COMPARE Stanford MCF vs Princeton MFin vs LSE Risk & Stochastic

lim · 3/21/15

Hi there!

I am deliberating between these few schools, and I am not sure which to pick.

I hope to pursue a career as a quant or a trader in the future; what are some thoughts on the programs?

mhy · 3/21/15

Go to Princeton - you won't regret it

lim · 3/22/15

I actually go to school in New York.. so I thought a change of environment would be nice...

Khorge · 3/22/15

Go to Princeton - its by FAR the best program of the three.

mhy · 3/22/15

If that's what you want, fine. But Princeton >>> Stanford/LSE for jobs, reputation, everything.

TehRaio · 3/23/15

lim said:
I actually go to school in New York.. so I thought a change of environment would be nice...

where do you want to live and work primarily?

These 3 choices are outstanding so it's really a matter of preference. You shouldn't just pick a school because it's the most prestigious, you want to make the best of your time there, sometimes the environment and the lifestyle are a big factor in your success.

if you don't care about working in Europe then LSE might be a bit too far from your present location. Also, you might want to tell us a bit more about yourself, it will help us provide comments that are actually useful.

IntoDarkness · 3/23/15

TehRaio said:
where do you want to live and work primarily?

These 3 choices are outstanding so it's really a matter of preference. You shouldn't just pick a school because it's the most prestigious, you want to make the best of your time there, sometimes the environment and the lifestyle are a big factor in your success.

if you don't care about working in Europe then LSE might be a bit too far from your present location. Also, you might want to tell us a bit more about yourself, it will help us provide comments that are actually useful.

this is bs. dont listen to it

TehRaio · 3/23/15

Not necessarily.
Stanford is not a highly rated program judging by quantnet ranking. Regarding LSU, I would also like to know if OP sent an application to their Msc in Financial mathematics.
I'm interested in knowing if there are any particular reasons why the OP can't decide between Princeton and the rest (which is an easy choice to make for many).
Now if there are none then the choice is obvious and it's a shorter travel too.

lim · 3/31/15

TehRaio said:
Not necessarily.
Stanford is not a highly rated program judging by quantnet ranking. Regarding LSU, I would also like to know if OP sent an application to their Msc in Financial mathematics.
I'm interested in knowing if there are any particular reasons why the OP can't decide between Princeton and the rest (which is an easy choice to make for many).
Now if there are none then the choice is obvious and it's a shorter travel too.

Oh.. no no traveling distance isn't my main concern. I am an international student and go to college in New York. I am inclining towards being a quant/trader but since I have not had much internship/work experience, I am not sure if that is what I want to do in the finance industry.

I wanted to go to Stanford because of its programming element. I am a Math and Economics major, but I lack programming skills, so I thought going to Stanford might be a good complement. However, the program is new and not as recognized.

LSE is great as a location and a nice change of environment, but I heard the Stats department isn't that good. I did applied for the Financial Mathematics program but that was my second choice and my essay was not geared towards that, so naturally I did not get in.

I also did got into Cambridge's Mphil Finance, which gives me another alternative school if I want to go to the UK.

Princeton's program is by far the most established, but it is too near New York. So.. those are my considerations. I'm guessing Princeton would be a natural choice for others.

The ideal situation would be Princeton quality program located in a different environment, hence my dilemma.

lim · 3/31/15

Okay.. so here are my offers - I managed to get places in MIT Finance, Princeton Finance, Stanford Mathematical and Computational Finance, LSE Risk and Stochastic and Cambridge Mphil Finance. I might have eliminated MIT and Cambridge initially, but here are my options, so that perhaps more advice might come in too. Thank you for all the advice

I really appreciate!!

mhy · 3/31/15

Princeton isn't only the most established, it's by far the best brand value / reputation / quality of the programs you listed. Stanford/LSE are not at the same level or quality.

TehRaio · 3/31/15

@lim
you're not an EU citizen right?
have you considered the supposedly unfriendly immigration regulation in the UK?

yo yue · 3/31/15

mhy said:
Princeton isn't only the most established, it's by far the best brand value / reputation / quality of the programs you listed. Stanford/LSE are not at the same level or quality.

really, i thought Stanford is the most difficult to get in among the three...

TehRaio · 3/31/15

yo yue said:
really, i thought Stanford is the most difficult to get in among the three...

I think above a certain level, more selectivity doesn't correlate with quality.

Ramneik Bathla · 3/31/15

Why is MIT not in the same level as princeton? I would assume their prestige and reputation and brand value would be the same/similar.

implol · 3/31/15

Ramneik Bathla said:
Why is MIT not in the same level as princeton? I would assume their prestige and reputation and brand value would be the same/similar.

No it is not even close. The size and quality of students at Princeton is unmatched by mit.

Tiffany Wang · 3/31/15

Princeton>Stanford>LSE

lim · 3/31/15

Thank you everyone for your input! This is really helpful. Last point, I was checking Stanford's faculty for the Mathematical and Computational Finance - it feels like they have a stronger faculty that publishes books in the mathematical finance/stochastic field, much more than that of Princeton. Should I be taking this into consideration?

mhy · 4/1/15

lim said:
Thank you everyone for your input! This is really helpful. Last point, I was checking Stanford's faculty for the Mathematical and Computational Finance - it feels like they have a stronger faculty that publishes books in the mathematical finance/stochastic field, much more than that of Princeton. Should I be taking this into consideration?

What you want from an MFE/MFin program along with a solid education is access to and reputation among recruiters in the financial industry. Princeton is at the top in both. You are not in a 2 year masters program to do research. If that's your objective, go get a PhD.

pingu · 4/1/15

lim said:
Thank you everyone for your input! This is really helpful. Last point, I was checking Stanford's faculty for the Mathematical and Computational Finance - it feels like they have a stronger faculty that publishes books in the mathematical finance/stochastic field, much more than that of Princeton. Should I be taking this into consideration?

do you want to publish books or work in finance? do you want to do academic research in finance or work making money on the street?

COMPARE Stanford MCF vs Princeton MFin vs LSE Risk & Stochastic

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