Rutgers MQF and Alumni

[realjg]

Hello,

I’m an NYU grad and I’m heading to Rutgers MQF this fall.

People have been saying that Rutgers’s program is pretty good but I haven’t seen any people work at very significant places out of college, not to denigrate the alumni community. I have not heard of anyone who graduated in the program throughout its 23 years that managed to end up at a large fund.

Simply put, the lack of MQF alumni in major hedge funds definitely has me fretting about the quality of the education I’ll receive. Is this just the reality of being in a 11-20 quant program and I’ll have to settle for less? Should I be setting my sights on getting a PhD?

 

[jarryds]

Hello,

I’m an NYU grad and I’m heading to Rutgers MQF this fall.

People have been saying that Rutgers’s program is pretty good but I haven’t seen any people work at very significant places out of college, not to denigrate the alumni community. I have not heard of anyone who graduated in the program throughout its 23 years that managed to end up at a large fund.

Simply put, the lack of MQF alumni in major hedge funds definitely has me fretting about the quality of the education I’ll receive. Is this just the reality of being in a 11-20 quant program and I’ll have to settle for less? Should I be setting my sights on getting a PhD?

I decided not to go to Rutgers. Their program is taught by the business department, which didn't sit well with me. I got the impression the program's coursework was centered around the buzzwords in QF, instead of focussing more on the fundamental maths/stats. I had multiple alumni tell me that they had to spend a good deal of time self studying to fill in the gaps.

I remember finding some of their alumni in industry, seems like most of who I talked to ended up on sell side doing risk/middle office stuff. Being ranked 11-20 doesn't define the program, I'm sure you can create a competitive resume if you do the legwork.

Also do you want to do a PhD? I see this all of this forum and I have the hardest time wrapping my head around this line of reasoning. A PhD is a completely different path with different motivations. If you are interested in a PhD, fine, but don't chase it because you couldn't land a job in industry or a "good" MS program.

Anyways, I'm sure MQF is a fine program. Just make sure you are actively studying, networking, and talking to people in industry during your masters. I have said this before - if where you studied is the most competitive part of your resume, you are doing something wrong.