Profile Review - Recruiting for MFE with low GPA but very solid work exp

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lt_rui

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Hi, was wondering if the community could let me know how my profile looks for MFE programs - want to see if this is something I should pursue or if I should just stick with my bachelors and just go into industry directly when I grad. Below is my profile, my major issue is my GPA, as for most of my university career I only optimized for SWE internships and had a bad attitude towards my education (regretting it now) but now am looking more into QT/QR. I would love to attend Columbia MFE or MAMF, or NYU MFE but don't really know how realistic that is.

Undergrad: #1 school in Canada overall, #1/#2 for STEM - Major in CS, minors in Math and Stats, expected GPA when applying will be a 2.9 - 3.0 / 4.
Work Exp in order from earliest to latest, all internships: SWE (C++, Python) @ F500 fintech, SWE @ well known tech company in Bay Area, QD/Low Latency SWE (C++) at multi strat HF (one of Citadel/Point72/Millenium), and I have two more internships left before I graduate. I'm expecting by the time i apply for MFE i will have another 1 or 2 internships as a QD/SWE at another prop shop or HF, or return to my current workplace again next year.
LOR: I'm hoping to get LOR's from my manager/direct mentor at the HF (if it matters he was an ex MD @ HF, and preciously CTO at multiple other another well known prop shops and BB IBs), and should also be able to get other LOR from past/future direct managers/mentors
SOP: I believe I can write a solid SOP. I am really passionate about this industry, and my grades will have upward trajectory which I can show due to me deciding I should probably shape up and fix my GPA, and also cause I realized I should be taking my opportuntity at education more seriously.
GRE: Haven't taken it yet, but would aim for a 169 or 170 for Q, and should be able to score well in V too.

Would love to know people's opinion on my profile and whether or not I have a chance. Thanks!
 
Thanks for the response, but wouldn't it be difficult to transition into QR as a low latency SWE even with extensive work exp without a masters? While I really like this line of work, I want to try my hand at QR, and it seems like having an MFE from top school + my past experience would be the best path as I would be able to actually learn more of the math and stats, and would give me a way to get interviews for QR intern. I'm planning to apply to QT internships for 2027 as well, but I'm not as confident in my skills in that compared to QD/SWE.

Another thing is I hear that the headcount for firms like Citadel/HRT/JS/Cubist hiring QRs for NG roles is not high at all, most are past interns, and almost all the QRs I see on LinkedIn have masters or PhD level degrees. Do you think I could pass resume screens for NG quantitative roles given my current education/GPA and experience?
 
You should not have any issue getting into a decent quant master program with your work experience. There are ways to overcome the low GPA and relevant work experience is a main factor.
A top tier firm with structured hiring procedure like ones you mentioned is almost never ever hire QR without a graduate degree. There are just too many over qualified candidates from the pool that they have to filter out by the degree.
If you really are after the QR roles, then you need to aim for a top quant or STEM program in Math/Stats, etc. Make sure those programs have good pipeline and alum network at those firms.

Here is a success story on how to build a solid application package with a low GPA.
Leggoo MFE

Thread 'From Low CGPA to My Dream School: Columbia MAFN, NYU MFE, and More'

Hello QuantNet Community,

I wanted to share my journey to getting accepted into Columbia's MAFN program, NYU's MFE, NCSU's Mathematical Finance, and Nanyang Business School's MFE in Singapore. I'm still waiting on decisions from Columbia's MFE and GaTech's QCF. My hope is that this post helps those who feel limited by a low CGPA but are passionate about breaking into the world of quantitative finance.

My Biggest Drawback

  • Low CGPA: I had a CGPA of 2.98/4.00 in both my undergrad and grad studies.
  • Poor Math Grades: I had a B- in Mathematics 3 and a...
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Hey Andy, thanks for the advice. I saw that post which you linked before and it was actually the post that made me think it might be possible to do an MFE with my GPA. In that case I'll try to do as well as I can in my remaining courses and build as strong of a profile as possible, hopefully that will leave more doors open for MFE and QR if i decide to go down that route.
 

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