Prospective MFE 2026 Applicant – Profile Review & Suggestions

[reyna]

Greetings!

I am a prospective candidate from India planning to apply for MFE 2026 applications. With only 4 months left before deadlines begin, I wanted to share my profile and ask for any suggestions to improve it. I have reviewed profiles on Tracker and LinkedIn, but would really appreciate a second opinion.

Education/Exams:

• Graduated from one of the top 7 IITs in 2024 with a major in Engineering Physics ( CGPA: 9.23/10 ~ 3.7/4, Department Rank - 2/60 ) and a minor in Mathematics.
• Relevant Coursework: ( AA - 10/10 )
  • Finance/Applied Math: Game Theory (AB), Economics (AB), Applied Time Series (AA), Numerical Lin Alg (AA), Math Fin (AA), Adv Topics in ML (Audit)
  • Math-focused: Lin Alg/ODE/PDE (AB), Calculus (BC), Measure Theory (AA), Prob Stats (CC - strict grading, top grade was BC), Scientific Computing (AS - above AA), Modern Algebra (AA), Differential Geometry (AA)
• BTP Phase I: Phase transitions in Financial Markets using Ising Model
• BTP Phase II: Regime detection using sliced Wasserstein clustering
• GRE: 328 ( Q169; V159; AW: 4 )
• Passed CFA Level I

LORs - Most likely would get all 3 from my professors and my BTP advisor.

Experience:
Currently working in a strats role at Goldman Sachs (mostly analytics-focused). By December, I’ll have ~1.5 years of experience.
I had considered cold-emailing for a quant finance research project or publication but believe this may not be permitted while employed at GS.

Motivation:
I aim to transition into quantitatively rigorous roles at buy-side firms. While I’m aware that quant research is competitive and often PhD-leaning, I believe an MFE can help me build the right industry-focused skill set and position me for such roles.

Target Schools:
1. Princeton MFin
2. CMU MSCF
3. UC Berkeley MFE
4. MIT MFin
5. Columbia MSFE
6. Cornell CFEM
7. Georgia Tech QCF
8. Oxford FinMath

Questions:

• Does this list seem too ambitious?
• Specifically for UCB MFE, round 3 deadline is on 5th June 2025. I have yet to take TOEFL. Is it better to take some time and apply during round 4 instead (deadline 1st October).
• Are there specific areas where I should focus my efforts over the next few months to strengthen my profile?
• I had a CC in Probability & Statistics and a BC in Calculus, both early in undergrad. Would these be concerning, or can later strong performance offset them? (I haven’t included Baruch, since I wouldn’t meet their prerequisites.)

Thank you for your time!

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Your stats seem competitive. If you don't get admitted to a program, it will be due to SoP, LoR and other things, not your stats.
I would advise the following.

• Target programs with at least 3 semesters long. The 9-month or 1-year programs are at a disadvantage during terrible job market such as one we are in now. Longer programs allow you more time to find internship and jobs.
• Focus on programs with dedicated career services. Check recent reviews (especially UCB MFE and Columbia MFE) as they have some very negative feedback lately.
• Apply as early as you can. The bulk of the admits come in early rounds.
• Consider taking Baruch pre-MFE courses to make your profiles more competitive. Most comments I read said that the courses could be a good warm up for your interviews that will happen during your first semester. If you do well, you can qualify for Baruch MFE programs.
• Where is C++ or Python? You must have a really strong coding ability to find a job in this industry and economy.

 

[reyna]

Your stats seem competitive. If you don't get admitted to a program, it will be due to SoP, LoR and other things, not your stats.
I would advise the following.

• Target programs with at least 3 semesters long. The 9-month or 1-year programs are at a disadvantage during terrible job market such as one we are in now. Longer programs allow you more time to find internship and jobs.
• Focus on programs with dedicated career services. Check recent reviews (especially UCB MFE and Columbia MFE) as they have some very negative feedback lately.
• Apply as early as you can. The bulk of the admits come in early rounds.
• Consider taking Baruch pre-MFE courses to make your profiles more competitive. Most comments I read said that the courses could be a good warm up for your interviews that will happen during your first semester. If you do well, you can qualify for Baruch MFE programs.
• Where is C++ or Python? You must have a really strong coding ability to find a job in this industry and economy.

Thank you, Andy!
I had looked into the Baruch pre-MFE courses for Calculus and Probability/Statistics, but I believe they're offered only between January and April, which may not align with my current timeline.
I've taken C++ (theory + lab) during undergrad, though would say my current proficiency is average — I’m planning to start a project to refresh my skills. In Python, I’ve had more hands-on experience: my BTP was done entirely in Python, and I’ve used it in coursework such as Computational Physics and Simulations in Physical Systems, as well as during my internship at Goldman Sachs (though the interviews were primarily math-focused). I am also planning on working on a project to use KANs for solving Jump Merton Diffusion process, hoping it will be a good addition to my CV.