COMPARE Rutgers MSMF vs Purdue CF vs UMN MFM

[pingu]

isn't it a shame though? in this day and age, it's not uncommon to have multiple aspirations in life.
Guess better lie about it on your statement of purpose then . . .

Actually, it isn't. Your aspiration is to be a professional student, a modern day Van Wilder.

 

[CasanovaJ]

Actually, it isn't. Your aspiration is to be a professional student, a modern day Van Wilder.

I personally wouldn't knock someone for wanting a PhD, but--
1) Yeah-- from what I've gathered, it sounds like if someone for some reason is really that hellbent on doing an MFE and then a PhD, they might better off not going out of their way to talk about the PhD intentions in their MFE app
2) To some degree, I actually do agree with the math departments... if someone wants a PhD, considering it's free (plus stipend funding), it makes no sense for someone to be spending $100k on an MFE beforehand, and I'd say it just makes them look confused/disorganized in terms of what they want to do

 

[TehRaio]

Actually, it isn't. Your aspiration is to be a professional student, a modern day Van Wilder.

lol is that the movie about the guy who didn't want to graduate?

by the way what do you guise think about this though, sorry if i'm hijacking the thread but it's still on topic I guess:
do a Msc in math (as a pathway to PhD) -> Somehow land a job in industry for a year or two (hopefully, this is still doable) -> then apply for admission to a top PhD in Finance or Math
I have already started taking grad math courses (I'm a senior ugrad) , and I will have 12 cr of them when I graduate next spring. This, I think, will allow me to complete a Msc in one year instead of two.

not one to worry easily but I wouldn't want to appear "not serious" about doing a PhD.

 

[CasanovaJ]

lol is that the movie about the guy who didn't want to graduate?

by the way what do you guise think about this though, sorry if i'm hijacking the thread but it's still on topic I guess:
do a Msc in math (as a pathway to PhD) -> Somehow land a job in industry for a year or two (hopefully, this is still doable) -> then apply for admission to a top PhD in Finance or Math
I have already started taking grad math courses (I'm a senior ugrad) , and I will have 12 cr of them when I graduate next spring. This, I think, will allow me to complete a Msc in one year instead of two.

not one to worry easily but I wouldn't want to appear "not serious" about doing a PhD.

I might be wrong on this, but I'm pretty sure that most decent math PhD programs actually prefer people applying straight from undergrad-- not people who wouldn't be starting until they're 25.

Finance PhDs might be different and place more value in prior work experience, but I don't know

 

[pingu]

why wouldn't you do a PhD directly? Don't PhD programs give you a MS degree along the way?

Hey, if you want to pay for the MS degree go for it but it really sounds dumb to pay and then go to a PhD.

 

[TehRaio]

I might be wrong on this, but I'm pretty sure that most decent math PhD programs actually prefer people applying straight from undergrad-- not people who wouldn't be starting until they're 25.

Finance PhDs might be different and place more value in prior work experience, but I don't know

Yes, that's the pattern I've noticed by looking at the profiles of the very few admitted to finance PhDs: Bsc/Msc + Work experience.
it's 'rare' to see ugrad with no work experience in that pool.
I guess I should aim for those instead of the Math programs, I'm already 26 so I guess I'm undesirable now LOL

why wouldn't you do a PhD directly? Don't PhD programs give you a MS degree along the way?

Hey, if you want to pay for the MS degree go for it but it really sounds dumb to pay and then go to a PhD.

I'm coming back to school after a 4 years "break" let's just say that my first try did not go as planned (if there was any planning to begin with)
So I'm not counting on those grades "Pre-break" to help me get admission into a top PhD, might as well jump from a bridge, i'd have more success landing on my two feet.
that being said, my strategy was to do a Msc knowing that many PhD (in math) will discount 1 year off your curriculum if you come in with a Msc.
My school may be able to provide some sort of financial assistance through TA jobs and what not, I'm also fine paying $20k max for a Msc in math at another school (after all that's probably the last one I will have to pay for if everything go as planned)

 

[bigbadwolf]

isn't it a shame though? in this day and age, it's not uncommon to have multiple aspirations in life.
Guess better lie about it on your statement of purpose then . . .

You're not making any logical sense. If you're spending $100,000 or more on an MFE, it's as an investment, and the courses are tailored to make you marketable in the world of finance -- not prepare you for academic research, which is the purpose of a Ph.D.

 

[TehRaio]

You're not making any logical sense. If you're spending $100,000 or more on an MFE, it's as an investment, and the courses are tailored to make you marketable in the world of finance -- not prepare you for academic research, which is the purpose of a Ph.D.

I wasn't disputing the argument.
I said that for those who would be interested in something like that, might as well lie about it on their sop.

 

[C S]

isn't it a shame though? in this day and age, it's not uncommon to have multiple aspirations in life.
Guess better lie about it on your statement of purpose then . . .

It's not about multiple aspirations. Let me rephrase the point made.

How can you take a math PhD applicant seriously when you see s/he spent 100k to take math courses designed to bring up people with relatively weak math background up to barely feasible level for a PhD? Any worthy PhD applicant will easily succeed in those courses and should have spent those years taking real math courses. And even mediocre PhD programs will fully fund PhD students oftentimes.

To give you some perspective, I got an MFE from one of the "more theoretical" programs and found that the material covered in two semesters of numerical analysis wasn't even one semesters worth of the material taught to undergrads at the respected, but lower ranked university I taught at for some time.

 

[IntoDarkness]

To give you some perspective, I got an MFE from one of the "more theoretical" programs and found that the material covered in two semesters of numerical analysis wasn't even one semesters worth of the material taught to undergrads at the respected, but lower ranked university I taught at for some time.

lol this is outragous

 

[TehRaio]

It's not about multiple aspirations. Let me rephrase the point made.

How can you take a math PhD applicant seriously when you see s/he spent 100k to take math courses designed to bring up people with relatively weak math background up to barely feasible level for a PhD? Any worthy PhD applicant will easily succeed in those courses and should have spent those years taking real math courses. And even mediocre PhD programs will fully fund PhD students oftentimes.

To give you some perspective, I got an MFE from one of the "more theoretical" programs and found that the material covered in two semesters of numerical analysis wasn't even one semesters worth of the material taught to undergrads at the respected, but lower ranked university I taught at for some time.

Coincidentally I'm taking grad numerical analysis, and I was wondering if I needed to know even more.
Guess I know now.

 

[Juggernaut]

I've heard of MFE directors specifically rejecting people who claim in their application that their ultimate goal is to do a PhD... so the argument goes, if someone is serious about a PhD (and legit enough to be able to handle it), math departments think they'd be applying straight from undergrad-- not spending two years on a $100k Masters degree that's explicitly intended to be non-research-based and preparation for going straight to industry.

So does that mean research experience won't count while applying for an MFE?