COMPARE UCLA MFE vs NYU Tandon MFE

[nickname]

Hello Everyone,

I got an offer from both of NYU Polytechnic and UCLA MS in Financial Engineering. I think both these schools have pros or cons but not would like to hear your ideas about recruitment. Do you have any ideas how strong are the career services of these schools?

 

[Francis Chan]

Are you serious?

 

[Harsha Putta]

He is serious @Francis Chan , thats why he asked the question. Le ts us share our views and help out each other. Even I want to know how UCLA is viewed in NY when compared with other school in and around NY for Financial engineering. According to rankings, popularity, brand name it is UCLA. But if you have location preference then it would change things.

 

[nickname]

In order to get a job in NYC, do you think studying in NYU Poly will be advantageous than studying in California?

 

[sidg]

This is an absurd question! Why would you even consider a mid tier uni like Poly when you have UCLA, one of the undisputed best in the world! And why do you want to work in NYC when you have LA and San Francisco at your disposal! STOP thinking and take UCLA with open arms. Good luck :D

 

[QTMGMT]

Many people are passing off their degree from Poly as "NYU Financial Engineering" these days. The reality is that many hiring managers won't know the difference and may not even care. If I were a Courant student or alum I would be pissed that NYU is eroding the value of my degree, but I am sure the extra tuition is more important to the university than the opinions of a very few outspoken alumni.

Also, there will be many more opportunities in New York which is a counter to the terrible weather and uptight culture compared to California.

 

[sidg]

I beg to differ. I think that all HR managers at good financial institutions know well the difference between Courant FinMath and Poly MFE while they hire quants for their businesses. It is their job to know.

About the opportunities, I think it is just a tendency for every student to think that NYC has a lot to offer just because Wall street is there. I think California is a much better place to be, bustling with opportunities. And if you're a UCLA guy, the uptight culture or anything of that sort is never going to bother you.

Keeping all that aside, above anything else, IT IS UCLA! I would have asked you to consider NY if you have Columbia or Cornell. But question about picking Poly over UCLA for whatever rhyme or reason does not arise. Massively surprising that I came across this thread asking for help to pick between UCLA and Poly! @Francis Chan I feel you bro!

 

[IntoDarkness]

Its students job to convence hiring managers that their academic programs actually add value. There is over supply of "quant" students. Ucla program is clearly 2nd tier. I graduater from uc system and don't think UCLA deserves that much hype. its perceived brand name is actually much weaker than you think in the job market. among state schools, only Berkeley carries comparable name recognition with ivy and other elite schools.

 

[QTMGMT]

Yes, I am fully aware that people have a tendency to speculate on all matter of things without any practical knowledge. However, since I am a native Californian with a BS from a very well known UC campus and since I work for a major wall street firm in New York after completing a MFE, and have met quite a few people who graduated from Poly, I thought I would address the OPs inquiry. Granted my advice has no basis more reliable than my own personal experience.

Nonetheless, the point is that there are reasons that one might choose a lesser "brand name" for other advantages, specifically, proximity to large markets for skills and knowledge in high finance. The reality is that while us Californians think UCLA is fantastic not everybody shares that opinion, especially on the east coast. And high finance is just not as large a part of the economy in California as it is on the east coast. As @IntoDarkness mentioned, at the end of the day, an employer is hiring a person, not a university name on a resume and being in New York will offer more opportunities to sell yourself than you would have being in California.

 

[pingu]

Why would you even consider a mid tier uni like Poly when you have UCLA, one of the undisputed best in the world!

I didn't know UCLA MS in Financial Engineering was one of the best in the world. Are we talking about UCLA as a school or the MSFE program?

 

[Christopher lee]

Its students job to convence hiring managers that their academic programs actually add value. There is over supply of "quant" students. Ucla program is clearly 2nd tier. I graduater from uc system and don't think UCLA deserves that much hype. its perceived brand name is actually much weaker than you think in the job market. among state schools, only Berkeley carries comparable name recognition with ivy and other elite schools.

could u explain what u mean by and why u think ucla is clearly 2nd tier? how would you compare it to rutgers msmf? thank you

 

[Marchi]

I've been admitted to all 3 of the above programs and am struggling to make up my mind.

Things to consider:
- I want to work in either NYC, Chicago, or Toronto out of university.
- I am Canadian.
- My background is an undergrad in Pure Mathematics
- I've been working for the better part of a year in ERM Risk Modelling for an insurance company.
- I'm a sociable person and would like to end up in an interactive/team roll, not just sitting at a computer programming all day.


Things I like about each program:
- NYU Tandon: Peter Carr has been putting in work since he got there and it's beginning to show. The program itself is very diverse and the small class size will lead to a lot of 1-on-1 time with professors. Location is prime for someone trying to land a job in NYC. Scholarship.

- UCLA Anderson: The program is run by the business school. The MFE specific admissions team personally accepted me, as opposed to a general acceptance from the other schools. The feeling I get is that they will work with me to guarantee my employment after the program, and the name "UCLA" will help.

- Imperial: It's Imperial.


Things that concern me:
- NYU Tandon: The lack of screening process for the application; no interview, no explicit English requirement other than a TOEFL score, no direct interaction with me until my acceptance. This leads me to believe that students were only accepted because they met some meaningless criteria (i.e 165+ Quant score, 3.5+ GPA, etc..).

- UCLA Anderson: The large incoming class size, that is going to be split into two cohorts of ~40 students each. The location given where I want to work. The lack of electives in the program, however I do like the required internship.

- Imperial: Also the location, and whether the international aspect makes me desirable to employers.


Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[Marchi]

Real thankful for all the votes, but I'm more curious to hear your reasoning behind it.

 

[rnvpx]

NYU Poly is yet an unproved commodity. Perhaps it will be a great program in 5 years, but why should you take the risk? Go with UCLA. Don't know much about Imperial.

 

[diwei shi]

I don't think US companies value international academic or work experience highly enough, stay in US if you want to work here.

 

[Marchi]

I don't think US companies value international academic or work experience highly enough, stay in US if you want to work here.

That's what I've gathered from various conversations I've had with professionals both in North America and abroad, so I think I'll attend either NYU Tandon or UCLA Anderson

 

[Marchi]

NYU Poly is yet an unproved commodity. Perhaps it will be a great program in 5 years, but why should you take the risk? Go with UCLA. Don't know much about Imperial.

Do you mean that the program inadequately prepares you, or that the program inadequately assists you in finding employment afterwards? From what I have seen, I believe the latter to have been the case more so than the former. In fact, I can't imagine there being a huge difference between a particular course in one program vs the same course in another program... thoughts?

 

[zyz]

Marchi, sorry for the threadjack, but how is the job market in Canada right now? What companies would you apply if you would like to work in Toronto?

 

[sac_labh]

Hi All,

I received admits from UCLA and NYU Tandon and am facing a dilemma in choosing between the two.
One of the main factors for me is job placement and getting good financial aid (through scholarships and campus jobs).

Job Perspective:
I am more inclined towards trading based roles, given that it is difficult for a fresher to bag those jobs, I am interested in knowing which university would present these opportunities?
Can someone shed light on this.
Thanks!

 

[Michsund]

You didn’t tell us about the finances