically doing MSc Math and Finance. Unless you already have previous experience (internship/full time), you will be adding extra stress to find a job while doing your academics. Imperial is a "live, breathe, and die for your program" sort of thing, unless you go to the business school, which is easier.
2. American universities are prime for networking, that's what university is about in America tbh. In US Colleges, you will need to network and so you will for sure nurture that skill while London . Sure, I agree that Boston < London You learn more practical and relevant skills in American colleges, which you can then take back to London. Practical skills and networking are much more important. Also at MIT, your lecturers will be full of people who have worked (or are still working) in huge institutions. Imperial does not give that opportunity as much as MIT does.
3. Going to Imperial MSc Math Fin won't give you a lifestyle lol.
To your point about Imperial being as well regarded as MIT in London:
1. I agree to an extent with this sentiment. I know people in London who has said that Imperial is ranked no.1 in the world despite there being no ranking to suggest so. In the usual case that Imperial is no.2, MIT is the one that is no.1, based off QS rankings. I would not look too much into rankings. I would look more into the networking opportunities and relevant knowledge to learn.
2. Imperial has, realistically, only been relevant for 10 years at best, and that's mainly because of it's QS rankings. Without that ranking, it does not have that much of a talking point. It is not that sort of thing that people for generations have been talking about. Not like oxbridge, hypsm, and the other ivy leagues. Not even LSE. Reputation in finance wise, Imperial is not even on par with LSE when it comes to finance. I was wide awake when UCL was ranked and considered better than Imperial, until Imperial overtook them only recently.
3. MIT will add greater value to your CV. As the quantnet saying goes, "it's MIT". You never hear that with Imperial. Not even with Oxbridge.
4. Course wise, at Imperial you may be forced to go quant because the things you learn in that program is not as applicable in tradfi. Quant is a whole different level and based off what you said, I assume you don't need it. Might I add you learn these quant courses at MIT, just choose the Financial Engineering or Capital Markets concentration. You will learn these while not going through the hellish (and honestly unnecessary) rigors of Imperial.
Remember: you are trying to get relevant skills and a top university name to get a job to put food on the table. Telling people you did a hard course at imperial won't put food on the table. It will put tears of suffering and maybe mental health problems instead. Take the potential opportunity to be away from the UK for 1.5 years. Refresh your mindset and gain real skills, not flex about the Girsanov Theorem. Come back with an MIT degree and make sure you dominate the City of London.
...and who knows, with an MIT degree, you may even start your own company in the future
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Might be an unpopular opinion but I’d vote for Imperial especially for quant positions. MIT has great reputation, #1 in the world ofc, but that reputation is largely due to their undergraduate and doctorate education. I think recruiters will look at the specific program that you’re in, not just your school’s name. And I don’t think MFin and Sloan in general are in the same level of prestige as other MIT programs. (Also those corp finance courses?)
My opinion might be a little biased tho because I’m more of an engineer so anything business school related/ hosted in a business school tends to give me the ick lol
Also, are you a US citizen? Do you wanna work in the US after graduation? Because moving from UK to US for work is much harder than the other way around.
My opinion might be a little biased tho because I’m more of an engineer so anything business school related/ hosted in a business school tends to give me the ick lol
Also, are you a US citizen? Do you wanna work in the US after graduation? Because moving from UK to US for work is much harder than the other way around.
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