Advice for Target School MSFE/MSQF/MSCF

[ryanwhy]

I'm currently in my undergrad as a junior, and am heading to LSE next semester. I want to make the most out of my time there by setting myself up for a master's at a target school for quant finance. I'm curious to know what steps I should start taking now (like projects or classes) to have the highest chance of acceptance when applying to a master's program. Whether it's with NYU, Berkeley, Carnegie Melon, etc. I'm perpetually worried I'm never doing enough and only scraping the surface when I start various projects. So, what's some advice anyone would have on that? and, second, what advice would anyone have on the application process? What type of material do they want to see on someone's application? What do they want to know about during the interview processes? I could probably list out more questions like that, but I think I'm conveying my unease towards applications well enough. Any advice helps!

 

[Andy Nguyen]

I'm pretty sure we have multiple articles covering each of your question. The process and advice is the same every year. What changes is that the amount of applicants have significantly increased over the years. It is harder to get into the top programs while the it's harder for lower-tier programs to attract top candidates.

Thread 'MFE Recruiting Reality Check: What Every Incoming Student Needs to Know'

4/10/25

So you got into a MFE Program… Now What?​

There are plenty of articles on how to get into a MFE program… but how do you prepare for the intensely competitive internship recruiting that comes with a graduate program in quantitative finance?

I’m happy to share some insights from my three years of experience working in Career Services for Carnegie Mellon’s MSCF (Master of Science in Computational Finance) program.

The Reality of U.S. Recruitment
*Note: As majority of my students have landed internships and full-time roles in the US, I will focus on how to prepare for...

• Ash Cross
• Replies: 13
• Forum: Articles

• 
• 

Thread 'Tips for applying to MFE programs'

9/9/22

Start early. Submitting a grad school application takes time. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will it take a day to complete your application. Plan accordingly.

Know your 'why'. Why you want to get an MFE degree –

• Going to grad school is a big decision. It’s expensive and if you’re already working, it can be hard to go back to school when you’re making money.
• Applying to grad school because you’re not sure what to do next (so might as well just go to Grad School) often leads to unmotivated applications and subsequently poor results.
• More often than not...

• Akram Khan
• Replies: 3
• Forum: Articles

• 

Thread 'From Low CGPA to My Dream School: Columbia MAFN, NYU MFE, and More'

3/24/25

Hello QuantNet Community,

I wanted to share my journey to getting accepted into Columbia's MAFN program, NYU's MFE, NCSU's Mathematical Finance, and Nanyang Business School's MFE in Singapore. I'm still waiting on decisions from Columbia's MFE and GaTech's QCF. My hope is that this post helps those who feel limited by a low CGPA but are passionate about breaking into the world of quantitative finance.

My Biggest Drawback

• Low CGPA: I had a CGPA of 2.98/4.00 in both my undergrad and grad studies.
• Poor Math Grades: I had a B- in Mathematics 3 and a...

• Leggoo MFE
• Replies: 19
• Forum: Articles

• 
• 

Thread 'Do’s and Don’ts of MFE Applications'

2/26/13

When applying to a master’s program, it is not possible to specify the exact requirements necessary to be accepted, because there is flexibility in the process. An application that is weaker in one area might be accepted because of strengths in other areas.

For the most part, the standard of the applicants is very high; however, in some cases, it is apparent that a capable applicant would have fared better with more careful preparation. There are things that candidates could do to improve their chances of admission, especially if they give some thought to this well before the application...

• Bill Stanley
• Replies: 18
• Forum: Articles

• 
• 

Thread 'Graduate Schools Looking for Thoughtful, Well-Rounded Students'

11/26/20

The decision to pursue a degree in financial engineering is an important step in advancing your career. Congratulations! Whether you are seeking to switch careers or advance within the financial services industry, the skills you will acquire are vital to mastering the strategic and analytical demands of the industry.

Applying to graduate school is a big decision—as well as a significant investment of time and resources—and the emotional and rational aspects can influence candidates’ applications and interviews. Those students who prepared in advance have the advantage of conveying a clear...

• gstanczak
• Replies: 1
• Forum: Articles

• 

Thread 'So You Want to Be a Financial Engineer?'

9/26/12

Preparing for a Career in the Field

When preparing for a career in Financial Engineering, it’s helpful to know what you need to know in order to be considered a good candidate for a job, as well as how to be successful in that role once you are hired.
First, you should know that the general utilization of an MFE degree tends to be oriented toward quantitative roles on the desk (i.e., working on the trading desk and delivering the models, risk calculators, etc., directly to the traders who utilize their products), or in risk management, model validation, and library control, CVA, or...

• Todd Fahey
• Replies: 24
• Forum: Articles

• 

Baruch MFE Thread 'Feedback on plan for building profile for Baruch MFE Fall 2026?'

9/2/24

Hi everyone,

I posted here around a month ago, and have since put together a plan for the next year in order to bolster my application, as well as fill most of the quantitative holes from my undergrad degree. Any feedback/suggestions would be much appreciated!

A little background:
I graduated in 2021 with a BBA in Economics/Finance from Baruch College. My GPA was not good (~3.00), but I’ve since gained 3.5 years of experience in industry. My career so far has been in data engineering, software project management, and data science. I consider myself very proficient in Python, SQL...

• grxthy
• Replies: 25
• Forum: United States

•