Year-long internship at a Wall Street firm vs. 6-month internship + thesis?

[lesterentis]

Hi, everyone, hope you're all doing well.
I'm thinking of applying to quantitative finance programs in the 2023 admissions cycle. I have a couple of options to consider for my profile before applying (all of the following would start in mid-2022):
a. Year-long internship at a wall street firm (~ 6 months at the time of application, and ~ a year by the time the program starts)
b. Year-long thesis in computational finance (again, ongoing at the time of application)
c. 6 month internship at a wall street firm + 6 month thesis in computational finance (would have completed internship and not have started thesis at the time of application)

I was wondering if I could get some thoughts on which of the above options would seem the most appealing/add the most value to my profile from the adcom's perspective?
Any feedback would be helpful, thanks!

 

[jarryds]

Hi, everyone, hope you're all doing well.
I'm thinking of applying to quantitative finance programs in the 2023 admissions cycle. I have a couple of options to consider for my profile before applying (all of the following would start in mid-2022):
a. Year-long internship at a wall street firm (~ 6 months at the time of application, and ~ a year by the time the program starts)
b. Year-long thesis in computational finance (again, ongoing at the time of application)
c. 6 month internship at a wall street firm + 6 month thesis in computational finance (would have completed internship and not have started thesis at the time of application)

I was wondering if I could get some thoughts on which of the above options would seem the most appealing/add the most value to my profile from the adcom's perspective?
Any feedback would be helpful, thanks!

Are you saying you have all three of these and you want to know which is better? Or are you looking to apply and you are considering the three paths?

 

[MRoss]

Quant finance programs don't accept for academics. They accept students who they believe will bolster their placement numbers.

So whenever you are asking: "What would the quant program want to see in an applicant" rephrase it as "what would an investment bank want to see in an applicant."

This isn't a PhD. Most of the time RELEVANT work experience will be far more valuable than a thesis. Make sure you do relevant quant stuff on the job and make sure you have exciting and relevant experience bullets under that role on your resume.

 

[lesterentis]

Are you saying you have all three of these and you want to know which is better? Or are you looking to apply and you are considering the three paths?

Hey, my apologies if the situation wasn't clear! I'm looking to apply, and I'm considering these three paths.

 

[lesterentis]

Quant finance programs don't accept for academics. They accept students who they believe will bolster their placement numbers.

So whenever you are asking: "What would the quant program want to see in an applicant" rephrase it as "what would an investment bank want to see in an applicant."

This isn't a PhD. Most of the time RELEVANT work experience will be far more valuable than a thesis. Make sure you do relevant quant stuff on the job and make sure you have exciting and relevant experience bullets under that role on your resume.

Got it, thanks a ton!