COMPARE Princeton University MFin vs Stanford University MCF

Rank
Program
Total Score
Peer Score
% Employed at Graduation
% Employed at 3 months
% Employed in the US
Compensation
Cohort Size
Acceptance Rate
Avg Undergrad GPA
Tuition
Rank
1
Princeton University Princeton, NJ 08544
4.86 star(s) 7 reviews
1
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ 08544
4.86 star(s)
100 3.7 95 100 90 259.9K 35 4.32 124.8K
NR
Stanford University Stanford, CA 94305
0.00 star(s) 0 reviews
NR
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305
0.00 star(s)
- - - - - - 4 3.14 -
Mensa said:
Stanford MCF hasn't released its placement stats, and as far as I know, the program is heavy academic; some graduates went to PhD.

In contrast, Princeton MFin has maintained impressive placement results in the past few years.

That's to say, if you have a plan for PhD, Stanford might be better, but if you really want to break into a top IB, go Princeton for sure.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your input! I do not think as of now, I plan on getting my PhD right through my masters, but am definitely considering it down the line after getting some work experience.
 
Hey Guys !
I thought I was joining Princeton with no doubts. Hiwever, I got into Stanford and now I’m struggling with the decision...
I want to work in buy side and I think maybe Stanford’s program may be more technical and Stanford’s name is definitely a plus. Though, Princeton is very strong and has a great network in Finance...
What are your thoughts ?
 
In my opinion, if you want to go for a PhD degree in this field, then go to Stanford. I also really like the curriculum offered by ICME. It is very technical and also they offer chances for transferring to a PhD program. If you have already set up your mind for a PhD, go to Stanford.

Otherwise I vote for Princeton. It is a much more balanced program. It will be a better choice if you want to launch a job after graduation and you may also further apply for PhD (Econ, ORFE, etc.).

Congratulation again!
 
quantdog said:
In my opinion, if you want to go for a PhD degree in this field, then go to Stanford. I also really like the curriculum offered by ICME. It is very technical and also they offer chances for transferring to a PhD program. If you have already set up your mind for a PhD, go to Stanford.

Otherwise I vote for Princeton. It is a much more balanced program. It will be a better choice if you want to launch a job after graduation and you may also further apply for PhD (Econ, ORFE, etc.).

Congratulation again!
Click to expand...
The MCF program website specifically mentions their aim to get their students into the financial industry. In fact, have a look at their specializations:
Suggested Specializations
  • Financial Mathematics
  • Financial Data Science
  • Financial Technology
  • Financial Markets
  • PhD prep
PhD prep is a specialization you can choose to pursue, but it isn't necessary. Most of their alum have amazing jobs in the finance and data science industries -- seems to be a fair result given the exciting curriculum and obviously the Stanford tag.
 
Thanks for your responses ! I might add that my Princeton’s offer is for 1 year.
Also, I may want to come back to Europe after 3-5 years. Stanford isn’t a bit more recognized out of the US ?
 
I am in the same boat as you. Having a hard time choosing between the two. Let me know what's ur final decision.
 
cheron_jrm said:
- Final Choice -
I'll be going to Princeton ! I think the school is the best fit for me as it is a relatively small school with more theoretical courses.
Thanks everyone for your help !
Click to expand...
Thank you for checking back in! Congrats on your admissions, and your choice. Bendheim Center is pretty badass.
 
Hello everyone,

I have been lucky enough to be admitted both to the Stanford MCF at ICME and Princeton MFin, but am stuck deciding between the two.

In particular, I am curious if anyone knows anything about career prospects from the Stanford MCF. Their website is quite lacking in this regard. However, they claim 100% placement and that students have had no trouble in the past getting jobs at sell-side or buy-side firms in NYC. To me, their curriculum seems well position to prepare someone for a career at a quant hedge fund, as it has a heavy emphasis on data science and programming. There's definitely less emphasis on stochastic calculus, options pricing, etc than at Princeton, so that makes me think Princeton may be better for sell-side stuff.

Stanford also seems to leave open the possibility of working in startups, fintech, data science, etc, especially given its location in Silicon Valley. I'm not sure about this possibility from Princeton. Personally, I am interested in quant (leaning buy-side), but also could see myself in startups, fintech, insurance technology, or another entrepreneurial career.

I've made this a poll, but I'd love to hear people's opinions about the programs. Thank you all for your help!
 
Probably true that both Stanford better for tech/fintech and Princeton is better for sell-side but on buy side it will be tough to see a big difference in practice. To be super frank and practical, when schools have reputations like Stanford, MIT, Princeton, Harvard etc. you are going to be able to get interviews at top places no matter which you choose and there is just not a lot of differentiation between them for the average finance job in terms of getting your foot in the door--the real question is which will prepare you better and give you maximum optionality. But that is more about what you want and are aiming for specifically. If you are really interested in buy side, then the main questions are going to be which program will give better financial programming skills and which offers and will let you take the best ML courses because these are skills used pretty consistently at quant shops (ML depends on which hedge fund specifically and which part but not a bad skill set, computing pretty necessary everywhere). I know Stanford has reputation for being super CS and ML heavy (I mean what is ICME lol), but obviously Princeton also has a good CS department and a certificate in machine learning. Personally, I like the idea of nice weather in Palo Alto and having an out to a chiller industry/set of industries, but its really a matter of personal preference.
 
steventhird said:
Probably true that both Stanford better for tech/fintech and Princeton is better for sell-side but on buy side it will be tough to see a big difference in practice. To be super frank and practical, when schools have reputations like Stanford, MIT, Princeton, Harvard etc. you are going to be able to get interviews at top places no matter which you choose and there is just not a lot of differentiation between them for the average finance job in terms of getting your foot in the door--the real question is which will prepare you better and give you maximum optionality. But that is more about what you want and are aiming for specifically. If you are really interested in buy side, then the main questions are going to be which program will give better financial programming skills and which offers and will let you take the best ML courses because these are skills used pretty consistently at quant shops (ML depends on which hedge fund specifically and which part but not a bad skill set, computing pretty necessary everywhere). I know Stanford has reputation for being super CS and ML heavy (I mean what is ICME lol), but obviously Princeton also has a good CS department and a certificate in machine learning. Personally, I like the idea of nice weather in Palo Alto and having an out to a chiller industry/set of industries, but its really a matter of personal preference.
Click to expand...
Thank you for such a detailed response!
 

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